Monday, January 10th 2022
Immervision Announces the World's thinnest camera module for the laptop industry
Immervision, the world's leading developer of advanced vision systems combining optics, image processing, and sensor fusion technology, is pleased to announce its new 8 MP wide angle camera module for laptops, tablets and notepads with Immervision patented technology bringing edge-to-edge image clarity. Immervision's 8 MP ultra-wide-angle lens-and-sensor combination is only 3.8 mm thick and offers a high-quality solution for a variety of applications that require higher resolution, a wide field of view and advanced distortion control. This solution can handle a variety of videoconferencing scenarios capturing larger scenes with optimal image sensor coverage, pixel density, and quality.
Laptop manufacturers, answering customers' demands for high quality video conferencing, are faced with the difficult problem of increasing the video call resolution and camera field of view while having a limited space to fit advanced camera hardware. They must find ways to shrink both lenses and the camera module. Many are unable to achieve this, leaving them struggling with distorted images, low resolution, and narrow field of view cameras that perform poorly in low-light conditions.
"Working with OEMs we have been able to help them maximize the field of view and image quality in the few millimetres of space available in modern devices," explains Patrice Roulet Fontani, co-founder and VP of Technology at Immervision. "This miniature camera module can be used in conjunction with Immervision's Wide-Angle Distortion Correction Dewarping Algorithms, with Face and Body Protection Algorithm, enabling OEMs with an unprecedented, novel, and fresh video call experience."
This announcement continues the company's proven track record of working with clients to develop and deliver vision system projects from concept to mass production, while authoring multiple patents in 28 patent families, including wide-angle and freeform optics, image processing, sensor fusion and AI.
Source:
Immervision
Laptop manufacturers, answering customers' demands for high quality video conferencing, are faced with the difficult problem of increasing the video call resolution and camera field of view while having a limited space to fit advanced camera hardware. They must find ways to shrink both lenses and the camera module. Many are unable to achieve this, leaving them struggling with distorted images, low resolution, and narrow field of view cameras that perform poorly in low-light conditions.
This announcement continues the company's proven track record of working with clients to develop and deliver vision system projects from concept to mass production, while authoring multiple patents in 28 patent families, including wide-angle and freeform optics, image processing, sensor fusion and AI.
14 Comments on Immervision Announces the World's thinnest camera module for the laptop industry
if its 4:3 format and a total of 8MP, than it means the 16:9 crop to 4K cannot yield true 4K, since its only going to have about 6MP to work with
At least 8MP F2.0 front cameras in mobiles, laptops etc smart devices aren't anything new... the 3.8mm thickness isn't anything special also. Nevertheless I know you and me would gladly live without them as I call them light sensors not cameras :D.
Sadly video calls have become the norm, so a notebook with a crap camera isn't ideal either.
I use my Sony camera for video calling, F1.4 wide open and proper AF and background blur... Size matters... considering how webcam prices have skyrocketed because the demand, using a full fledged camera ain't that bad idea, considering you can also use it outside and shoot.
To put it simply... waste $$ and put some small abominations, like most laptops have, I think even Linus had a whining video about it, just don't put one at all. Leave it be. Good cameras can't be really small, there's a physical limitation and no AI can fix optical limits maintaining low cost.
I would like more having default UVC capable out from a phone and use it natively as a webcam with any PC. As anyone has a phone these days anyways. Win win in my books.
I normally use my desktop, but I obviously have (by now a very old) laptop when I travelled, which has a terrible camera built in.
Luckily my SO used to work for M$, so we have a few of their old webcams in the house.
Most notebooks have crappy 720p or worse cameras, since they were just another checkmark, until people really started to use them, courtesy of the pandemic...
Asus even got rid of them altogether on some of its gaming notebooks, which some reviewers weren't all that impressed with.
Obviously there are limitations, but in this case I guess the selling point is largely the Z height, since laptop makers don't want to have a huge bulge around the screen to house a webcam.
Camo Studio does something like that, but it's not without its flaws.
Time travel? Magical hammer?Video calls... yeah. I often just don't turn on the camera at work, really, when we've already had some earlier contact. When people complain I say, 'what's wrong with a simple phone call?'. Silence follows, and you can almost hear the reality check happening. I also don't get the jump from texting all day (super distant) to needing to look at each others' faces all of a sudden. The sheep behavior is staggering. Its an interesting experiment to just say you don't like it. The peer pressure is strong here.
As for video calls, I guess that depends on what the call is about and what your job is, no? It's very handy to be able to show products to customers before they ship out, or discuss board layouts or moulding issues while showing the customer what's going on. If you're a software developer, I would guess screen sharing is a lot more useful, no?
If it's just a call to catch up on things that doesn't require video, then why use it? I guess some of it is about control by managers as well, which is why so many people are complaining about it. I use it as a tool when needed, but as you say, if you know the people and there's nothing physical involved that has to be shared, voice is good enough. I guess some people like seeing the facial expressions etc. of who they're talking with though, but video calls are still not like meeting face to face.
All that said, most laptops could do with something better than the cameras that have been installed in them for the last decade, as 99% of them have been crap. If this is it, I don't know.
I was talking mostly about it in the sense that video is now always a part of calls since we're all on some sort of Teams app. Lower the bar and people think its somehow required to do, or something. And yes I do share screens a lot ;)