he Automation of broadcast production is a sophisticated and
rapidly evolving environment requiring an up to the minute solution. Producers are expected to deliver more complex and expansive programming on tighter deadlines than ever before. Buiding4Medias FORK Production Suite provides a cutting edge, metadata driven, modular approach for broadcast media operations, digital asset management, production and playout.
Building4Media has over a decade of experience delivering IT-based broadcast automation and media asset management. More than 260 broadcast networks in 37 countries rely on Building4Medias FORK software solution to produce and deliver their daily programming. FORKs powerful features are utilized as well outside of traditional broadcasting in realms, as diverse as the military, government and medicine.
FORKs advanced features include the ability to generate proxies in real time during ingest, allowing for instant browsing, marking and editing. Fast ingest with browsing and editing while ingesting empowers productions with unprecedented speed. In addition, FORKs workflow automation enables transcoding, file-forwarding, archiving and metadata auto- posting on websites and mobile media devices - for delivery to audiences anywhere.
2010 building4media a primestream company | www.primestream.com | www.b4m.com | FORK Product Overview
Page - 1
MANAGING COMPLEXITY
FORK Product Overview
FORK Software
Key Features
FORK includes a robust client/server architecture that gives customized access to centralized media storage. This client/server architecture provides producers and editors with a complete, intuitive set of tools to quickly produce and output media, while at the same time, it gives system administrators total control over database management, smart filtering, access control, markers and metadata.
FORK enables flexible collaboration between editors and producers in the production environment with automated ingest and metadata collection of footage coming in from the remote field locations.
With dual-platform compatibility and standards-based QuickTime support, FORK handles a wide variety of different media formats. Ingest formats cover most major SD and HD formats, including Live XDCAM HD Ingest and P2 import, which utilizes our bi-directional Quicktime to MXF translation engine, allowing FORK to adapt to evolving broadcast standards.
FORKs installation footprint leverages existing hardware and enables unlimited expansion in contrast to hardware-based content management solutions with prohibitively higher costs that inhibit expandability.
FORK maximizes existing operator skillsets via tight integration with Final Cut Studio. The FORK interface is intuitive and standardized across the various modules of the Production and Playout Suites. This helps minimize training costs and enables fast adoption of FORK into existing workflows and facilities.
The FORK Solution
The family of FORK software consists of FORK Production and FORK Playout Suite. FORK Production Suite encompasses modules designed for ingest, content navigation, media asset management, live assist control room playout, and editing. FORK Playout Suite drives automated master control playout for on-air channels with fully integrated graphics control and switcher operations.
2010 building4media a primestream company | www.primestream.com | www.b4m.com | FORK Product Overview
Page - 2
FORK Product Overview
MANAGING COMPLEXITY
FORK Software Production Suite
Clip Ingest
FORKs Ingest module automates ingest of high and standard definition content using a centralized volume for multiple user access. Operators can manually ingest multiple feeds from live sources using gang controls or from tape decks or choose to schedule sources to ingest in the future and on a recurring basis. While ingesting, live user markers can be placed with metadata, including searchable descriptions and keywords. FORK offers full remote VTR deck control via RS-422/232 and can handle incoming footage from a wide variety of cameras and formats.
Content Navigator - Media Asset Management
Users search and browse media assets through keywords and by normal/smart bins using the FORK Content Navigator. Producers, editors, media managers and loggers can simultaneously access and work with media in FORK. With the use of smart bins, any metadata field is dynamically transformed into a property that can filter, sort and manage content. Users can access clips, create sub-clips, generate user markers, enter metadata and use Send To Actions to automate transcoding, Final Cut Pro Integration, archive/restore and publishing operations. Media Asset Management for broadcast news, sports and production is very different than post-production focused systems. The B4M broadcast MAM platform allows markers place during ingest to instantly ripple into Apples Final Cut, for editing with MAM during news conferences, sports events, live productions.
Editor
FORK Editor provides cuts-only editing, audio control and a voiceover tools that frees producers to complete packages from the desktop, without ever leaving the FORK Production Suite. FORK Editor utilizes the QuickTime proxy format with high quality and small file size, enabling users to edit over local or remote network connections. When a more complex edit with transitions and effects is required, FORK Editor easily sends projects to Final Cut Pro (even during ingest). It also provides automatic XML recognition of key metadata including file name, date created and frame accurate clip durations. Projects sent from FORK Editor import into Final Cut Pro with the same timeline, bin structure, metadata and markers.
2010 building4media a primestream company | www.primestream.com | www.b4m.com | FORK Product Overview
Page - 3
MANAGING COMPLEXITY
FORK Product Overview
Live Assist Playout
For mission-critical playout, the FORK Live Assist module enables operators to easily push content directly to air or live presentation using an attractive, userfriendly interface that can also be controlled from external USB control surfaces, or even GPO enabled production switcher, allowing complete integration into existing controls rooms. Options include loop, sync roll, hold on last frame and play- through, ensuring broadcasts or presentations never go to black. Live Assist is fully integrated with industry-standard newsroom systems such as iNEWS, ENPS, OCTOPUS and NORCOM. This integration allows for importing of rundowns of entire shows created by producers in a Newsroom Control System (NRCS), including placeholder clips of items yet to be edited. Live updates of the rundowns can be managed from the NRCS or the Live Assist operator can take local control. Multiple playout channels in Live Assist can also be used to push content (such as graphic loops) to studio monitors for a rich production look.
Archiving
FORK archive integration, restores and manages all footage ingested and produced throughout the production environment. Control of archiving hardware is accomplished via integration with 3rd party software solutions from Atempo and PresSTORE. The FORK interface simplifies media management using metadata and clip formatting; while drop folders automate media and library archiving. FORK can process massive amounts of data and leverage various archiving formats securely and intelligently.
Master Control Playout
Automated Master Control Playout is at the heart of FORK Playout Suite, handling all of the critical functions for live to-air broadcasting. Master Control Playout includes a scheduling module to easily create and implement programming sequences for fully unattended master control operation. Its also tightly integrated with existing traffic systems, master control switcher, routers, and graphics systems. When used in conjunction with FORK Production Server the system provides the most advanced metadata management available, allowing data entered in Production to be integrated with on-air graphics systems, enabling complex, dynamic on-air looks in a fully automated system.
Mobile2Air
Mobile2Air is a secure, cutting-edge tool leveraging the power of the iPhone and existing 3G and WiFi networks to transmit content from anywhere in the world directly to air. It offers a unique solution in the news and information marketplace with a simple, highly cost-effective alternative to traditional satellite uplink connections. With the deep metadata and proven automation capabilities of Building4Medias FORK Production Suite enabling a fast and reliable workflow from ingest to playout, Mobile2Air is the new generation in broadcast and field reporting.
2010 building4media a primestream company | www.primestream.com | www.b4m.com | FORK Product Overview
Page - 4
MANAGING COMPLEXITY
FORK Product Overview
Other Industries Using FORK Software
Building4Medias powerful FORK solution is also utilized in a wide variety of industries and fields outside of the traditional broadcasting world. These applications include the military, government and medical fields.
Military FORKs automated, centralized video asset management supports command and control centers in both peacetime and combat scenarios. Incoming video feeds from automated drones, manned aircraft, ships and telemetry data are quickly ingested, sorted and fed to a wide variety of displays and analyst personnel. FORKs advanced file-based architecture permits high-resolution cameras of 4K and beyond and high-speed frame rates at 1,000 frames per second and up without the restrictions and expense of linear tape-based systems. FORKs encrypted security procedures and available server erasure protocols prevent sensitive data from falling into enemy hands. With its centralized media paradigm and remote access, FORK is perfectly suited to on-station and domestic military command centers. FORKs scalable architecture quickly assimilates incoming combat data into a video database while supporting both live and review displays of specific metadata searches.
Government City, state and federal level government agencies benefit from FORK with solutions ranging from remote emergency management to automated video feeds for informational websites. FORKs automated capabilities assure that government facilities will be reliable and operational in the event of an emergency. Content, news alerts, security information and related programs are easily updated from a remote location. Other key features used in government installations include transcoding of files for Internet and mobile, aggregated transfer of content to multiple locations and support for video on demand.
Medical FORK helps hospitals and health care workers share critical patient test results and medical backgrounds through centralized media storage and metadata classified databases. Doctors viewing MRI results intuitively set markers and customize search fields within the FORK Content Navigator. Complete patient histories are stored and preserved digitally in an automated database available to network nodes within a hospital institution as well as with doctors and medical personnel connected via secure remote networks. Patients gain access to original resolution CAT scans and MRI data via FORKs powerful proxy content management. FORKs expansion capabilities go beyond standard linear tape-based camera documentation systems in use in hospital operating rooms with the incorporation of high-definition and beyond cameras at high-speed frame rates. Doctors also set specific metadata markers on surgery footage, enabling colleagues to reference results and successful techniques. Building4Medias FORK software solutions are complete, integrated solution for ingest, media asset management, editing, production control and master control playout. Content producers can edit from remote locations via proxy editing and deliver their final projects in the required high-quality formats. FORK offers benefits not only to the broadcasting world but to a wide variety of other industries. Building4Media delivers crucial expertise and broadcast engineering to support the evolution of todays digital media technology with unrivalled experience and one of the industrys most dedicated teams. Offices in the United States, the Netherlands, and India. For more information: www.primestream.com | www.b4m.com | info@primestream.com If you are interested in a private demo of our solution, Please contact us at: sales@primestream.com | info@b4m.com | 1-888-377-4634
2010 building4media a primestream company | www.primestream.com | www.b4m.com | FORK Product Overview
