Pixim’s New Seawolf Chip
Sept 28, 2010
From: Security Electronics & Networks
New ‘Seawolf' camera chip is a true all lighting solution designed for use in both IP and high resolution CCTV cameras. According to Pixim, it offers the industry's highest effective resolution, greatest wide dynamic range, and best low light performance at a mainstream price.
PIXIM’s Seawolf chip is the world's first single-chip, enterprise video camera solution. For the first time, security camera manufacturers will be able to use a single, digital chip, rather than more complicated mixed-signal, multi-chip sets to develop new cameras for all lighting conditions.The Seawolf chip provides 10 times the low-light performance of previous generation security camera chip sets as well as the industry's proven greatest wide dynamic range (WDR) and accurate color performance at half the hardware build cost.
Boasting 690 HTVL effective, Seawolf delivers the highest usable resolution to the CCTV end user. Traditional, analog CCD-based cameras lose much of their resolution when the video is recorded and reviewed. However, due to Seawolf's high total resolution (horizontal times vertical), its high quality color images are preserved by commonly used DVRs and displays.
Importantly in today’s market, the Seawolf chip is also ideal for IP cameras. Users of IP cameras will benefit from Seawolf's global electronic shutter, progressive scan image capture, and full D1 resolution at 30 frames per second.
Single board camera modules based on the Seawolf chip make it easier for manufacturers to develop compact camera formats, a rapidly growing market segment. Seawolf-based cameras will offer true all-lighting capability, meeting the most demanding image quality expectations across the largest market segments within the broad video security industry, including retail, banking, gaming, education, transit, commercial, and industrial applications.
"It's gratifying to be able to release a new product that gives our camera partners significantly improved performance while reducing their cost," says John Monti, Pixim's vice president of marketing and business development.
"With Seawolf, Pixim-powered cameras will compete in the market place at unprecedented price points with low-light, high-resolution, and wide dynamic range capabilities making them the best mainstream cameras available."
Many major customers, including Dallmeier, UTC and March Networks agree.
"Pixim's Seawolf solution proved itself during our testing," says Dieter Dallmeier, founder and president of Dallmeier Electronic.
"We are continuing our analyses, but based on our initial tests, we will soon be producing outstanding low-light and high-resolution cameras using this chip."
And the same reaction came from UTC.
"During testing, Seawolf performed well and the images looked great," says Tom Cashman, general manager of UTC's video products group. "We are planning on implementing it in the near future."
"Pixim's
Seawolf solution proved itself during our testing. We are continuing our
analyses, but based on our initial tests, we will soon be producing
outstanding low-light and high-resolution cameras using this chip."
Dieter Dallmeier, founder and president of Dallmeier Electronic
