Enables 240 fps Equivalent High Speed HD Video

TOKYO — (BUSINESS WIRE) — August 6, 2014 — Toshiba Corporation (TOKYO: 6502) today announced the launch of “T4KA3”, an 8-megapixel BSI^[1] CMOS image sensor that allows smartphones and tablets to record HD video at 240 equivalent frames per second (fps), the industry’s highest^[2] frame rate. Sample shipments start today.

Toshiba: 8 Megapixel CMOS image sensor "T4KA3" for smartphones and tablets (Photo: Business Wire)

High speed video recording requires a high frame rate with short exposure time, resulting in underexposed images. “T4KA3” incorporates “Bright Mode” technology that boosts image brightness up to four times, realizing HD video capture at 240 fps equivalent. It allows smartphones and tablets to record high quality, high speed video, and to offer extended imaging functions including smooth slow motion playback and high speed continuous shooting.

The sensor also adopts a newly developed low power circuit design that reduces power consumption to 85% that of “T4K35”, an 8-megapixel sensor in mass production.

The sensor incorporate 8Kbit OTP^[3] that can store two conditions of lens shading correction data. It can recognize light conditions and change the correction data by one command of I²C.

The T4KA3’s is also in the smallest class for 8M sensors ^[2] supporting HDR.