THX is collaborating with BluFocus, an official testing facility for the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA), to set authoring and production guidelines for 3D Blu-ray movies, broadcasts and online streaming.

The plan is to streamline the creation and interoperability of 3D movies across all media. One of the main issues the alliance will be looking at is the experience of viewer fatigue from watching 3D video with glasses and they’ll be looking at the causes and antidotes for the condition.

By working closely with content producers the group plans to implement best practices and guidelines for all 3D elements, including onscreen characters, objects, graphics and subtitles.

THX-BluFocus certification will also evaluate just how 2D-to-3D conversion adds depth to images, and whether this results in creative errors that might cause viewer fatigue.

Rick Dean, senior vice-president at THX, said: “The long-term success of 3D in the home depends heavily on content producers and consumer electronics manufacturers delivering a comfortable and compelling experience for today’s first wave of consumer adopters. Our partnership with BluFocus complements the work THX is doing with leading HDTV manufacturers and other industry organisations to drive standards for 3D visual quality and usability.”

Certification will come in several forms: AV Certification (sound and images have been analysed to maintain the quality of the original elements); Creative Certification (all 3D elements have been analysed to ensure they’re in focus and in the right location); Interoperability Certification (ensures Blu-ray discs play seamlessly on 2D and 3D machines).