Toshiba Announces Bright Mode High-Speed Movie Technology for CMOS Image Sensors in Smartphones and Tablets

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 7, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SHOW (CES) -- Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc. (TAEC)*, a committed leader that collaborates with technology companies to create breakthrough designs, today announces its Bright Mode technology. The Bright Mode CMOS image sensor technology allows smartphones and  tablet PCs to record Full-HD video at 240 frames per second (fps), the industry's highest frame rate¹. Additionally, Bright Mode realizes high quality, slow motion video playback at one-eighth the standard speed²  offering new dimensions in camera imaging during high-speed video.

"Bright Mode technology continues the Toshiba track record of delivering best-in-class image quality through continuous innovation," says Andrew Burt, vice president of the Image Sensor Business Unit, System LSI Group at TAEC. "Bright Mode technology contributes to a wide variety of movie applications, such as high-speed recording, slow-motion movie, and fast-action cameras. It improves video viewing, especially in slow motion, which is timely given the explosion of mobile applications where the exchange of short movie clips is gaining in popularity."

High-speed video recording requires a high-frame rate with short exposure time, which results in under exposed images. Bright Mode technology doubles the exposure time by adopting interlaced³ video output, not the progressive⁴ output that standard CMOS sensors use. Bright Mode also employs charge binning⁵, which doubles the electrical charge of each pixel, resulting in an image four times brighter than that from a CMOS sensor without Bright Mode. Toshiba will also provide an interlace-progressive conversion program that enables users to offer high quality progressive video with low deterioration, without changing frame rate.

Availability
Sample sensors incorporating Bright Mode will be available in Q1 2014.

*About TAEC 
Through proven commitment, lasting relationships and advanced, reliable electronic components, Toshiba enables its customers to create market-leading designs. Toshiba is the heartbeat within product breakthroughs from OEMs, ODMs, CMs, VARs, distributors and fabless chip companies worldwide. A committed electronic components leader, Toshiba designs and manufactures high-quality flash memory-based storage solutions, solid state drives (SSDs), hard disk drives (HDDs), solid state hybrid drives (SSHDs),discrete devices, advanced materials, medical tubes, custom SoCs/ASICs, imaging products, microcontrollers and wireless components that make possible today's leading smartphones, tablets, cameras, medical devices, automotive electronics, enterprise solutions and more.

Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc. is an independent operating company owned by Toshiba America, Inc., a subsidiary of Toshiba Corporation, Japan's largest semiconductor manufacturer and the world's fifth largest semiconductor manufacturer (Gartner, 2012 Worldwide Semiconductor Revenue, April, 2013). Toshiba Corporation was founded in 1875 and today has over 554 subsidiaries and affiliates, with 210,000 employees worldwide. Visit Toshiba's web site at www.toshiba.co.jp/index.htm.

Information in this press release, including product pricing and specifications, content of services and contact information, is current and believed to be accurate on the date of the announcement, but is subject to change without prior notice. Technical and application information contained here is subject to the most recent applicable Toshiba product specifications. In developing designs, please ensure that Toshiba products are used within specified operating ranges as set forth in the most recent Toshiba product specifications and the information set forth in Toshiba's "Handling Guide for Semiconductor Devices," or "Toshiba Semiconductor Reliability Handbook." This information is available at http://www.toshiba.com/taec/support/techquestions/index.jsp or from your TAEC representative.

[1] Research by Toshiba, as of December 2013.
[2] When replaying Full HD (1080p) slow movie at 30 fps.
[3] Interlace system divides frame data into odd horizontal lines in a frame (odd field) and even horizontal lines in a frame (even field) and each field, and outputs each field by turns.
[4] Sequential scan system that outputs data of all pixels per each frame.
[5] Doubling electrical charge of the pixel by putting electrical charge of two pixels together,       when image is downsized to half.

SOURCE Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc.