Satoshi Kanemura is the new president of For-A Corporation of America. For 35 years he served as the Vice President of Professional Products and Solutions for Sony Electronics in the U.S. During that time, he was deeply involved with the company’s first 1080/60P live production system, its 4K/8K and cloud-based production solutions, as well as Sony’s expansion into digital cinematography. While at Sony, he collaborated with George Lucas on Star Wars: Episode II & III and with James Cameron on Avatar and Avatar 2 & 3. He was the head of Sony’s Digital Motion Picture Center and led Sony’s U.S. efforts into xR virtual reality production, immersive education solutions, and AI-based edge computing technology.
In the following Q&A, we at CPM wanted to find out his perspective on IMAG, video and live production in houses of worship and the company’s plans for the future in reaching this market.
CPM: Video production in general, and specifically in the house of worship market, is changing rapidly as video content creation and streaming become mainstream functions within more churches. What will For-A be offering that will aid churches who are transitioning from a focus primarily on the live audience, to one that may be focused primarily on remote or online audiences?
Kanemura: Among systems integrators specializing in house of worship and corporate A/V installations, For-A is well known for feature-rich products and ease of use at cost effective price points. All of our integrated systems for houses of worship are IP-ready and very easy to deploy for streaming services either for remote or on-premise operation. We’ve seen a dramatic increase in interest in the “Web panel” workflow option in our HVS switcher series in the past year due to production restrictions caused by COVID-19. Our switchers feature extensive input/output configurations, which makes them a popular choice for feeding streaming platforms as well as IMAG screens.
The features of the HVS switcher series for the price is unique in the market and well suited for worship facilities. Most high-end broadcast switchers include similar capabilities, but our range of switchers has a rich feature set in a user-friendly design with a lower price than competitive products.
When it comes to remote production, we’ve got a variety of options. With an HVS switcher’s “Web panel” option, a replica of the physical control panel can be accessed through a Google Chrome browser. The graphic user interface (GUI) offers all the features and functionality of the switcher but is controlled either via touchscreen or with a mouse. There’s no difference when configuring a For-A switcher for remote production instead of an established studio control room or mobile production unit.
Two of our switchers, the HVS-100 and HVS-2000, can share a proxy of the output from the integrated multi-view as part of the web-based GUI. For a more detailed display, the operator can connect to a standard videoconferencing platform.
For-A HVS-100 Combo
An SDI or HDMI output from the switcher can be converted to USB and connected to a computer in the studio that runs the meeting software. During a videoconferencing session, the “camera feed” is actually the switcher’s multi-view output, providing remote operators with a complete view of the cameras, graphics, and other sources. As an added bonus, the videoconference feed also provides an intercom channel, so the production crew can maintain communication.
Most importantly, AV producers within houses of worship need to partner with a company that will stay with them through the process and beyond. When transitioning to a video-over-IP infrastructure, there are multiple, incompatible standards. Computer IP-based systems require software upgrades that must be continually tested. IP systems are more susceptible to computer hacking and therefore the use of firewalls and software upgrades to patch the software must become part of the normal maintenance mindset. To be successful with IP, engineers need a solid understanding of both audio and video, as well as computer networking.
At For-A, we are extremely proud of our 24/7 customer support.
CPM: What technology solutions would you like For-A to be known for among church A/V production professionals?
Kanemura: Translated from Japanese, For-A means “grow the business together.” For-A prioritizes listening to customers to understand their pain points and to create a solution together that supports and enhances the customers’ business, which in turn leads to For-A’s growth. These innovations can’t be produced without understanding the total customer workflow. I’ve learned a lot of For-A’s future direction: migration toward IP, Cloud, AI, which is what customers really want but are challenged by now.
For-A HVS-490 Video Production Switcher
To that end, we offer a step-by-step approach to A/V solutions. We offer flexible solutions for small to large houses of worship. We can design a whole system with an IP connection with interfaces for SD, 4K, 3G or 12G. Our complete church package and prepare several unique solution options toward each individual issues customer face, includes: the HVS-100/110 or HVS-490 HANABI video production switcher, Variant Systems Group’s Envivo Studio production suite, which enable easy connection to social media for in parallel distribution with intuitive user interface, ClassX content creation and graphics playout solution, the Odyssey Insight video server will store contents and convert any format customer wants, including streaming, EDA Series delay units will eliminate pain point of video and audio out of sync issues and FA-9600 multi-signal processor to enable customers to handle any format they want cleanly.
For small churches, our HVS-100/110’s event memory and the accessibility of its menu make it well suited for an all-volunteer crew. You can define the start-up state and know that everything is set to run exactly as you need it. The graphic machine is punched up to feed the projector, and you can run the main camera on preview.
Other switcher brands have similar recall ability and features, but their user interface isn’t as intuitive. The main menu is approachable. It’s deep if you need it to be, but a volunteer can walk in and use it with minimal training.
Switchers often double as routers within smaller facilities. For-A switchers have the I/O flexibility to easily provide for this.
For medium to large churches, the HVS-490 switcher is extremely popular. With additional I/O, it can grow to accommodate the needs of larger churches. It’s ideal for IMAG within the church and live streaming for online audiences. With the use of optional input and output expansion cards, it supports 40 inputs/18 outputs, 36 inputs/20 outputs, or 32 inputs/22 outputs, including two-channel HDMI 2.0b outputs. MELite technology eliminates the need for multiple switchers in a multi-monitor staging scenario, while FlexaKey allows a traditional AUX bus to transform into a functional mix effects with cuts, mix, wipes, keys, and DVE including full preview. MELite extends the switcher’s 2 M/Es to 6 M/E performance.
For-A HVS-6000
For those who want a very advanced 4K switcher, there’s the For-A HVS-6000 12G-SDI. The 3 M/E HVS-6000 provides 12G-SDI compatibility on all inputs and outputs. Video signals are processed throughout as a single image, not as four individual HD streams. The single-cable SDI link truly represents a single image path throughout the switcher. The HVS-6000 is a 12RU switcher, with a maximum of 80 inputs/32 outputs or 64 inputs/48 outputs. It also offers frame synchronization, still store, color correction, frame buffer, 3D DVE, and four keyers per M/E with DVE function and four DSKs. The switcher has an optional board-mounting SFP connector that supports an IP interface, and enables IP interfaces to be mounted on all I/O slots.
CPM: You were involved in a great many milestones while with Sony. What experiences will help you most as you begin your leadership of For-A Americas?
Kanemura: When I look back on my career, I believe there were many experiences and highlights that will serve me well in my new position with For-A Americas. When I was with Sony, we collaborated closely with filmmakers James Cameron and George Lucas to develop next generation digital cinematography solutions for Avatar and Star Wars films. And I worked to spearhead Sony’s efforts into xR virtual reality production, immersive education solutions, and AI-based edge computing. During all of those initiatives, we worked very closely with the end-user, developing and maintaining ongoing relationships with them. That will be the foundation of everything I do at For-A. We will work closely with our customers to develop products that solve their challenges and allow them to push their creativity even further.
To learn more about For-A products, visit www.for-a.com.
