Harding FPA vs Video Audit: Modern Photosensitive Seizure Testing for Digital Video

If you work in television in the UK or Japan, you know the Harding test well. For decades, networks like the BBC, ITV, and Channel 4 have required a clean Harding Flash and Pattern Analyser (FPA) certificate before any commercial or show can air. It is the established benchmark for television broadcast delivery.

However, video production has changed. Marketing teams, digital agencies, game studios, and corporate communication departments produce hundreds of short-form videos every month for TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube, and corporate portals.

Video Audit was built for these faster digital turnarounds, analyzing videos directly on the editor's machine without fees per revision.

#How Harding FPA and Video Audit compare

#How broadcast and web standards differ

Passing a broadcast television test does not mean a video complies with web standards.

Broadcast guidelines and web guidelines measure visual stimulation differently because people watch television screens and mobile phones in very different ways.

#1. Ofcom and ITU-R BT.1702 (television standards)

Broadcast guidelines assume a viewer sitting in a living room, roughly 9 screen heights away from a television set:

• They measure flashes between 3 Hz and 30 Hz.
• They check absolute luminance jumps of 20 candelas per square meter ($\text{cd/m}^2$) on calibrated television monitors.
• They flag saturated red flashes and regular geometric patterns (such as repeating stripes) covering more than 25% of the screen.

#2. WCAG 2.2 Guideline 2.3.1 (web standard)

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines apply to phones, tablets, and desktop monitors. Because people hold phones only 25 to 30 cm from their eyes, the screen occupies a much larger angle in their vision:

• Relative luminance: WCAG checks relative contrast shifts ($\Delta L \ge 0.10$) when the darker frame is under 0.80.
• 10-degree field of view: Flashes cannot cover more than 25% of any 10-degree visual cone. A phone screen viewed up close easily covers that entire 10-degree window.
• Saturated red transitions: Strict chromaticity formulas in the CIE 1976 Uniform Chromaticity Scale where red content exceeds $R / (R + G + B) \ge 0.8$.

Harding FPA focuses on broadcast specifications. Video Audit evaluates both broadcast rules (Ofcom, ITU) and web rules (WCAG, Trace24) simultaneously, confirming whether a video passes for both television and online publication in a single test.

#Bureau fees compared to monthly software

If your team produces video on a regular basis, pay-per-test fees add up quickly.

#When to use Harding FPA

Harding FPA is an established tool with decades of engineering behind it. You should use it if:

#When Video Audit fits better

Video Audit fits modern digital workflows where speed, multi-standard coverage, and low cost matter:

#Frequently asked questions