Venus Engine
The Venus Engine is an image-processing engine for digital cameras. It was developed by the company Panasonic. Almost all of their Lumix cameras use a version of the Venus Engine. It is based on the Panasonic MN103/MN103S.
All image processors operate in four steps. Firstly, they receive data from the CCD sensor. Secondly, they create the Y-color difference signal. Thirdly, they perform JPEG compression. Finally, they save the image data. Panasonic claims that its VENUS II processing engine performs all of these simultaneously.
Venus
This chip was based on UniPhier products. The image processing engine of the attached RAW image development software is made by Ichikawa Soft Laboratory and outputs images of a trend different from those developed by the Venus engine in the camera.Venus – 2002
This chip was developed based on UniPhier products. The image processing engine of the attached RAW image development software is made by Ichikawa Soft Laboratory, which outputs images with a different trend from those developed by the Venus engine in the camera. Some of what it aims to achieve are:- Improvement in resolution in an oblique direction
- Concurrent processing by multitasking image processing
- Developed to achieve high image quality and high-speed processing.
Venus II 2004
This chip was limited to the top range models, such as the DMC-FZ7. It was developed mainly aiming at high image quality. After this chip the camera shake correction is hardware processed.- Enhanced camera shake correction
- Improvement in resolution in the vertical and horizontal directions
- Improvement of color reproducibility
- 2DNR strengthening
- Magnification chromatic aberration correction
- Free consecutive shooting
- Production process: 130 nm
- Maximum operating frequency: 50 MHz
Venus Engine Plus – 2005
This chip was developed for mounting in an entry model. Reproducibility was considered inferior to Venus Engine II, but it realizes power saving and high speed processing comparable to Venus Engine II.- Power saving, high speed processing, and cost reduction
- Free consecutive shooting
Venus III – 2005
The Venus III engine used in the Lumix DMC-FZ8 and other cameras claims enhanced noise reduction at high ISO numbers and lower power consumption.It is a chip realizing power saving based on the Venus Engine II, but they changed high sensitivity shooting. PANASONIC claims LUMIX was the most difficult to do, to hardware processing.
- Energy saving, strengthening NR
- High sensitivity shooting
- High-speed continuous shooting mode compatible
- Add some aberration correction
- Production process: 65 nm
- Maximum operating frequency: 100 MHz
Venus IV – 2008
Panasonic claims that the 2008 Venus Engine IV gives higher-quality images, and includes more accurate detection and better correction for its Optical Image Stabilizer and Intelligent ISO Control functions than earlier versions. It works at 10.1-megapixel resolution. Panasonic published a detailed comparison of Venus III and IV, claiming better noise response by preserving detail, quick-response shutter release time-lag of around 0.008 second minimum and high power-efficiency for Venus IV.Reviews of cameras that compare the Venus IV engine to Venus III suggest that the newer engine is better, but the issue of noise reduction techniques losing detail, though improved, remains.
Intelligent ISO sensitivity control is changed to hardware processing. By incorporating the IA function, the name is also set to Random IA.
- Improvement of NR at high sensitivity shooting
- Accuracy improvement of intelligent ISO sensitivity control
- Random IA scene recognition loaded
- Blurring correction installed
- Energy saving, strengthening NR
Venus HD – 2008
Venus HD is the processing engine used by the first generation Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 Micro Four Thirds System cameras with large sensor. It supports HDMI output to a high-definition television screen.- 2 CPU configuration
- Available for AVCHD Lite movie shooting
- HDMI output compatible
- Highly accurate recognition possible
- Increased speed of playback
- Power saving
- High speed processing
Venus V – 2009
As of February 2009, it appears that the LSI hardware chip-set that Panasonic Lumix refers to as the "Venus Engine V" is identical to the LSI hardware chip-set that Panasonic Lumix refers to as the "Venus Engine HD" when describing their DMC-G1, as well in all of the current Panasonic Lumix descriptions of the other released implementations of this image-processing LSI hardware chip-set.It appears that the Panasonic Lumix marketing department has chosen to refer to this LSI hardware chip-set primarily using the phrase "Venus Engine HD" as a way to draw attention the capabilities of the included "Motion Picture" mode of the upcoming camera models that will contain the LSI hardware chip-set. However, this choice of marketing phraseology does not appear to indicate any identifiable difference in the LSI hardware chip-set that they have chosen to identify as "Venus Engine V". This use of dual phraseology appears to have generated a degree of confusion on the part of consumers and reviewers awaiting the release of several camera models in 2009 that will feature this LSI hardware chip-set. If, in fact, there exists an identifiable difference between "Venus Engine HD" and "Venus Engine V", Panasonic Lumix has so far failed to identify it.
Why the Panasonic Lumix marketing department has chosen to refer to the LSI hardware chip-set using the alternate descriptive phrase "Venus Engine V" is unclear, since the DMC-FX40 is, indeed, advertised as featuring a "Motion Picture" mode that will be a very similar implementation to that of all the other upcoming models to be released that will also include this LSI hardware chip-set. Perhaps the reasoning for this is that the Panasonic Lumix marketing department is describing the DMC-FX40 as a "digital still camera".
It is a chip whose cost reduction of Venus engine HD is planned. For that reason, it is enhanced from Venus Engine IV in terms of specifications.
2 CPU configuration, cost reduction, high-speed playback speed, high-precision recognition, power saving, high-speed processing
Venus VI, Venus Engine HD II – 2010
According to Panasonic, Venus VI adds “Intelligent Resolution”, efficient Face Recognition and an advanced noise reduction system which applies noise reduction to luminance noise and chromatic noise separately. This engine is used in DMC-ZS5 and ZS10.There are many things in common, but in each case some functions have been added as a minor change from the previous chip.
- HDMI output compatible
- Available for AVCHD Lite movie shooting
- Equipped with super resolution technology
- Power saving
- High speed processing
- Accuracy improvement of new camera shake correction
Venus HD II – 2010
According to Panasonic, Venus HD II adds “Intelligent Resolution”, AVCHD Lite at a higher processing speed that utilizes twin CPUs and an advanced noise reduction system that applies noise reduction to luminance noise and chromatic noise separately. The only difference between Venus HD II and Venus VI are the AVCHD Lite improvements. This engine is used in second-generation Panasonic m43 cameras, the DMC-G2/DMC-G10 and DMC-ZS7/DMC-TZ10.Venus FHD – 2010
This engine is used in third-generation Panasonic m43 MILC's cameras, including the DMC-G3, GF2, GF3, GX1 and the GH-2.Based on the Venus Engine HD II, this chip was developed with the aim of strengthening the movie shooting function and achieving high-speed processing.
- 3 CPU configuration
- Accuracy improvement of ISO sensitivity
- 3D image shooting support
- Improvement of image processing capability by new and super resolution technology
- Added intelligent D range control
- HDMI output compatible
- Available for AVCHD movie shooting
- High speed processing
- Highly accurate recognition possible
Venus VII FHD 2011
This engine is used in fourth-generation Panasonic m43 MILC's cameras, including the DMC-G5, G6, GF7, GX7, GM1, GM5 and the GH-3.As a minor change of the previous year's chip, added several functions.
- Accuracy improvement of iA
- Built-in creative control
- Cost reduction, high speed processing
New Venus Engine – 2012
No numbering will be attached after this generation. First adopted in G 5 of Lumix G series.- Improvement of calculation processing
- Enhanced ISO sensitivity installed
- HDR photography compatible
- AVCHD Progressive movie shooting
New Venus Engine – 2013
Suppressing large size noise that was difficult to deal with conventional chips, achieving grain-free image quality. First adopted by G6 of Lumix G series. It is mainly mounted on 4K incompatible models.- Improvement of calculation processing
- Accompanied with extended ISO 25600 by improving accuracy of extended ISO sensitivity
- Focus peaking function supported
New Venus Engine – 2014
Venus Engine IX is a quad-core processor first introduced in Panasonic's fifth-generation m43 MILC, the GH4, and later used in the FZ1000, LX100 and DMC-G7. In the GH4 the IX processor allows 4K video, 12 fps continuous shooting and 1080p shooting at bit rates as high as 200 Mbit/s.First adopted by GH4 of Lumix G series.
- Improvement of arithmetic processing by 4 CPU adoption
- 4K movie shooting supported
- New multi process NR
- New gamma correction processing
- Diffraction correction processing
- Broadband contour enhancement processing
- 3D color control
- HDR processing, RAW development compatible
- Expansion ISO sensitivity 100 installed
- Space recognition technology installed