Point Grey's USB 3.0 demo camera made an appearance at the 2010 International CES, the world's largest consumer electronics tradeshow, in early January in Las Vegas. CES, known for being a showcase for the latest in gadgets and technology, was also a forum for the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) to announce a host of new certified SuperSpeed USB consumer products (PDF), including motherboards, notebook PC's, interface cards, hubs, and hard drives.

The high definition (HD) USB 3.0 camera was shown in the Fresco Logic booth streaming uncompressed 1080p60 video, generated by a high performance CMOS image sensor, to a Fresco Logic host controller. The raw video was then written at high speed to a USB 3.0 solid-state drive (SSD), read back, and displayed on-screen. The camera and demo system also made a guest appearance at Wired Magazine's Media Lounge where some of the hottest products off the CES show floor were on display.

"At CES we saw proof that SuperSpeed USB is now a reality," says Michael Gibbons, Product Marketing Manager at Point Grey. "The USB-IF announced the first 17 consumer products, from some of the biggest electronics manufacturers in the world, to pass compliance and certification testing. Many of these products are already shipping, which is a direct reflection of the widespread industry support we've been seeing. We're excited to be a part of this groundswell of momentum for the standard, and look forward to bringing the benefits of USB 3.0 technology to our customers."

The SuperSpeed USB specification defines a backward compatible interconnect that delivers improved data transfer rates up to 10x faster than USB 2.0 and offers optimized power management. The first Point Grey USB 3.0 Grasshopper Express camera model is estimated to be available by the end of Q3 2010.