FORscene

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FORscene is an integrated internet video platform, covering non linear editing and publishing for broadcast, web and mobile.

Designed by Forbidden Technologies plc to allow collaborative editing of video, its capabilities extend to video logging, reviewing, publishing and hosting. The system is implemented as a web application with a Java applet as part of its user interface. It runs on multiple platforms without application installation, codec installation, or machine configuration and has many Web 2.0 features.

FORscene has been recognised by the Royal Television Society, winning their award for Technology in the Post Production Process in December 2005,[1][2] and is now used internationally. Both the underlying compression technology and the user interface are protected by patents.


FORscene

Screenshot of editing interface as of May 2006 (Windows/IE)
Developer: Forbidden Technologies plc.
Latest release: FORscene / 25 January 2007
OS: Cross-platform
Use: Video editing software
License: Proprietary
Website: www.forbidden.co.uk/products/scene/

Contents

[edit] Usage

FORscene's functionality makes it suitable for multiple uses in the video editing workflow.

For editors and producers wanting to produce broadcast-quality output, FORscene provides an environment for the early stages of post-production to happen remotely and cheaply (logging, shot selection, collaborative reviewing, rough cutting and offline editing, for example). FORscene then outputs instructions in standard formats which can be applied to the high-quality master-footage for detailed and high-quality editing prior to broadcast.

Other users want to prepare footage for publishing to lower-quality media - the small screens of mobile phones and video iPods, and to the web where bandwidth restricts the quality of video it is currently practical to output. For these users, all editing can be carried out in FORscene, before publishing using FORscene's web, mobile phone and/or podcasting services. Video can also be saved in MPEG and Ogg formats.

[edit] Pricing

Upload: compression machines can be bought or rented. The charge for upload to the Internet covers the storage cost.

Logging, shot selection, assembly editing, offline editing, review, EDL export: the software is provided as a service which is charged by usage. Typical productions will agree a fixed price in advance which depends on expected usage.

Publishing: there is a charge for each video published for web, mobile or podcasting based on the length of the material in minutes.

Viewing: watching a published video is free for the viewer (with respect to FORscene) but the publisher is charged for bandwidth each time a web video is viewed or a mobile video downloaded (and the event captured so activity against published videos may be monitored).

[edit] Components

The FORscene system is made up of various components, discussed here.

[edit] Codecs

FORscene has its own codecs for both video and audio. These use a form of adaptive coding to allow local variations in the type of data to be encoded efficiently.

[edit] Blackbird

The FORscene video codec is called Blackbird. It is designed for both editing and video streaming over variable speed broadband Internet connections. By varying the frame rate, it can provide consistent picture quality even on slow connections.

Like its predecessor Firebird (used in the FORlive system), the Blackbird codec allows real time compression and playback of video. This is important for handling the quantity of video in modern productions, as well as the reviewing, logging, editing and publishing features of FORscene.

[edit] Impala

The FORscene audio codec is called Impala. Datarate and quality can be varied depending on the use: 10kb/s for modem web video and mobile playback, 30kb/s for audio only modem playback or broadband playback with video, and 80kb/s per channel for editing.

[edit] Upload

FORscene videos are served from the Internet backbone and accepts video and graphics input in a variety of ways. Forbidden's upload software, running on a suitable computer, compresses and uploads the videos. As Java does not allow access to a computer's hardware, and so cannot control tape machines or video cameras directly, the compress/upload programs run as native applications. Four options are provided for this purpose:

Logging, editing and reviewing of uploaded material can start as soon as the upload process starts.

Where video already exists in file format it may also be uploaded using a web browser from a wired or mobile device. Uploads can run concurrently and many formats are supported (e.g. AVI, MOV, ASF, 3GP).

[edit] Java interface

[edit] Functionality

The Java interface works with the default configuration on most machines, though allocating more memory to the JVM improves performance. It enables the following functionality:

[edit] Security

Each standard user account has its own password-protected web page containing the FORscene applet. Once logged on, the users have access to their own videos, library videos, and any functionality their account supports.

Video is not stored on the local computer's hard disc, so when the user closes their web browser, their video is not accessible to subsequent users of the same computer.

[edit] Internet standards

The FORscene web interface operates through Internet standards such as HTTP and Java, so can be used even in companies with severe firewalls. If web browsing works, then FORscene almost always will too.

[edit] Account Management interface

The account management interface separates accounts and users. Many individuals may use the same FORscene account and each user is assigned a role (manager, commenter, reviewer, logger, editor, storyboard). The interface provides single sign-on authentication of users and central point of access to core admin / operational features on the web:

  • Upload
  • Edit
  • Usage Report
  • Users
  • Account Display
  • User Settings

[edit] Web player

Each web video which is published is packaged with the Java player.[3] The video size can be chosen by the publisher from a range of sizes from 160x120 to 384x288. The frame rate depends on the available bandwidth and speed of the playback machine, with full frame rate available for fast machines and connections.

Forbidden Technologies supplies its Blackbird decoder in the form of a Java player. This can be locked to a particular server, making it hard to pirate videos published in FORscene.

[edit] Mobile player

FORscene can publish mobile content for its Symbian mobile player, FORmobile. Customers can also have their own branding.[4][5] The publisher chooses whether videos published from FORscene for mobile appear in the standard FORmobile menu or are available to only selected people. FORscene can automatically notify people by text message that a video has just been published.

The mobile player can be sent from handset to handset for free via Bluetooth, and videos can also be distributed virally via Bluetooth once the FORscene mobile player has been installed. Forbidden has coined the term Viewtooth to describe this process.[6]

[edit] Video podcast

Videos edited in FORscene can be published directly as video podcasts. These can then be downloaded and viewed in a podcast viewer such as iTunes or on a video iPod.

[edit] Timecode export

Each frame of professionally shot video is tagged with a timecode which identifies it. Combining the timecode information of video handled within FORscene at browse quality with the original broadcast quality video allows information in FORscene to be transferred to a broadcast quality version. Videos logged or edited in FORscene can be exported in the form of a simple EDL or more complex XML for autoconform and offline or online on an Avid or Final Cut Pro system.

[edit] Additional exports

A number of export formats are supported in addition to those mentioned above:

[edit] Server

The FORscene Java front end is complemented by a number of computers which combine to form a redundant server configuration. These have enough storage to store thousands of hours of video. As the Java front end does most of the work during editing, and the upload software does the compression work, the server is lightly loaded and can support many users at the same time.

[edit] History

FORscene is a development from an editing system made by Eidos plc in the 1990s. This history starts from the first public showing of this product, at the International Broadcasting Convention in Europe in 1990.

Date Version Platform Significant features
1990[7]-1999 Edit 1, Edit 2, Optima
  • Software codecs
  • Cheap removable storage
  • Reliable platform
  • Quick to learn
Feb 2000
  • London float for Forbidden Technologies plc
  • Shares rise 5000% in first week
Feb 2001 Java video streaming on website Java
  • 384x288 pixels
  • 25 fps
  • 40kb/s for talking heads.
  • Picture quality "cartoon-like"
May 2002 Live video streaming to mobile phone Java / GPRS Picture quality poor eg monochrome
Dec 2002 Broadband web streaming Java 384x288 pixels, 25 fps
Sep 2003 FORlive[1] launched Linux compression / Java player
  • Live video compression
  • 384x288 pixels, 25 fps.
Nov 2003 FORmobile launched Symbian Series 60
  • Mobile phone player application
  • 160x120 pixels, up to 12.5 fps, colour.
Sep 2004 FORscene launched [9][10] Java
  • FORlive compression
  • Optima-style editing
  • FORmobile/FORweb publishing
Sep 2004 IBC TV news use FORscene/FORmobile[4] Symbian Branded player
Feb 2005 GMTV first broadcaster to sign up [11] Java International access to GMTV
May 2005 Logging added to FORscene Java Java logging, editing and publishing tool
Sep 2005 Upload over-the-air from mobile phones [12] Symbian
  • Video: up to 352x288 pixels
  • Photographs: phone resolution
Sep 2005 IBC TV news use FORscene/FORmobile Symbian Branded player
Sep 2005 First broadcast TV series uses FORscene Channel 5 (UK) Trust me, I'm a holiday Rep
Jan 2006 New video codec designed for editing Blackbird 1 codec
Jan/Feb 2006 First prime time TV series uses FORscene BBC1 (UK) Super Vets
Apr 2006 Podcasting released Video iPod, iTunes
Apr/May 2006 British Army uses FORscene mobile player [13] Symbian mobile phones Ascent of Everest published on mobiles
June 2006 FORscene review [14] BBC Breakfast, This Morning, Sky News

Channel 4 News, Channel 5 News

 Broadcasters select Save the Children footage
August 2006 FORscene Ogg support added Java Ogg format is supported by Wikipedia for upload of suitable video content
September 2006 FORscene online chat feature added Java
  • Share edited videos
  • FORscene users talk in real time
  • Contributions (and logging entries) are spell checked (as of Nov 2006)
November 2006 Citizen Journalism Java / Symbian mobile phones Third project completed at the World Congress of Science and Factual Producers (WCSFP). Citizen journalism began at the IBC in 2006.
January 2007 Account Management Web Interface provides for management of accounts by customers.
February 2007 FORscene Flash support added Java Export of video to the Flash format for use with the Adobe Flash Player.

[edit] Competition

FORscene was the first true post-production-level system within a browser. Increased popularity of online video clips and video sharing sites has generated interest in online video editing and given rise to a number of tools offering some of the functionality present in FORscene. FORscene contrasts with these in two main respects; breadth / depth of functionality and target market.

FORscene is marketed to both professionals and consumers, whereas the the consumer is wholly the focus of recently released services. Meeting the requirements of professional post-production has required FORscene address many features not found in alternative products, for instance; logging, multiple audio tracks, collaboration, and frame-accurate editing. Hence the gap found between FORscene and other online video platforms.

[edit] See also

Video editing related

Web related

Technical related

Mobile related

Other Online Editing Technologies

  • Jumpcut
  • eyespot
  • motionbox
  • photobucket
  • muvee
  • stashspace
  • videoegg
  • syncvue
  • clipsync

[edit] References

  1. ^ Royal Television Society awards
  2. ^ Video of Royal Television Society award ceremony
  3. ^ e-consultancy report on Misys
  4. ^ a b Digital-Lifestyles.info IBC TV News uses FORscene and FORmobile
  5. ^ Army on Everest Mobile page
  6. ^ e-consultancy report on Bluetooth
  7. ^ IBC 1990 programme guide
  8. ^ Acorn Cybervillage Optima
  9. ^ Highbeam Research FORscene launch
  10. ^ hoeksteen.dds.nl
  11. ^ Hardware depot online article about GMTV signing up to FORscene
  12. ^ Regulatory News Service Over-the-air upload
  13. ^ Cellular news article on British Army use of FORscene for mobile
  14. ^ Regional Film and Video article on Save the Children use of FORscene for review

[edit] External links

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