The International Imaging Industry Association Camera Phone Image Quality (CPIQ) Initiative — which includes companies such as Texas Instruments, Nokia Corporation, Philips Lumileds Lighting Company, Sony Ericsson, ST Microelectronics, Micron Technology, Motorola, Freescale Semiconductor, DxO labs, Eastman Kodak, AMD, Foveon and OmniVision Technologies — said the second phase of the project will focus on developing and validating test methods that have direct impact on image quality performance, along with a preliminary consumer-oriented rating system that will enable clear communication about image quality from vendors to consumers.

The group is also planning to promote adoption of these standard measurement techniques and specifications.

"CPIQ Phase 2 is off to an aggressive start, with nearly all Phase 1 members returning and a substantial number of new companies joining in," said Lisa Walker, I3A President. "This breadth of participation — companies of all sizes, from all segments of the imaging eco-system and all corners of the world — demonstrates how important addressing image quality issues is to the future of our entire industry, and how valuable is the level playing field that I3A provides."

The group's ultimate objective is to produce a complete set of standardized image quality testing metrics and methodologies, enabling a consumer-oriented image quality rating system.