intoPIX

TicoRAW : The future of Image Sensors

16.11.23 10:54 AM By intoPIX

How TicoRAW, the new lightweight RAW compression is revolutionizing image capture and processing 

for higher quality and more efficient RAW data flow

Image capture is an important part of our daily lives. Thanks to numerous technological developments, today it is easier than ever to capture, record, and store images of unparalleled quality whatever the content. However, the demand for higher-quality images and smaller devices, consuming less power, continues to grow.

OUR WORLD IS CHANGING

Our world is changing, and the demand for image acquisition is increasing across various applications: professional and consumer cameras, automotive and transport, medical imaging, eXtended Reality (AR/VR), cell phones, security cameras, and machine vision, ...

Image sensors are everywhere!

THE "CAMERA" WORLD IS CHANGING

The demand for video quality is also continuously rising.

We need higher quality but no latency...

We need higher quality but with low power or battery consumption...

We need higher quality but with optimal connectivity and low storage cost...

The captured images must reflect in real-time the reality without any compromise on quality. 


Today, 4K, 8K, HDR, High Frame Rates technologies have turned from a jaw-dropping fantasy to an intriguing and attainable aspiration. 

And guess what… in some markets and applications, innovations are already talking about sensors and imaging going far beyond these aspirations !


WHAT CAN YOU DO IN THE IMAGE SENSOR WORLD?

Bring efficiency and unleash image sensor and camera dataflows

Reduce power and 

extending battery

Capture more details with more efficiency using less bandwidth

Reduce data throughput and storage of any sensor devices and any RAW data

Today, with extra small and powerful advanced technologies, we are able to turn cell phones into professional cameras so that anyone can become a Hollywood film producer or a professional photographer.

We can capture the best image and video from a sensor for human vision or machine learning. Thanks to the technology’s innovative low-complexity, low-power processing and coding, the full dynamic of the image sensor pixels are preserved while significantly reducing the transmission bandwidth, power consumption, and storage needs.

The usage of "uncompressed" RAW (files or connectivity links) can’t be ignored. However, without using smart processing and RAW coding, bandwidth and file sizes exceed the limits of most of our devices and interface capabilities, and increase significantly the power consumption of our devices.

Even though cameras acquire images in RAW format, based on a Color Filter Array that arranges RGB color filters on a square grid of photosensors, most popular compression techniques do not use the raw data itself. Instead, they process the RGB result of an interpolation algorithm (a complete ISP debayering process) of the raw data - a process that limits an image’s quality immediately and cuts down bandwidth efficiency for device and dataflow.