Finalize Media have purchased a Harding flash pattern analyser to assist in their post production delivery and to ensure broadcast programming meets Ofcom / ITC guidelines. This service allows clients to identify picture violations that are unsafe for transmission and could potentially harm viewers who suffer from photosensitive epilepsy (PSE). These areas are then corrected and a test certificate is issued to confirm the material is compliant with the Ofcom code published in May 2005.

Jon Pembro from Finalize feels the Harding ‘box’ is an essential piece of equipment for any post production company working with major broadcasters. “The Harding FPA allows us to make sure our work meets strict safety requirements whilst also being compliant to the broadcasters delivery specifications.”

Photosensitivity is sensitivity to flickering or intermittent light stimulation and visual patterns. It affects approximately one in four thousand people. A number of people have this sensitivity but have not yet had a seizure and therefore have not been diagnosed with the condition of photosensitive epilepsy. The most common trigger for photosensitive epilepsy in Europe is the domestic television set. Almost fifty percent of patients are sensitive to the 50Hz flicker of television, and some seventy five percent of patients are sensitive to the 25 Hz flicker from the line raster which can be observed with close viewing. The onset of photosensitive epilepsy in an individual occurs typically around the time of puberty; in the age group 7 to 20 years the condition is five times as common as in the general population. Three quarters of patients remain photosensitive for life.

In response to a Pot Noodles advert in 1993, which induced photosensitive epileptic seizures in 3 people, the ITC introduced its guidelines for flashing images and regular patterns. The sequences to be avoided sound relatively simple – repetitive bright or red flashes and spatial patterns – but the details are complicated.

In December 1997 a children’s Pokemon cartoon episode in Japan produced 685 admissions to hospital, 560 cases were shown to have had proved seizures, triggered by four seconds of alternating saturated red and blue light used in the programme. Of those patients, 76 percent had no previous history of seizures. The guidelines have since been updated.

Many broadcasters require a Harding pass as part of their technical review, including BBC Bristol. To run a Harding test from tape or a digital file, contact Finalize Media on: 0117 9466999