LifeSize Video Conference Camera 200 Teardown

Overview / Main Features

The LifeSize Camera 200 is the firm's second generation HD video conference camera designed to work in conjunction with their Conference, Room and Team line of HD video conferencing equipment. The video camera unit itself is a remotely controlled motorized pan-tilt-zoom video camera with 4x zoom and, optically, has a 70-degree wide area of view. The LifeSize Camera 200 captures HD video with 1280x720p resolutions at up to 60 frames a second or full-HD. It supports HDMI video outputs as well as an IEEE1394a connectivity (presumably for controls).

LifeSize Video Conference Camera 200 Main Image

Enterprise users / Large Organizations

Released

Per press releases, release on October 2008.

LifeSize Video Conference Camera 200 - Main PCB Top

Pricing - The LifeSize Camera 200 full-HD video camera module is sold as an individual accessory or as a part of LifeSize Conference, Room or Team video conferencing solution. Based on our understanding, the MSRP for the camera unit is $3999.

Availability - Assumed global availability

Volume Estimations

For the purposes of this teardown analysis, we have assumed a lifetime production volume of 150K units.

As a reminder, teardown volume production assumptions are primarily used for our cost analysis in terms of amortized NRE and tooling costs, especially for custom components specific to the model being analyzed (mechanical components especially). Unless assumed volumes are different by an order of magnitude, minor changes in volume (say 1 million vs. 2) rarely have a large net effect on our final analysis because of this.

LifeSize Video Conference Camera 200 - Main PCB Bottom

Main Cost Drivers Representing ~75% of total materials cost

Altera - EP3C55F484C6N - FPGA - Cyclone III, 55,856 Logic Elements, 2,340Kbits, 4PLLs, 327 I/O's, 156 Multipliers

Lens / Optics Kit - See 'Optics Summaries' Tab

IBM - Image Sensor - 2MP CMOS, 1920 x 1080 Pixels, 2.75um x 2.75um Pixel Size, 5.28mm x 2.97mm Active Image Area, w/ Ceramic Carrier & Filter Glass

Nippon Pulse Motor Co. - PF35T-48D1-05 - Stepper Motor - 2 Phase, Tin-Can Type, 48 Steps/Rev, 5 Volt Unipolar Coil Winding, Ferrite Anisotropic Magnet Material (Qty:2)

Altera - EP1C3T100C6N - FPGA - Cyclone, 2,910 Logic Elements, 59,904 RAM bits, 1PLL, 65 I/O's

EDAC Power Electronics - EA1030C1 - AC-DC Adapter - External, 30W, Input AC100-240V 1A, Output 13-20V, 2.3A, w/ Right-Angle DC Plug

Merix - 6-Layer - FR4, Lead-Free

Enclosure, Base, Top - Injection Molded Plastic, Painted

Enclosure, Base, Bottom - Injection Molded Plastic, Painted, w/ 1 Threaded Brass Insert

1-Layer - Flex Kapton Interconnect - w/ Stiffener

Total BOM Cost $253.99

LifeSize Video Conference Camera 200 Cost Analysis

iSuppli's standard production calculation methodology was developed for high volume production runs with OEMs that have a high degree of purchasing power. In the case of smaller manufacturers such as LifeSize with presumed relatively weak pricing leverage, we compensate for this fact in our pricing analysis by accounting for the higher component prices as well as all of the extra costs (such as line set-up start-up / breakdown costs, and other miscellaneous costs) incurred in the manufacturing process.

What Is Not Included in our Cost Analysis

The total materials and manufacturing costs reported in this analysis reflect ONLY the direct materials cost (from component vendors and assorted EMS providers), AND manufacturing with basic test. Not included in this analysis are costs above and beyond the material manufacture of the core device itself - cost of intellectual property, royalties and licensing fees (those not already included into the per component price), software, software loading and test, shipping, logistics marketing and other channel costs including not only EMS provider and the OEM's margin, but that of other resellers. Our cost analysis is meant to focus on those costs incurred in the manufacture of the core device and exceptionally in some circumstances the packaging and literature as well.

Manufacturing Notes

OEM/ODM/EMS Relationships / Manufacturing

Based on our understanding of LifeSize's company profile and its relatively small staff (approximately 80), it is very likely that the firm outsources all of its manufacturing to a tier I or tier II EMS provider.

Country of Origin / Volume Assumptions

Based on markings on the device, the unit was assumed to be assembled in Thailand. Furthermore, we have assumed that custom mechanicals (plastics, metals, etc.) were also sourced in Thailand.

Country of origin assumptions relate directly to the associated cost of manufacturing, where calculated by iSuppli. In the cases of 'finished' sub-assemblies (such as lens kit or CMOS sensor), we do not calculate internal manufacturing costs, but rather assess the market price of the finished product in which case country of origin assumptions may or may not have a direct effect on pricing.

Remember also that labor rates are applied directly only to hand inserted components and systems in our bill of materials, and although regional assumptions do, these new rates do not have a direct effect on our modeled calculations of placement costs for automated SMD assembly lines. "Auto inserted components (such as SMT components) placement costs are calculated by an iSuppli algorithm which allocates a cost per component based on the size and pincount of the device. This calculation is affected by country or region of origin as well.

LifeSize Video Conference Camera 200 - Enclosure Disassembly

Design for Manufacturing / Device Complexity

The LifeSize Camera 200 has an overall component count of 588, of which, 86 are mechanical in nature.

The lens kit in this analysis is listed as one [line item] module within our bill of materials (BOM) for pricing purposes. However, we have included a detailed break out of the lens components in a separate worksheet within the final teardown delivery spreadsheet which, if included, would drive the component count even higher.

Component counts have a direct bearing on the overall manufacturing cycle times and costs, and also can increase or decrease overall yields and re-work. Our calculations of manufacturing costs factor counts and more qualitative complexities in the design. The cost of manufacturing is also, to some extent, decreased in this case because of assumed labor rate applied for Thailand.

Note that manual labor has a much smaller effect on auto-insertion assembly lines (for the Main PCB, for example), where manufacturing costs are much more capital equipment intensive and driven by these investment costs.

Design Notes

The key elements of the LifeSize Camera 200 HD video camera design resides within the main controller PCB as well as the entire motorized optical module. The most prominent component here is the Altera FPGA. The LifeSize Camera 200 appears to be using a more conventional motorized Pan-Tilt-Zoom solution with gears and motors as opposed to the more advanced but costlier embedded stepper motor designs.

Here is a summary of the major components used in the LifeSize Camera 200 HD video conference camera design:

Main PCB

Glue Logic

• FPGA - Altera - EP3C55F484C6N (Cyclone III, 55,856 Logic Elements, 2,340Kbits, 4PLLs, 327 I/O's, 156 Multipliers)

Memory

• SDRAM - Micron Technology - MT47H16M16BG-37E (DDR2, 256Mb (16M x 16), 267MHz, 3.75ns, 1.8V)

I/O & Interface

• HDMI/DVI Transmitter - Analog Devices - AD9889BBSTZ-80 (HDMI v.1.3, DVI v1.0, 165MHz, up to 480i - 1080p up to UXGA at 60Hz, 1.8V)

Image Sensor PCB

Glue Logic

• FPGA - Altera - EP1C3T100C6N (Cyclone, 2,910 Logic Elements, 59,904 RAM bits, 1PLL, 65 I/O's)

I/O & Interface

• Image Sensor - IBM (2MP CMOS, 1920 x 1080 Pixels, 2.75um x 2.75um Pixel Size, 5.28mm x 2.97mm Active Image Area, w/ Ceramic Carrier & Filter Glass)

Optics

• See ""Optics Summaries" within BOM (XLS file)

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LifeSize Video Conference Camera 200 - Box Contents