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. ®

Related stories

• Asus shows media player's USB 3.0 upgrade (4 March 2010)

  https://www.theregister.com/2010/03/04/asus_o_play_hd_2/

• Why is USB 3 so slow? (30 November 2009)

  https://www.theregister.com/2009/11/30/usb3_slow/

• SuperSpeed adaptor goes on sale (24 November 2009)

  https://www.theregister.com/2009/11/24/brando_superspeed_adaptor/

• Olympus intros E-P1's successor (5 November 2009)

  https://www.theregister.com/2009/11/05/olympus_ep2/

• USB 3.0 thumb drive pops up (4 November 2009)

  https://www.theregister.com/2009/11/04/super_talent_usb_3_thumb/

• Buffalo adds add-in card adaptor to USB 3.0 line-up (3 November 2009)

  https://www.theregister.com/2009/11/03/buffalo_pcie_superspeed_card/

• Asus intros first USB 3.0 motherboard (29 October 2009)

  https://www.theregister.com/2009/10/29/asus_superspeed_mobo/

• Active Media preps SuperSpeed SSD trio (5 October 2009)

  https://www.theregister.com/2009/10/05/active_media_superspeed_ssd/

• Intel 'Light Peak': not an Apple idea after all (30 September 2009)

  https://www.theregister.com/2009/09/30/intel_optical_not_apple/

• First USB 3.0 hard drives fall short of SuperSpeed speed (28 September 2009)

  https://www.theregister.com/2009/09/28/usb_3_hdds_speed_miss/

• First USB 3.0 ExpressCard adaptor spotted (23 September 2009)

  https://www.theregister.com/2009/09/23/idf_usb_3_adaptor/

• USB 3.0 slouches towards Bethlehem (21 September 2009)

  https://www.theregister.com/2009/09/21/nex_usb_3_soc/

• USB overseer ready to certify SuperSpeed kit (2 September 2009)

  https://www.theregister.com/2009/09/02/superspeed_certification/

• Fujitsu ships SuperSpeed USB (28 July 2009)

  https://www.theregister.com/2009/07/28/fujitsu_superspeed_usb/

• SuperSpeed USB PCs to ship by year-end (1 July 2009)

  https://www.theregister.com/2009/07/01/superspeed_usb/

• SuperSpeed USB to be 'successful', enthuses analyst (30 June 2009)

  https://www.theregister.com/2009/06/30/usb_in_stat_forecast/