Pixim’s Enhanced Flicker Reduction (EFR) technology named among 2008’s “Top 30 Technology Innovations” by Security Sales & Integration
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.—January 6, 2009—Pixim Inc., a leading provider of image sensors and processors for enterprise security cameras, announced that its Enhanced Flicker Reduction (EFR) technology has been named one of the “Top 30 Technology Innovations” for 2008 by Security Sales & Integration (SSI) magazine, described as the “security industry’s #1 technology and business authority since 1979.”
“These breakthrough products run the gamut from solutions aimed at the high end of the marketplace to modest installation tools,” said SSI. “They offer exciting opportunities and benefits for owners/operators, salespeople and technicians alike.”
In choosing Pixim’s Enhanced Flicker Reduction technology for one of its 2008 Top 30 Products awards, SSI describes Pixim’s EFR as follows: “...reduces flicker caused by fluorescent lights, as well as eliminating the color shift that comes from them, and problems caused by LED-type lights such as traffic signals. This technology is extremely timely as energy efficiency concerns are leading to large-scale replacement of incandescent lights worldwide.”
Fluorescent light sources, while good for energy efficiency, can cause serious problems for CCD video cameras. The technical problems differ slightly worldwide, but all are due to video sampling issues resulting from a difference between the video field capture frequency (which is established by global standards bodies) and local AC power frequency (which varies by geographic location). This mismatch can result in video images with color shifts every few seconds or with strong “beats” that are physically impossible for operators to watch continuously. A closely related technical issue affects scenes with LED lighting sources, causing video images to go dark every few seconds.
Pixim’s EFR technology automatically solves fluorescent light flicker, fluorescent color roll and frequency-modulated LED “blackout” – without sacrificing the ultra-wide dynamic range capabilities that enable true natural color and accurate image capture even under highly variable lighting conditions.
The fluorescent light flicker problem that Pixim’s EFR technology solves is particularly troublesome in eastern Japan, as well as in Chile and some other Latin American, Caribbean and Pacific nations – areas that use 50 Hz AC power along with the 60 Hz NTSC video standard. Fluorescent color roll effects are more widespread, due to the fact that the NTSC 60 Hz standard is actually 59.94 Hz, enough of a difference to cause trouble even in areas where the AC is at 60 Hz.
As for LEDs, they blink at 120 Hz frequency in most areas that use the NTSC video field rate of 59.94 Hz along with 60 Hz AC power. Without Pixim’s EFR technology, cameras mounted on moving vehicles such as trains and buses will not accurately capture video images of LED-based traffic and train signals.
For more information on Pixim’s EFR technology, please visit http://www.pixim.com/products-and-technology/Pixim-Enhanced-Flicker-Reduction.
About Pixim
Pixim Inc. has developed an imaging technology that revolutionizes the way video cameras capture and process images. Unlike traditional cameras, where each pixel cannot adjust to highlights and lowlights in the same scene, Pixim’s patented Digital Pixel System® technology empowers hundreds of thousands of pixels to act like individual cameras constantly self-adjusting. This all-digital system enables Pixim-powered cameras to efficiently capture the whole picture, regardless of lighting condition or application – thus securing the highest resolution, natural color and clarity, while automatically eliminating image-compromising visual noise (e.g., glare, reflections). The result is more than superb image quality; it is accurate, actionable information that gives users the strength of certainty.
Pixim chipsets are incorporated into hundreds of thousands of security cameras installed around the world. Visit www.pixim.com/cameras for a complete listing of Pixim-based cameras. For general information, visit www.pixim.com or call Pixim’s headquarters in Mountain View, Calif., at (650) 605-1107.
Contact:
Susan Lider
Public Relations for Pixim Inc.
650-321-2084
susan@sliderassociates.com
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Pixim, the Pixim logo and Digital Pixel System are registered trademarks of Pixim, Inc. The Digital Pixel System logo, Orca, Eclipse, Barracuda and Every Pixel Tells a Story are trademarks of Pixim, Inc. Other product or service names mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners.
