Altera, Apical, AltaSens announce industry’s first HD wide dynamic range video surveillance chipset

SAN JOSE, USA: Continuing its leadership in high-definition (HD) Wide Dynamic Range (WDR) surveillance camera solutions, Altera Corp., Apical Ltd (UK), and AltaSens Inc. announced the availability of the industry's first HD WDR video surveillance chipset.

The exclusive chipset combines an Altera Cyclone IV E FPGA with a security chip that supports Apical's HD WDR full image signal processing (ISP) pipeline IP and AltaSens' 1080p60 A3372E3-4T image sensor. This unique solution streamlines access to Apical's IP and mitigates the customer's risk with a complete sensor processing solution.

The chipset simplifies the development of a video surveillance camera system by providing a single vendor source for the IP and the FPGA. Customers won't have to purchase the IP from a separate vendor and pay extra licensing fees, NRE charges or royalties. Before purchasing the HD WDR video surveillance chipset, customers can download the evaluation IP, Apical's Image Signal Processing Evaluation Design, directly from Altera's website, as well as register for an evaluation license online and evaluate the system.

After evaluation, customers can download the Image Signal Processing IP core license online from Altera, and incorporate the IP into their FPGA design in the Quartus II software. This ready-made, yet programmable chipset decreases development time and adds flexibility to the camera design. Leveraging the FPGA's flexibility, our customers can customize the device with their own specific features, allowing them to further differentiate their products from those of their competitors.

Apical's HD HDR full image signal pipeline IP is optimized to take advantage of the capabilities of the Altera FPGA. No other application specific standard product (ASSP) or DSP platform offers a comprehensive pipeline that incorporates WDR technology using a 1080p60 sensor and datapath. FPGAs are the only devices that can handle the high bandwidth of data from 1080p and 720p HDR CMOS sensors (for instance, a full HD raster is 2200x1125 pixels x 16+ bits per pixel x 60 frames per second, resulting in >2 Gbps bandwidth). Altera's Cyclone series FPGAs deliver the bandwidth and processing performance needed.

"Altera has always been at the forefront anticipating customers' needs and making it possible for them to lead in their markets. Now we're making it easier for customers to access the solutions in one place," said Brian Jentz, director of the industrial and automotive business units at Altera. "By selling our solution as a chipset with downloadable IP from Altera's website, we eliminate barriers for customers to own the technology."

"Designing on Altera's FPGAs enables us to bring our latest technology to the market in the fastest way possible and to customize it for maximum performance for the specific application. Partnering with Altera allows us to process 1080p60 WDR image sensor signals without compromising the overall system performance," said Michael Tusch, CEO of Apical. "Altera's one-stop-shop approach is not only more convenient and more cost-effective; customers can also try before they buy."

"AltaSens has pioneered HD and WDR CMOS imaging technology since 2003, but this is the first time that our sensors are supported in a chipset," said Robert Baker, COO of AltaSens. "Apical has leveraged Altera's innovative FPGA technology to develop a state-of-the-art image signal processor. This solution with an AltaSens sensor offers the best quality 1080p60 WDR video, is cost efficient, and reduces time-to-market due to the simplicity of the camera design."