The OV519 chip is used in some cheap webcams - for example, from DSE (product code XH5096) sold as "Internet Camera with Microphone".

This USB WebCam supports 640x480 resolution images at 15fps, and video at 25fps, according to the box.

Linux Support

The 2.6 series LinuxKernel (as of 2.6.7 at least) come with support for webcams that use the similar OV511 chip, but not these WebCams.

The 'lsusb' program shows

05a9:8519 !OmniVision? Technologies, Inc.

However, there is a driver (licensed under the GPL) that you can download from http://alpha.dyndns.org/ov511/download.html#ov51x - the module will be called ov51x. It should work with 2.2, 2,4 and 2.6 kernels.

The camera's built-in microphone is detected by the kernel's USB ALSA drivers, but it doesn't actually seem to work - a new sound device is registered (/dev/dsp1) but reading from this device doesn't do anything.

Unfortunately, these cameras serve images up in JPEG format only, and this behaviour will require application-level support. No webcam software for linux seems to handle this (yet - at least for V4L version 1). The source code for the driver (linked above) comes with a small program that can grab and save jpeg images from the camera. JohnMcPherson has a modified version of this program that will display captured video in an X window - grab the "showvideo" package from our software archive.

Best bet (for now) is to get a camera with better linux support.

You can also intent to code the decompression in the kernel space! Take a look at the decompression for ov518: it is very very closed to JPEG decompression. But there are patents about JPEG decompression and that is why - as far as I understand - the module doesn't handle JPEG decompression in kernel space.. But an individual that coded it for himself (and his friends ;) ) would not have to fear those patents... and the ov519 would work anywhere no mater with what app!

One such driver is now available for download from the following website: http://www.qbik.ch/usb/devices/drivers.php

-- The kernel maintainers would not allow something like jpeg decompression inside a kernel module... they will argue (correctly) that this is something that should be done in userspace.