| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video and Audio Technology for Broadcast and Film |
| Founded | Oct 21st, 1971 |
| Headquarters | Tokyo, Japan |
| Key people | Keizo Kiyohara, President and Founder |
| Products | Video Switchers Virtual Studios Frame Synchronizers Multi-Viewers |
| Employees | 200 (500 total within FOR-A Group) |
| Website | www.for-a.com |
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“FOR-A” is a brand name for professional broadcast video and audio equipment. Founded more than 35 years ago and based in Japan, FOR-A has spread globally, with subsidiaries in America, Canada, Korea, Italy, and England.
FOR-A manufactures digital video switchers, signal processing equipment, broadcast graphics products (such as virtual processors and studios), multi viewers, frame synchronizers and time base correctors, HD/SD converters, and video stabilizers.
FOR-A was established on October 21, 1971, by Keizo Kiyohara in Tokyo, Japan. Its first product was the VTG-32, a worldwide video timer – the success of which allowed for the opening of a FOR-A Corporation of America, established in California. In 1977, after producing the FVW-900 (a video writer), the company went on to manufacture the FA-410P, a time-based corrector that was universally recognized as the strongest in the market. From there, FOR-A went on to open locations in Canada, England, Italy, China, and Korea. By the 1990s, FOR-A was a leading developer of DVE manipulation units, character generators, Time Base Correctors and Frame Rate Converters. In 1994, their character generator (the VWS-100) was chosen for official production display use at Nagano Olympic Games. FOR-A recently also developed the instant replay/mark entry used by the international skating union at all major figure skating events, including the Olympics.
1970 – VTG-32 produced.
1974 – FOR-A Corporation of America established in California.
1977 – FVW-900 produced, a video writer allowing for freehand drawing on the screen.
1981 – FA-410 Produced, widely considered the best TBC on the market at that time.
1985 – FOR-A Research and Development Center opened in Sakura City, Chiba.
1986 – First DVE Manipulation Unit Produced
1988 – FOR-A Corporation of Canada established in Toronto.
1989 – Sakura R&D Center Expansion Completed
1991 – R&D Center opened in Sapporo City, Hokkaido.
1992 – Video Gainesville Inc. (Florida, USA) acquired to establish overseas development center and expand production.
1993 – VWS-100 selected for official production display use at Nagano Olympic Games
1994 - PC board assembly factory opened at Sakura R&D Center.
1995 - FOR-A (UK) Limited established in London (England).
1996 - FOR-A Italia S.r.l. established in Milan (Italy).
1997 - digiWarp designed to add virtual studio systems to product lineup.
1998 - Headquarters moved to Ebisu in Shibuya-ku, Tokyo (Japan).
1998 - Extension expansion of Sakura R&D Center completed.
1999 - 24-hour, 365-day FOR-A service call center established for Japanese market.
2001 - ISO certification of Sakura R&D Center successfully completed.
2004 - FOR-A Corporation of Korea established in Seoul.
2010 - Introduced LTR-100HS Video Archive Recorder with LTO-5 and LTFS at NAB trade show (NAB-2010)
The company name, "FOR-A", is derivative of a similar—sounding Japanese phrase ("Han'ei") meaning "Prosperity with friends".