Under the influence of the epidemic, working from home and remote collaboration have become part of daily work, and video calls have become more and more important. How to obtain higher-definition video calls on laptop has become one of the key issues of Intel Evo 3.0 platform. As a supplier of PC image sensor heads, OmniVision Group has also come up with a MIPI camera solution for the Evo 3.0 platform, which has taken notebook camera technology a big step forward structurally.
At the Intel Evo 3.0 Industry Innovation Media Sharing Conference, Intel invited Ms. Katherine Song, Senior Director of Global Business Development of OmniVision Group, to share with us the difficulties in implementing high-definition video technology on the Evo 3.0 platform, as well as more possibilities in the future. . Katherine Song said: "People's requirements for PC cameras are gradually increasing. We work with Intel to bring a better visual experience to PC users. We work with the Intel engineering team to jointly solve challenges and implement the Evo 3.0 standard in cameras. "
makes MIPI cameras standard
As camera resolution requirements continue to upgrade, the traditional USB camera solution has reached a bottleneck. It is impossible to achieve smooth video calls at 1080p or higher resolution by relying only on USB 2.0. . Coincidentally, Intel has added a visual controller IPU since the 10th generation Core, and with the release of the 12th generation Core and the Intel Evo 3.0 standard update, FHD cameras with more than 2 million pixels have become standard equipment for editing notebooks.
Solving the problem of high-resolution camera imaging requires a more advanced solution. Hoya Group takes advantage of the advantages of Intel Core IPU and the direct connection between MIPI camera and CPU to realize the MIPI camera solution to replace the USB camera solution commonly used in notebooks in the past. The
MIPI camera has a higher integrated design, which can further improve the camera imaging resolution by relying on the performance of the processor without changing the camera volume too much. It also takes into account the ultra-narrow bezel design of the notebook screen. The structural change of
took a lot of energy from Intel and Howey engineers. In addition to overturning the original USB conversion scheme, they also had to consider issues such as overcoming electromagnetic interference and the reliability of the rotation axis position in MIPI long-distance wiring. Yes, considering the actual user experience, Intel and Howey insisted on setting the camera directly above the screen, rather than arranging the camera at the bottom of the screen or on the keyboard to ensure an ideal video angle.
At the same time, MIPI cabling cannot only consider the shortest straight-line distance. Considering the overall planning of notebook design and components, engineers need to find a path for camera data to CPU. For example, MIPI wiring passes through the screen frame, reaches the hinge, and finally reaches the location of the CPU. On the Evo 3.0 platform, this optimized solution is used.
As mentioned above, this solution will become the basic solution for notebook camera upgrades in the future. This solution is forward-looking for upgrading 2K or 4K resolution data transmission. Therefore, the current FHD high-definition camera is just the beginning, and the image quality of notebooks will gradually improve in the future. More importantly, more than 100 partners and manufacturers have adopted similar solution upgrade strategies. As soon as the second half of this year, we will see more high-definition camera notebooks using MIPI architecture.
Evo 3.0 with more detailed rules
If Evo 2.0 deepens the product specifications, then Evo 3.0 further refines the specifications. For example, the wireless connection only had the basic technical specifications of Wi-Fi 6 in the Evo 2.0 stage, but Evo 3.0 has tripled the level of detail, including the most basic Wi-Fi 6E, Intel Connectivity Performance Suite, and every The signal strength and noise suppression capability of a frequency band should comply with the Evo 3.0 specifications.
In other words, the Evo 3.0 specification is not only strict, it starts to become like FIA's control over F1 racing , with three times the detail requirements to achieve a better experience.
This approach is obviously very effective. Evo 3.0 has actually raised the fidelity of the experience to a higher level. In dynamic background noise elimination, notebooks on the Evo 3.0 platform can use AI to identify sudden noises. For example, when working from home, the sounds of dogs and cats in the background are random and sudden, without any predictability. . However, notebooks on the Evo 3.0 platform can directly achieve very good noise reduction effects, and it is no problem to block the sound of electric drills when neighbors are decorating. Before this, such a degree of background noise reduction required specialized GPU and software support. Evo 3.0 provides this function to more thin and light notebooks.
Since Evo 3.0 introduces more detailed AI intelligent requirements for image processing, the MIPI camera introduced from the 10th generation Core has changed from an optional option to a mandatory option on Evo 3.0. This means that the camera is no longer limited by the bandwidth of USB 2.0. After direct connection to the CPU, the resolution of the communication video is significantly improved. This is why the resolution of notebook cameras on the Evo 3.0 platform has reached FHD or higher. In fact, the existing hardware conditions are sufficient to achieve 4K resolution recording and communication of the camera.
In terms of visual perception, Evo 3.0 has significantly improved, including incorporating more visual perception-related engines into the 12th generation Core. Through the Intel visual perception controller, the notebook will also gain smarter visual perception performance, and more Effectively solves the problem of character recognition and image noise reduction in low light conditions. At the same time, combined with the aforementioned intelligent noise reduction and dynamic background noise elimination, the Evo 3.0 notebook has a qualitative improvement in the video conferencing experience.
You must know that these are only experience details related to video conferencing, and only occupy a small part of the evolution of the Evo 3.0 platform. With the joint efforts of Intel and partners, the Evo 3.0 platform notebook can achieve the best performance in terms of system power consumption and performance. It is closer to the actual scene experienced by the user and achieves the fidelity of the restored experience.
Such complex work cannot be achieved due to the efforts of Intel and a few partners. Through the combination of the open laboratory and the Intel ecosystem, the optimized solution has attracted the participation of more partners. In order to let partners better understand the Evo ecosystem, Intel has actively increased opportunities for training, seminars, and on-site co-design and debugging. The number of activities has increased 1.5 times compared with last year.
Intel follows the principles of component diversification and scalability and uses strict screening standards to double the number of certifications every year. At the same time, the number of products imported from industry-leading solutions also shows a trend of doubling every year. This enables notebook OEMs and ODM manufacturers to have a variety of effective options when actually participating in the design of the Evo platform, saving a lot of research and development time and unnecessary research and development costs.
It is precisely because Intel Evo has passed the fidelity requirements and the virtuous circle operation of the open laboratory that more partners have joined the Evo 3.0 product design, which ultimately makes the Evo 3.0 product more intelligent, practical, and popular model Wider. This is why we can see Evo 3.0 certification in many mainstream notebooks, not just high-end notebooks.
It can be said that the popularity of Evo 3.0 is the result of win-win cooperation between Intel and strategic partners, manufacturers and other aspects.
Mainstreaming of high-end products
Compared with the various Evo test items, there is only one way to ultimately judge whether a notebook meets the Evo certification, and that is "pass" or "not." Only notebooks that pass all Evo tests will ultimately be qualified. Obtaining Evo certification, even if only one item fails, the notebook is destined to miss the Evo certification.
adheres to the strict issuance of each Evo certification and also ensures the consistency of user experience. Each Evo certification means that this PC has the latest processor and performs well in many aspects such as battery life, response, wake-up, etc., even if it is just a mainstream notebook with less outstanding configurations in terms of positioning.At the same time, it is such stringent certification challenges that make the product itself more competitive. Since the birth of Evo certification, the number of Evo certified products by Chinese local customers has maintained a growth of more than 300% in each generation.
Tag Heuer Group is also destined to be a witness in this upgrade feast. Together with the Intel Evo platform, it will push the camera resolution to 2K, 4K or even higher. Intel and its partners and manufacturers have accumulated a large amount of excellent notebook design experience, and through the Intel Open Lab as a communication platform, the experience has been turned into ready-made and reliable solutions, which can be applied to more models of notebooks, ultimately affecting the level of notebook design. overall improvement.
