NEC Chip Offers 12 Megapixel Camera And HD Video On Cell Phones

NEC Electronics Corp. has successfully developed a system LSI that is touted to bring high definition video to cell phones, and codenamed the product CE143. The CE143 chip will feature standard image processing functions couple with a CMOS image sensor that allows camera functionality to be included in a cell phone. Other capabilities include an image stabilizer, shading correction and other functions, allowing such equipped handsets to capture images at 12 megapixels while outputting full HD video at 1,080p resolution. This new system is tipped to debut at the Mobile World Congress that is happening the Monday right after Valentine’s Day. Our take on this? Yes, the chip is capable of processing 12 million pixels and this is nice, but the lens is still tiny and won’t let enough light go through. If the chip includes hardware video endcode, it could help reach decent video-quality, so that’s a good thing.