A UHD 2/3-Inch CMOS Imager with Dynamic Pixel Management -an Enabler for New Format Flexibility

Klaus Weber, Peter Centen

The broadcast market currently faces changes which are very challenging for imaging solutions; the change from HD to UHD, and the introduction of HDR. In phases of change, more flexible solutions are needed. The Dynamic Pixel Management (DPM) technology already available in some FT-CCDs offered a unique solution for lossless switching between 4:3/16:9 aspect ratios, as well as between all the different HD formats, including 2.37:1 widescreen. Smaller UHD pixels do not offer the same performance as larger HD pixels and, until now, CMOS imagers have not allowed the pixel size to be changed. This is a real limitation for anyone who needs to produce in UHD as well as in HD. The new CMOS-based XensiumHAWK imagers with DPMUltra technology offer a solution to select the pixel size for native UHD or native HD, to deliver UHD or HD performance with no compromise. This paper explains the background and the development of the flexible pixel size through the DPMUltra technology.

Published
2016-10
Content type
Original Research
Keywords
UHD, 4K, HD, HDR, CMOS, DPM, dynamic pixel management
DOI
10.5594/M001683
ISBN
978-1-61482-957-7