New Pixel Design Provides CCD Quality and Low Light Sensitivity for Small Form Factor Applications

SUNNYVALE, CA — December 3, 2002 — OMNIVISION Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: OVTI), a market-leading independent supplier of CMOS CameraChip™ solutions for high-volume imaging applications, today announced availability of their OV7640 VGA 640 x 480 resolution CameraChip™ for integration into mobile phones, PDA’s and PC cameras. Utilizing a patented pixel design that improves the color quality and low light performance of the CameraChip™, the new OV7640 is designed for integration into mobile handsets where small size, low power and high image quality are required.

The new OV7640 CameraChip™ is approximately 4x more sensitive than the OV7635 in low light conditions (1 lux), and provides improved color saturation over its predecessor. Lux is a standardized measurement of ambient light. Low light sensitivity is needed for mobile handset applications where a strobe flash is generally not integrated into cellular handsets due to the power consumption of the strobe.

“OMNIVISION has achieved a significant milestone with this new patented pixel technology,” stated James He, vice president of Core Technology for OMNIVISION. “With the improved color quality and low light performance of the OV7640 CameraChip™, mobile handset manufacturers can now have the performance generally believed to be available only in CCD based cameras, with the CMOS advantage of low power consumption and simplicity of design.”

Using OMNIVISION’s new patented pixel design, the OV7640 is available as a 28 pin PLCC packaged CameraChip™ and will be released in early 2003 as an integrated flex cable module that incorporates the CameraChip™, lens and a custom flex circuit cable. Flex modules designed using the OV7640 will support lower cost, lower profile lenses allowing for integration into smaller form factor devices. The OV7640 CameraChip™ will replace OMNIVISION’s current OV7635 CameraChip™ currently sold in volume to cellular handset manufacturers in Asia, the US and Europe.

We believe the OV7640 CameraChip™ is the first image sensing device to operate at 2.5V and it consumes less than 40 mW of power when running at 30 fps (VGA). 2.5V is the internal power voltage generally supplied in cellular handsets. By requiring 2.5V, the OV7640 will demand fewer supporting components compared to competing technologies that require multiple or a higher voltage power supply, thereby reducing integration costs and design complexity.

The OV7640 CameraChip™ takes advantage of OMNIVISION’s proprietary analog processing technology to provide formatted YUV directly from the device. The OV7640 cancels Fixed Pattern Noise (FPN), eliminates smearing, and reduces blooming thereby enhancing the image quality and eliminating the need for additional image processing as is common with competing solutions. The following functions are programmable through an integrated serial SCCB interface:

• Auto Exposure control
• Auto White balance
• Color saturation
• Windowing
• Gamma Correction
• Sharpness control
• Hue control

The OV7640 CameraChip™ is currently available in production volumes. Quantity pricing is below $7.00 US.