Quality control is not usually the sort of subject to draw crowds, but QScan’s new QScan Verify is a bit of a game-changer in more ways than one.
There's been a lot of debate over the last few years about whether trade shows still hold their value, but IBC2024 proved why they remain a staple on the calendar. Attendance numbers were up and there was a tangible buzz in the air. And whilst Al didn't completely steal the show (again), there was definitely a sense of maturity around a lot of products, with a focus on getting down to business.
Traditionally, trade shows used to be where you could stumble across a small company with some seriously impressive tech; usually tucked away around the edges in a small booth, a couple of rollup banners and an eager looking person peddling their wares.
This year was no different, which brings us to QScan - a lesser-known company, but one that's clearly making waves. If you're familiar with Automated QC (quality control) tools, you know they are broadly based around file delivery and standards, checking for things such as PSE (Photosensitive Epilepsy) issues or format issues. But QScan seems to be taking QC in a whole new direction.
QScan came out of EditShare in 2020 and has been steadily making its mark. What makes its QC approach different is how deeply it has embedded it into end-to-end workflows. So, its QScan AQC software gives you all the tools that traditional QC operators might expect, but its new product, QScan Verify, takes that to another level.
This new HDR player and analysis tool caught a lot of attention at IBC - every time we walked by, its demo pods were full. And for good reason.
Verify is a cross platform player that connects to the QScan AQC engine. It provides playback in all colour spaces up to 8K, full broadcast scopes, and a visual timeline so that you can see all the QC date in a graph form — an intuitive feature that really changes how users see and interact with QC information. In addition, you can also add manual 'eyeball' events - combining both automated and manual QC in one place. And probably the most impressive feature is the Comparative Analysis tool - viewing the differences between two or more files in a simple, easy-to-use tool.
"We are totally obsessed with workflow. And when you really think carefully about QC, you realise that it impacts on every stage - from acquisition through to delivery,” says James Richings, QScan's CEO. "And so we're on a mission to rethink and redeploy QC tools in a way that hasn't been done before. There's every reason for companies to evaluate what they are doing and look at the possible savings of time and money downstream of a QC process.’
That all makes sense. Mistakes are more common than you'd think, often because humans can't catch everything. And that can be extremely expensive. But on the flip side, automation doesn't always get creative nuances and for that you need humans in the loop.
"Think of a shot with a camera operator reflected in a window, or the infamous Starbucks cup in Game of Thrones. Even if an automated QC process could flag it, it would have no way of knowing the creative intent," says Daniel Roques, QScan's Product Manager. "That's why you will always need a human element in QC - someone who watches the content and can make judgment calls. And that's where workflow and collaboration come in. Getting the right people involved at the right stage is crucial and it is the reason we have developed QScan Verify.”
QScan also gave a sneak peek of its upcoming review and approve platform at the show, which is built right into Scan Verify. From simple shareable links for direct uploads to publishing QC events for other team members to review, this is set to launch next year and adds a fresh QC twist to traditional workflows, with security built-in from the start.
New hardware for those who want dedicated servers is also being introduced (there’s a full REST API too). And with major players such as Netflix, Apple, Comcast, HBO, NHK, and Canal+ already on board, there's a free trial of Scan AQC available directly from its website www.qscan.io so you can see what all the increasing fuss is about.