THX has teamed with BluFocus, an official Testing Center for the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA), to build an ecosystem of production and mastering services for 3D broadcasters, authoring houses and post-production studios to address 3D picture quality, interoperability and the physiological effects of 3D.
The THX-BluFocus 3D certification program will help pinpoint and eliminate any AV quality and creative flaws long before movies are broadcast, streamed or manufactured on optical disc. They will also test disc interoperability and check Blu-ray Discs and Players to ensure they play seamlessly.
Year ago THX created a similar quality control seal of approval for DVDs.
The partners have created three THX-BluFocus certification icons for consumers to look for on Blu-ray Discs:
Audio Video Certification
The “AV” icon indicates that a movie’s 3D visual images have been analyzed frame-by-frame to ensure Left and Right Eye images retain the sharpness and detail of the original master video elements. The audio elements have also been fully evaluated to make sure they meet studio Reference Level and remain faithful to the master recordings.
Creative Certification
All 3D elements, including characters, graphics and subtitles, should enhance the storyline and visual experience, not distract from it. The “C” icon indicates that all 3D visuals have been reviewed to make sure they are properly focused and in the accurate “action location” onscreen. 2D-to-3D conversions are also analyzed to detect creative errors and flaws that deviate from the director’s intent or may cause 3D viewer fatigue.
Interoperability Certification
“I” (Interoperability) certification applies to Blu-ray Discs to ensure they play seamlessly on 2D and 3D Blu-ray Players from major CE brands. More than 100 Blu-ray players, from different regions, are evaluated with each THX-BluFocus Disc to deliver a hassle-free user experience.