CES 2012: 3D webcam controllers enable 'Hollywood like' effects

The new eSP768 chip captures 3D images and video, while the eSP868 chip recognises 3D motions and enables various gesture controlled functions. Both eSP768 and eSP868 were developed based on Etron's webcam controller technology and IPs. According to the company, the chips can bring 'Hollywood like' special effects with interactively controlled images and videos on digital displays. The eSP768 chip can simultaneously control both timing and image quality of two horizontally placed HD cameras to mimic the function of human eyes in capturing 3D images or video. It features a patented timing control mechanism to synchronise the left and the right images up to 30fps. It automatically aligns both left and right images in both x and y directions to compensate the unavoidable manufacturing discrepancies between two cameras on both left and right sides. Etron claims this ensures a high quality of 3D images/video and minimises both flickering and blurring noise effects, which are commonly seen in previous 3D image/video capturing systems. The eSP868 chip is designed to provide the features supported by the eSP768 but also generates a depth map from both left and right images and therefore can have real 3D image recognition capabilities. As a result, the eSP868 chip can produce both 3D images and video while simultaneously enable 3D motion recognitions of both gesture and body controls. The chip includes a special image signal processing engine, which is used to optimise image qualities under various ambient conditions and to alleviate the well known correspondence and divergence problems stemming from traditional stereo-vision cameras. After being integrated with complete hardware and software solutions, the eSP868 is designed to provide an all new user friendly digital control function; for example, a user can simply wave one's hand in front of home multimedia AV equipments to change displayed channels, to adjust volume, or to switch viewing contents. According to Etron, unlike most conventional 3D image/video capturing webcams (requiring two controller ICs and one USB hub), its eSP768, which is an SoC IC, delivers better 3D effects at much lower cost. Most conventional 3D image recognition systems require either special sensors or special optical light sources to calculate the object's depth (i.e. a z dimension), but the eSP868 can perform all 3D motion recognitions with commercially available sensors. With its fewer components, the eSP868 systems can be built into thin lcd panels and deployed into notebook, pc, tv and handheld device applications. Both eSP768 and eSP868 chips are integrated SoC's with an image signal processor, USB2.0 interface with an image compression engine, four built in LDOs, 40KB ROM, 6KB RAM, 8KB OTP memories and an embedded cpu.