Imagination Tech adds chip technology to first WebRTC IP camera solution

LONDON (ShareCast) - Microchip designer Imagination Technologies (Other OTC: IGNMF - news) has contributed to the development of the first affordable internet protocol camera under the highly anticipated WebRTC platform. A collaboration with Taiwan's giant notebook computer maker Quanta and Israeli chipmaker Celeno has seen the development of the first WebRTC-enabled IP camera solution for equipment manufacturers to incorporate into their own branded devices for video conferencing, home surveillance and other applications.

The joint (NasdaqCM: JYNT - news) solution will be available from Quanta as a white-label IP camera, or as a camera module for integration into OEM products such as TVs.

The camera includes a browser application, mobile application, embedded software and cloud services on top of a full high definition (HD) camera.

The trio said customers will be able to use the 'WebRTC-enabled total VP8+H.264 IP camera' solution to provide a branded plug-and-play solution that would enable consumers to quickly, easily and affordably set up and immediately begin to stream live flicker-free video over Wi-Fi, while also engaging in two-way audio communications.

WebRTC (real-time communications) is an open source project that is expected to make video communication more user-friendly by embedding voice, text and video communications capabilities in web browsers, VP8 and H.264 are advanced video compression formats commonly used in webcams.

Imagination's division head Krishna Raghavan said the camera was a showcase for the company's new ClearMediaRTC media engine and FlowCloud services and related applications. The chipset incorporates a MIPS central processing unit (CPU - or also known as processor) from Imagination for efficient applications processing.

"The combination of these technologies with those of Quanta and Celeno lets OEMs and service providers provide the highest quality WebRTC experience to consumers - all on a MIPS-based platform," he said.

Quanta said the world's first WebRTC-enabled total VP8+H.264 IP camera solution enabled "maximum deployment flexibility, providing OEMs and service providers with an affordable solution that they can immediately roll out to customers for innovative surveillance and videoconferencing application"s.

The camera includes features such as remote control, motion detection, infrared capability, alerts and more, with controls accessible via an Android or iOS app on a smartphone or tablet.

The WebRTC platform has been suggested as being majorly disruptive in the video communications world but few developments have been brought to market.