VIOSO is celebrating a landmark 100,000 confirmed test images produced with its free test pattern generator tool, which has found global adoption across the pro-AV industry. The tool, a free-to-use multi-display/edge blending test pattern generator, creates customised panorama, soft-edge and LED test images (in high-res PNG) for accurate projection or display alignment on site.
It also helps to calculate the overlap of blending zones, and even allows users to customise text and upload their own company logo.
VIOSO confirmed the official 100,000-pattern milestone in summer 2022, though the real number is likely far higher, according to VIOSO co-founder and CEO Benjamin Fritsch. “We are way above 100,000 images, since we only started counting at the end of 2018,” he explains. “Of course, people create an average of 3–5 patterns, but it is still humbling to know how many people are using our tool.”
The test pattern generator was originally created by Fritsch and Emanuel Züger, VIOSO’s other CEO and co-founder, as a personal project to address a gap in the market for test pattern creation tools. “In the past, test pattern creation was an issue – there were tools in Excel to calculate resolution and overlap, but they were not straightforward and did not result in a test pattern that could be used on stage,” recalls Fritsch. “This meant that, for many projects, the test pattern was simply a grid, and this had a direct impact on quality.
“After a lot of Photoshop sessions, we decided we needed a better tool, and since Emanuel and I have decent knowledge from our past in web programming, we opted for a web-based generator, which means it is always available everywhere. Soon after, we opened it to the public and – due to heavy demand – even allowed users to remove our logo and upload custom ones. Now we see these test pictures in many different kinds of installations, and this makes us feel very proud.”
Users of the test pattern generator include world-leading projection manufacturers, event technology specialists, system designers and integrators, media and control system companies, freelance solutions architects and video techs around the globe. Fritsch says he never anticipated the tool would be so popular: “I thought it was too nerdy,” he comments. “But turns out it wasn’t the case, which is great. It is also interesting to see the variety of applications it’s used for, from projection to screens, LED to digital signage…”
Despite its unexpected popularity, Fritsch confirms that the service will remain free, although VIOSO is planning to add a charity donation button in time for Christmas 2022.
Looking to the future, VIOSO will continue to support and improve the test pattern generator – and the company welcomes suggestions for new features from users across the industry, competitors included.
Summarising the company’s ethos, Fritsch concludes: “In this industry, there is room for everybody. This business is not just about money and competition, but also about attitude, fun and people. We work together on projects with different companies, competitors and users with the same goal: ‘To make it work’. There is no such thing as one tool or one media server, as people are different – and this diversity is awesome!”
“This tool is something everybody in the business needs,” he adds, “which is why we offer it without commercial interest. We are glad to see so many people in the industry using it.”
