Company Looks, Listens to Digital Market Demands

Testronic Labs, a Burbank company that provides quality-control testing for home entertainment products, is expanding its business to meet the film industry’s growing push toward digital files and electronic archiving. Starting this month, Testronic is applying its quality-control expertise to the digital master files used to create DVDs, Blu-ray discs, and online downloads, said Seth Hallen, Testronic’s chief executive. And the company will begin offering its digital testing services — such as looking for glitches and scratches— from a new state-of-the-art lab. Testronic built the new testing facility to better serve its clients, which include the studios and post-production facilities, Hallen said. Studios have cut down their use of film prints and are converting their film and tape libraries into digital ones. “It’s very important the master file is pristine in audio quality and video quality before trans-coded downstream,” Hallen said. Times have changed since studios only had to worry about a master for a theatrical print and a home video master, said Bryan Gonzalez, director of social and digital media at the Entertainment Technology Center at University of Southern California. With so many distribution platforms there are now masters for online, iPhones, and other devices, Gonzalez said. “It is critical that there are people out there watching this stuff to make it the best it can be,” Gonzalez said. Testronic consolidated its DVD and Blu-ray disc testing labs to open up space now occupied by the 4-bay digital file lab, Hallen said. The company spent about $500,000 on the digital lab, but future additions will bring the final investment to more than $1 million, Hallen said. Major studios and large post-production facilities have quality control labs, but they are not as sophisticated as the one Testronic designed, said Adam Lesh, Testronic’s chief technology officer. Each of the company’s testing bays includes high-resolution monitors capable of showing 3D content and six speakers placed along the walls to provide the best audio. When the company built its testing facility, it hired an acoustician to assist with spacing the speakers. “You don’t see acousticians being hired for a (quality control) bay,” Lesh said. Additionally, the company automated its administrative processes involving digital master files, Hallen said. Now, instead of employees handling files, the company’s system automatically receives files via a high-speed Internet connection, verifies and logs the file into the system, and notifies the sender the company has received the file. Testronic worked with partner companies and outside consultants in designing the automation, Hallen said. With staff freed up from handling the administrative duties, they have more time to review the files and note glitches, transmission errors, and other mistakes, Hallen said. For archival material, they sometimes will find bloopers such as a visible boom mike, or a crew reflected in a window. “Efficiency is everything,” Hallen said. “Turnaround times are tight and need to happen quickly.” For the studios and post-production companies, hiring Testronic to handle quality control translates to cost savings, Gonzalez said. This way, they don’t have to hire specialized staff to spend their work day viewing content, he said. After all, quality control isn’t about sitting back to watch movies with a box of popcorn, Gonzalez said. “They are the eagle eyes when it comes to mistakes or issues that cone up in digital files,” he said. Even with the hefty investment in the digital file lab, Hallen said the company is still finding plenty of work in testing DVDs and Blu-ray discs. While standard definition DVD work has decreased, Blu-ray testing work has increased, Hallen said. In March, Testronic reached 5,500 Blu-ray discs the facility has tested. “Blu-ray is still the best home entertainment experience,” Hallen said. Testronic is owned by European technical service provider Catalis SE. In fiscal 2010, Testronic brought in $19 million (U.S.) in revenues, according to the Catalis annual report.