Canadian advanced imaging firm Point Grey (PG) has demoed what it has claimed is the world’s first USB 3.0-connected webcam able to stream full HD video.

Point Grey's prototype webcam streamed 1080p video over a USB 3.0 connection

Displayed at the ongoing IDF event in San Francisco, PG’s webcam streamed uncompressed 1920 x 1080p video - through a Fresco Logic USB 3.0 host controller running on an ASUS P7P55D platform – onto a nearby screen at 60fps.

The webcam used a 3Mp Sony image sensor

The prototype camera consists of a 3Mp Sony IMX036 image sensor, which apparently features “high sensitivity, superior colour fidelity, low power and no smear”.

USB 3.0 – aka SuperSpeed USB - uses new ports to deliver a bandwidth of up to 5Gb/s - ten times that of USB 2.0. But they're designed to be backwards compatible with full-size USB 1.1 and 2.0 ports.

Production plans haven't been confirmed

PG hasn’t announced any plans to produce the USB 3.0 webcam on a commercial scale. ®

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