Samsung licenses Apical's iridix IP core for semiconductor imaging products

London  -- October 7, 2009 -- Apical Ltd and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd, through its System LSI division, have entered into a licensing agreement for the use of Apical's iridix image processing IP core in Samsung's imaging products.

iridix provides sophisticated dynamic range correction, based on original research into the way the human eye adapts to different lighting environments. When integrated into a camera imaging pipeline, it enables more natural, vivid images and video under a wide range of shooting conditions.

Most cameras find it difficult to capture satisfying images under uneven lighting conditions, for example when the subject is in shadow, or at times of the day when the eye strongly adjusts the perceived image to compensate for changes in the quality of light. Conventional auto or manual exposure algorithms find such scenes difficult to balance, often resulting in images with weak contrast and incorrect exposure of shadows and highlights.

iridix applies adaptive tone mapping locally to each pixel of each frame, resulting in images which closely resemble the perception of the original scene by the photographer.

The iridix IP core, version 7 of which was released in the second quarter this year, combines professional/broadcast -level image quality with compact, low-power hardware implementation suitable for any digital imaging device.

The licensing agreement entitles Samsung  LSI  to integrate the latest version of iridix into any of its semiconductor designs.

Says Michael Tusch, CEO Apical: “We are delighted that Samsung has chosen to add Apical's iridix core into its IP portfolio.  Since Samsung has such a strong position in several imaging markets, we believe that this will significantly increase the number of end users who can take better pictures using our technology.”

About Apical

Apical is the industry leader in advanced dynamic range management and noise reduction technology for embedded applications. The company's products are derived from research into the human visual system and are designed to maximize the performance of a wide range of image capture and display devices. The product range comprises hardware IP cores and embedded software libraries. Apical is a privately-held company based in the UK. www.apical.co.uk