Nearly two dozen leading companies from all areas of the mobile
imaging eco-system have joined forces to work on Phase 2 of the
International Imaging Industry Association (I3A; http://www.i3a.org) Camera Phone Image Quality (CPIQ) Initiative, the group announced today.
Following the final open meeting held last month in Paris, the CPIQ Initiative
enrollment is now closed, and work begins in earnest to develop
repeatable, robust, test methods for evaluating the metrics associated
with image quality — both subjective and objective.
“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 overall goal of I3A’s CPIQ Initiative is to remove poor image quality
as the top barrier to the use and enjoyment of camera phones by
consumers. The Initiative also seeks to promote growth of the camera
phone imaging eco-system and to encourage consumers to take, share,
print and enjoy images captured by their camera phones. 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.
Phase 2 of the Initiative is drilling down into the metrics associated with image quality, both
subjective and objective, and will develop repeatable, robust, test
methods for evaluating these metrics. Work will focus on developing and
validating test methods for the metrics 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 Initiative group will also work to
promote adoption of these standard measurement techniques and
specifications.
CPIQ Phase 2 participants include:
- Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
- DxO Labs
- Eastman Kodak Company
- FotoNation Inc.
- Foveon, Inc.
- Freescale Semiconductor Inc.
- HP
- Image Engineering
- Micron Technology, Inc.
- Motorola, Inc.
- Nethra Imaging, Inc.
- Nokia Corporation
- OmniVision Technologies, Inc.
- Palm, Inc.
- Philips Lumileds Lighting Company
- Sensata Technologies
- Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications
- Sprint
- STMicroelectronics
- Texas Instruments Incorporated
- Verizon Wireless
- Vista Point Technologies
The primary CPIQ Phase 1 deliverable is a
White Paper, entitled “Fundamentals and review of considered test
methods,” which contains an evaluation of existing best practices and
industry standards and identifies key measures/metrics in each of
several critical CPIQ areas. The camera phone photospace is described
and an initial subjective evaluation method for CPIQ is discussed. The
White Paper is available for download at no charge from http://www.i3a.org/pdf/cpiqwhitepaper.pdf.
I3A is the leading global imaging industry association,
driving growth of and setting standards for the
and information imaging markets. As the industry focal point, I3A offers a
framework and environment where members can quickly find resources to solve
critical issues and develop market solutions. Members of I3A work together to
find common ground for advancing the industry and to enable better products and
services for their customers.
I3A is an accredited Standards Developing Organization, serving as
secretariat for the International Organization for Standardization
Technical Committee 42 (ISO/TC42) on Photography, and as administrator
for the USA Technical Advisory Group for this committee. Information
about I3A can be found at http://www.i3a.org or by phone at +1 914-285-4933.