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Designers of machine-vision systems must be aware of the huge array of off-the-shelf semiconductor devices available. Influenced by consumer-based designs, semiconductor vendors are now tailoring numerous interfaces, processors, gate arrays, and video-interface products for these designers. Leveraging from such designs, developers of OEM imaging products can lower the cost of design, development, and manufacture of next-generation products. This month, we look at how to identify some famous (and not so well-known) vendors of such ICs.

Seeking circuits

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www.mdronline.com
The Microprocessor Report from In-Stat/MDR (Scottsdale, AZ, USA) is one of the most respected subscription newsletters for makers and users of high-performance microprocessors. In addition to being able to access all articles on-line as soon as they are published, subscribers also receive a monthly printed newsletter. Selected material from the Microprocessor Report is also available on-line at no charge.

Steal from TV

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www.semiconductors.philips.com
If you want to build an inexpensive frame grabber, there's one easy way to do it. Borrow a part originally developed for one of the biggest mass markets ever—television. On the Philips (Eindhoven, The Netherlands) Web site, ..there's information on parts, data sheets, and application notes to help you decode, encode, compress, and mix broadcast-compatible video including HDTV.

Put it in an FPGA

www.xilinx.com;
www.altera.com
Today, FPGA vendors are offering smarter development tools, intellectual property (IP), and access to third-party IP on their sites. On the Web sites of two of the leading vendors of FPGAs, Xilinx and Altera (both San Jose, CA, USA), there is a wealth of information about products, third-party vendors, and image-processing-related information.

Fast data links

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www.epanorama.net/links/videochips.html
If you are looking for a specific video component, such as a video sync generator or video encoder, this site from ELH Communications Ltd. (Espoo, Finland) is the place to go. Component types are first classified by function and then to parts from specific companies. Clicking on these parts takes you directly to the part as described on the manufacturer's Web site.

Electronics World

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www.eworld.ru/ewg/icweb.htm
Organized by a group of electronics engineers with an aim to promote western electronic components to the Russian market, Electronics World JSC features an A-Z of IC vendors worldwide. In ..addition to providing brief descriptions of the types of products offered by these vendors, each company listed is hot-linked to its home page.