THX Introduces Streaming Certification

Remember the days when seeing and hearing the THX logo in a movie theater give you goose bumps? THX wants to bring back that magic by ensuring you have the best possible video streaming experience. The company, which was recently acquired by Razer—yes, the video game accessory maker—says it will partner with content creators, service providers, and distributors to implement a certification program that guarantees streaming content meets a set of standards that it will establish.



"THX has a longstanding history as the industry standard for video and sound," said Ty Ahmad-Taylor, THX CEO. "It's only right we permeate the market in which mainstream audiences are increasingly consuming media today–streaming. The goal is to establish a universal standard for quality in the streaming world that consumers can trust… just as we've done for cinema and consumer electronics."



Per the press release, the program's goal is to help companies perfect encoding and delivery methods that account for the challenges of streaming. To that end, THX is working with Conviva—a QoE measurement and analytics company—as its launch partner. Data gathered by Conviva will be used to "set the bar" for THX certification. Companies like HBO, sky, ESPN, and others have used Conviva's platform to garner insights into viewer experiences.



"Many world's top OTT media companies use Conviva today for QoE measurement and analytics, thereby producing an unparalleled data set that will set the bar for the THX certification," said Hui Zhang, Founder and CEO Conviva. "We are very excited to be selected by THX as the QoE certification partner to ensure consumers get an unparalleled video experience on the internet across all their devices."



As THX sees it, the brand will bring a unifying standard to what is currently a fragmented streaming ecosystem, one were content quality varies significantly and the various quality tiers don't necessarily align from one service to another. The company envisions a comprehensive program with checkpoints to ensure a premium quality viewing experience, regardless of who's doing the streaming.



As exciting as this sounds, there are currently no details in terms of what the standard would guarantee, or who would be providing these certified streams. However, if the company signs up the likes of Netflix or Amazon or Vudu, this could turn out to be a big deal.



What you think, would THX certification give you greater confidence in the quality of premium streaming content?