Squarely competing against the prevailing USB-based PC cameras, the 1394 solution will bring OEMs what TI believes is quality superior to that of Universal Serial Bus cameras at a comparable cost.

"We've only started to scratch the surface now," said Randy Trost, the company's1394 product marketing manager.

Of the 5 million PC cameras that Cahners In-Stat Group expects to see shipped this year, only 10 percent will be based on the IEEE-1394 high-speed serial bus, the market research firm said. But as camera resolution and performance increase, consumers will start demanding the "real-time video quality" that 1394 PC cameras enable, said Trost.

TI's chip set consists of a hardwired ASIC integrated with a video signal processor and 1394 link layer (TSB15LV01); a 1394 physical-layer chip (TSB41LV01); and an integrated analog front-end and analog/digital converter (TLV990). The addition of a charge-coupled device sensor and CCD driver chip, together with TI-developed software, will provide a complete turnkey solution for system OEMs interested in building 1394 PC cameras, the company said.

The TSB15LV01 is responsible for camera control, video signal processing and the 1394 link layer. It is being produced in Dallas using a 0.18-micron process. All three chips are available now. The timing of the introduction coincides with the launch of new CCDs from both Sony Corp. and Sharp Corp.

Cheaper set

The chip set replaces a five-chip 1394-based PC camera system TI introduced a year ago. When combined with a CCD sensor and a CCD driver IC, the previous solution was priced at around $50 — "too high to garner the high-volume orders we had hoped for," said Trost. In contrast, the new solution including both a CCD sensor and a CCD driver costs "sub-$20," he said.

The new chip set supports not only the IEEE 1394 specification but also the 1394 Trade Association camera specification 1.04. Opting for a 1394-based camera design instead of USB will deliver a number of benefits, according to Trost.

For starters, the 1394-based solution can offer 640 x 480-pixel resolution — true VGA — without compression. By comparison, a USB camera provides 320 x 240-pixel resolution that often requires proprietary compression. The 1394a specification supports a 400-Mbit/second data rate, against 12 Mbits/s for USB 1.1.

Trost acknowledged that the upcoming USB 2.0 specification will support 480 Mbits/s, but predicted that the full infrastructure to support USB 2.0 will take another 12 to 18 months to install.

Meanwhile, 1394 is also extending its data rate — to 800 Mbits/s — with the 1394b spec. "You will see production silicon for 1394b, enabling 800 Mbits/second, in the second half of 2001," said Trost. The 1394 group is further extending the standard's capability, with a 1.6-Gbit/s second-phase implementation in the offing in 2002.

The 1394 bus' connectivity shines most in its peer-to-peer communication capability. While a USB-based camera always requires a PC in the loop, the 1394-based camera can be connected directly to a printer for command and control, without using a PC in the middle.

TI is already in the product definition phase with potential customers for a third-generation 1394-based camera slated for launch in 2001, according to Trost. That solution consists of a CMOS sensor chip and TI's new ASIC. Features include an integrated physical-layer chip with 400-Mbit/s bandwidth and support for the 1394 Trade Association's spec 1.3+. Such additional features as audio are being considered, he added.