Testronic Opens ‘File-Based’ Lab in Burbank

Testronic Labs says that its new File-Based Lab, located in the company’s Burbank, Calif. facility, will provide end-to-end QA/QC services in a way that has not been previously available for rich media.

The lab is designed to serve the growing needs of studios and content holders as the entertainment industry transitions from tape-based workflows to a fully digital, file-based ecosystem.

Features of the File-Based Lab include an advanced system for high-resolution, multi-format A/V playback — which allows Testronic to streamline the amount of equipment necessary to test all of the various master and distribution file formats, and enables a QC operator to switch among a range of file formats without having to switch to other equipment or to a different QC bay.

“Our industry is undergoing a profound change, and we knew that we had to break the old mold to meet our clients’ new expectations,” says Jason Gish, Testronic’s VP of business development for film and television services.

Testronic CEO Seth Hallen adds that the company has automated the administration of file delivery, as well as asset and project management, in the new lab to realize further workflow efficiencies. “But the human element,” Hallen notes, “will continue to be integral to the testing process into the foreseeable future.”

In addition, says Hallen, “Testronic is currently developing a pioneering system which will integrate seamlessly with our existing systems and set new standards of high-volume efficiency in a file-based workflow, and will also grant our clients a real-time view into the status of their files and projects.”

Strong Q1 for Testronic Labs

Testronic Labs says that it has followed successful quarters in the second half of 2010 with a “strong” performance in the first quarter of 2011, showing year-over-year growth in both revenue and profit. Seth Hallen, chief executive of the quality assurance company, notes particular growth in Testronic’s game testing services, along with “triple-digit growth in the hardware and consultancy work we are doing in Europe with various cable operators and digital TV providers.”

Testronic Passes Blu-ray, 3D Project Milestones

Quality assurance specialist Testronic Labs marks the testing of its 5,500th Blu-ray disc SKU this month, along with its 75th 3D SKU — two project milestones for the company.

Testronic chief executive Seth Hallen says the company is carrying forward its QA experience with physical goods into the digital ream. “We have our eye on the future,” he says in a statement, “and are ready to support our clients in all of the ways that they are delivering content to today’s consumer marketplace.”

Testronic White Paper: Ensuring Blu-ray’s Role in an App-Driven Market

At the third annual Blu-Con conference in Beverly Hills, Calif. last week, Testronic Labs CEO Seth Hallen presented a white paper on the changing nature of Blu-ray in an app-driven entertainment marketplace. “Our industry has positioned Blu-ray as an evolved DVD,” Hallen writes in the paper, “but DVD is essentially A/V content wrapped by a bit of programming, whereas Blu-ray is really software, or in recent parlance – an app – wrapped around some A/V content.”

The new notion of Blu-ray has ramifications from a development and testing perspective. “What we are seeing,” Hallen continues, “is a paradigm shift from an A/V content-centric home entertainment environment to a connectivity-centric ecosystem of which A/V content is one part…The delivery mechanism, from user interface to back-end transactional support, must be carefully designed and tested in order to safeguard the consumer experience.“

Downloads of the white paper “Divergence of Device, Convergence of Function,” are available at the quality assurance firm’s website.

Testronic President Assumes Global Oversight As CEO

Seth Hallen, U.S. president of quality assurance specialist Testronic Labs, has advanced to the position of CEO, assuming oversight of the company’s global operations.

Testronic parent company Catalis Group announced Hallen’s appointment earlier this month. The company, based in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, stated that former CEO Neil Goodall was “stepping down from the business.”

Catalis CEO Jeremy Lewis said that Testronic would benefit from Hallen’s “close involvement over many years with our key Hollywood customers and his keen understanding of their needs, particularly as the home entertainment space continues to transition toward digital download formats.”

Testronic recently expanded its Burbank, CA operations with a dedicated testing lab for digital entertainment, including web portals, mobile devices, and broadcast-cable-VOD platforms.

Worldwide, Testronic maintains facilities in the UK, Poland, Belgium, and Japan.

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