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| Developer(s) | Forbidden Technologies plc. |
|---|---|
| Stable release | Forscene / 25 January 2007; 17 years ago (2007-01-25) |
| Operating system | Cross-platform |
| Type | Video editing software |
| License | Proprietary |
| Website | www |
Blackbird (formerly named Forscene) is an integrated internet video platform, video editing software, covering non linear editing and publishing for broadcast, web and mobile.
Designed by Forbidden Technologies plc to allow collaborative editing of video at resolutions of up to 540p and up to 60 frames per second, it is capable of video logging, reviewing, publishing and hosting to 4K quality from original sources. The system is implemented as a mobile app for Android and iOS devices, a Java applet and a pure JavaScript web application as part of its user interface. The latter runs on platforms without application installation, codec installation, or machine configuration and has Web 2.0 features.
Blackbird won the Royal Television Society's award for Technology in the post-production process in December 2005, and is now used internationally. The underlying compression technology and the user interface are covered by separate patents.
Usage
The Blackbird platform's functionality makes it suitable for multiple uses in the video editing workflow.
For editors and producers wanting to produce broadcast-quality output, Blackbird 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) and more recently fine cut editing. Blackbird 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 Blackbird, before publishing to social media and online video channels, OTT or commercial cloud storage. Video can also be saved in MPEG, Ogg, HTML5, podcasting formats as well as Blackbird's proprietary player.
The platform was reported in July 2012 as being used by NBC in connection with the 2012 Summer Olympics. YouTube is integrating the service for use by professionals.
Services
The video platform is referred to broadly as Blackbird and marketed as three distinct B2B products:
- Edge; ingest
- Ascent; clipping
- Forte; editing
All exploit the cloud for delivery. Integrations to third parties provide additional services (for example graphics, CC, transcription) and workflow (such as to other NLE systems).
Licensing
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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).
Components
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The Blackbird platform is made up of various components, discussed here.
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.
Osprey
Osprey supports loss-free video compression. FORscene users can see broadcast quality video during editing (as well as proxy quality as has been the case with Forscene's other codecs) and broadcasters can use the video output from Forscene directly for transmission.
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.
The Blackbird codec (formerly "Firebird") is a proprietary video codec developed by Forbidden Technologies and used by their flagship product, Blackbird (formerly "Forscene").
Blackbird is designed for both editing and video streaming over variable speed internet connections. Blackbird can provide consistent picture quality on slow connections by varying the frame rate through the use of tokens. The tokens represent each source image which are scaled versions of each source image.
The Blackbird video codec facilitates a content-aware dynamic framerate. The codec can create a lightweight proxy, which can be used to deliver a live stream from an event.
Stephen Streater is the principle progenitor of the Blackbird video codec, which was released in 2004.
On 22 January 2017, Forbidden Technologies released the Blackbird 9 codec.
On 6 March 2018, MSG Networks received a New York chapter Emmy nomination for "Technical Achievement" as follows "MSG Networks Digital Video Editing & Digital Distribution via Blackbird Technology".
Impala
The Forscene audio codec is called Impala. Datarate and quality can be varied depending on the use: 10 kbit/s for modem web video and mobile playback, 30 kbit/s for audio only modem playback or broadband playback with video, and 80 kbit/s per channel for editing.
Java interface
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:
- Video logging
- Non-linear editing (including Multicam support)
- Reviewing
- Web publishing
- Mobile publishing
- Video podcasting
- Storyboarding
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.
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.
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
Mobile interfaces
Native apps for the Android and iOS platforms implement the same functionality and look and feel as the web application interface.
Blackbird platform servers
The server infrastructure on the Blackbird backbone network (referred to as the cloud) dedicated to Blackbird's customers are distributed over numerous locations and handle around 10,000 hours of new video content each week. These act as one system, increasing both effective capacity and redundancy. As the 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. Sites may also attach a server to their own network (Edge) for improved performance/scalability (local ingest and caching to multiply the numbers of users on existing internet connections).
Blackbird Edge server
The Blackbird Edge server is a gateway between content and the Blackbird platform. Clients may elect to use a single physical Edge server per fixed or remote location to scale up operations and improve overall performance (e.g. the time taken to retrieve video for review). Features may vary based on workflow / infrastructure requirement but include:
- Content ingest
- Local caching of video downloads
- Immediate access of video over a Local Area Network (LAN) during upload
- Seamless transfer of video as required between a Blackbird Edge Server and the Blackbird Infrastructure
The product exploits high speed LAN access whilst preserving the principal of access from anywhere. Deployment may be on-premise, on-location, or to public / private cloud. Linux and macOS supported. Logging, editing and reviewing of uploaded material can start as soon as the upload process starts. Files containing video, audio and still may also be picked and uploaded using a web browser for ingest.
Publishing
The Blackbird editing platform supports publishing from original sources up to 4K, to destinations including: social media and online video channels (e.g. YouTube, Facebook, Twitter), OTT and commercial cloud storage (e.g. S3, Azure). Video can be saved to a range of formats (e.g. MPEG, Ogg, XDCAM, EDL, HTML5, FCPX), still images (e.g. JPEG) and the proprietary Blackbird Player.
Timecode export
Each frame of professionally shot video is tagged with a timecode which identifies it. Combining the timecode information of video handled within Blackbird at browse quality with the original broadcast quality video allows information in Blackbird to be transferred to a broadcast quality version. Videos logged or edited in Blackbird 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.
Blackbird Player
The Blackbird decoder is packaged in libraries for native mobile apps, applets and a pure JavaScript player. The JavaScript player supports; renderless publishing, multiple layers, own branding, clipping and URL sharing, ability to revoke access and a patented navigation bar.
Broadcast
Videos which have been edited within Blackbird can be conformed/rendered to multiple outputs automatically at anything up to 3840p - full Ultra High Definition (UHD). At present 1080p HD accounts for the majority of production workflows. After editing Blackbird uploads the full quality frames used in the finished programme into the Cloud, or alternative eco-systems via Blackbird Edge. The special effects, captions, layers, graphics, cropping and stretching, colour correction and titles are combined at full resolution on a Blackbird Cloud for download, or Edge Server, ready for transmission. Material can be reviewed and edited from anywhere on the web, not just one local source.
Systems integration
Final programmes can be made, even in High-definition, and sent in broadcast quality efficiently to the broadcaster for transmission without using any third party editing systems. However Blackbird supports integration with third party systems, both in broadcast and elsewhere.
EDL/XML
Blackbird supports Edit decision list/XML export to industry editing systems such as or Avid / Final Cut Pro. For example, creation of rough cuts in Blackbird can then be reliably conformed on Avid, even when they include clips which the Avid would not normally be able to ingest because of time code breaks and gaps.
SDI
Serial Digital Interface improves Blackbird's integration into the high end broadcast environment. SDI support allows Blackbird to ingest source material in both Standard Definition (SD) and High Definition (HD) resolutions from any professional video source in real time. The SDI video input meets both Phase Alternating Line (PAL) and National Television System Committee (NTSC) standards.
History
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FORscene is a development from an editing system made by Eidos Interactive 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990-1999 | Edit 1, Edit 2, Optima |
|
|
| Feb 2000 |
| ||
| Feb 2001 | Java video streaming on website | Java |
|
| May 2002 | Live video streaming to mobile phone | Java/GPRS | Picture quality poor e.g. monochrome |
| Dec 2002 | Broadband web streaming | Java | 384x288 pixels, 25 frame/s |
| Sep 2003 | FORlive launched | Linux compression/ Java player |
|
| Nov 2003 | FORmobile launched | Symbian Series 60 |
|
| Sep 2004 | Forscene launched | Java |
|
| Sep 2004 | IBC TV news use FORscene/FORmobile | Symbian | Branded player |
| Feb 2005 | GMTV first broadcaster to sign up | 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 | Symbian |
|
| Sep 2005 | IBC TV news use FORscene/FORmobile | Symbian | Branded player. 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. |
| 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 | Symbian mobile phones | Ascent of Everest published on mobiles |
| May 2006 | Video Podcast | Forscene | 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. |
| June 2006 | Forscene review | BBC Breakfast, This Morning, Sky News | Broadcasters select Save the Children footage |
| August 2006 | Forscene Ogg support added | Java | Ogg format is supported by Misplaced Pages for upload of suitable video content |
| September 2006 | Forscene online chat feature added | Java |
|
| 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. |
| March 2007 | Forscene Speed Control | Java | Video and/or audio clips can be edited for slow motion/fast motion style effects. |
| April 2007 | Forscene Fades | Java | Fade up and fade to black with a single drag on the video track. |
| May 2007 | File names/playback | Java | Multi-line file names and three-speed playback control. |
| June 2007 | Security | Java | Log on now supports the secure HTTPS protocol. |
| August 2007 | Images / playback | Java | Images can be integrated directly into the video track and playback can now be viewed at 150% (as well as 100% and 200%). |
| September 2007 | DV | Java | Broadcast quality DV can be output directly from the web interface and effective transfer of DV from the field over standard internet links. |
| October 2007 | Webstart/codec | Java | Webstart can be used to run FORscene, providing access to more memory available, and better performance. The Blackbird codecs deliver better picture quality and lower memory requirements. |
| December 2007 | Audio/graphics/codec/ account management | Java | Simpler stereo audio editing by linking the two audio tracks. Add anti-aliased graphic overlays with transparency levels and fades. Accounts distinguish between departmental and inter-departmental (programme-wide) levels of access. |
| January 2008 | Codec | Java | Blackbird codec upgraded to version 5. |
| February 2008 | Saturation/recompress/ 1GB/audio | Java | Right dragging in the video window adjust saturation levels. Recompress videos to benefit from the latest codec. Modern machines may set a new memory limit to 1GB (reducing network traffic). Improved audio quality. |
| March 2008 | Proxy box/AAF | Java | Boost internet performance for videos captured locally or viewed recently. Support for Avid's AAF files is available, complementing existing support for EDL and FCP (XML). |
| June 2008 | Thumbnails/storyboard | Java | Web published videos have click-through thumbnails. Storyboard offers a simpler editing process with fewer clicks required to use it. |
| July 2008 | AAF/white balance/JPEG export | Java | Additional data added to AAF output to carry more information through to Avid from FORscene. Adjust for colour differences between artificial / daylight conditions. Export a video frame to a JPEG image. |
| August 2008 | Colourful fades | Java | Colour wheel controls fades to/from colours other than the default (black) can pick from colours on the video window. |
| October 2008 | Titles | Java | In addition to imported graphics Forscene's subtitle functions are enhanced with background and font colour, transparency, and size controls. |
| September 2009 | Forscene Server | Server | Sites can multiply the number of users on their existing internet connections whilst preserving all the advantages of internet access from anywhere. |
| September 2009 | Forscene HD | HD | Forscene can now output HD directly providing remote access to video for editing from anywhere in the world, only uploading the fraction of HD that is actually used in the final programme, and ability to use existing computers and internet links. |
| September 2009 | Osprey | Codec | With Osprey codec Forscene enables video editing at broadcast quality locally through a web browser interface and wide-area over the public Internet. |
| April 2010 | Multicam | Java | Multicam can support up to eight concurrent synchronised video streams for logging and editing. |
| February 2011 | Android | Mobile | Client available on the Android platform (consumer edition) including integration with YouTube and Facebook. |
| February 2014 | iOS | Mobile | Forscene client demonstrated on the iOS platform (iPad). |
| July 2015 | eva | iOS | Video social network launched. |
| August 2015 | Blackbird 8 | Codec | Release of Blackbird 8 codec. |
| March 2016 | Captevate | JavaScript | Video editor designed for the consumer market launched. |
| March 2016 | Captevate | JavaScript | Video editor designed for the consumer market launched. |
| August 2017 | VidLib | JavaScript | Conversion of core video library from Java. Downloads and renders edits in real-time. Will initially support two applications; Blackbird Player ("The Player") and Blackbird Clipper (shot selection of live or pre-recorded video). |
| March 2018 | Blackbird 9 | Codec | Release of Blackbird 9 codec. |
| April 2018 | Cloud Provider | Azure | Forscene made available on Microsoft's Azure Marketplace cloud computing infrastructure. |
| May 2018 | Ascent/Forte | Integration | AI OS integration annotates content with meta-data and drives workflow. |
| September 2018 | Ascent/Forte | JavaScript | Products Ascent and Forte JavaScript implementations launched. Frame accurate editing can be undertaken in browsers without additional configuration or installation of plugins or applications. |
| September 2019 | Ascent/Forte | Integration | Graphics integration for enrichment of sports-based content. |
Competition and marketing
Forscene was the first post-production system to offer access entirely within a web browser for the broadcast industry and other professional use.
Forscene was launched in Beta during 2004. In 2012, a supplier of desktop-based video editors Avid Technology announced the release of a web-based editor, The technology had been previously shown.
Other online tools (e.g. Jumpcut) were developed primarily with consumers in mind. Forscene's user-base includes professional broadcasters, charities, Universities, consumers and resellers, other organisations. The technology is marketed to consumers in the form of a tailored service called Clesh.
See also
Video editing
Web
Technology
Mobile related
Other Online Editing Technologies
References
- Awards, UK: Royal Television Society, archived from the original (MS Word .doc) on 27 February 2006
- Royal Television Society award ceremony (Video), FORscene
- Pennington, Adrian. "Forbidden Technologies Brings Cloud Editing To Brightcove Users". Retrieved 21 January 2017.
- Lyall, Ian (17 July 2012). "Forbidden Technologies' Olympic breakthrough puts it ahead of the field". Proactiveinvestors.com.au. Archived from the original on 20 July 2012. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
- Tobin, Lucy (3 July 2012). "Forbidden in YouTube deal". The Independent. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
- Streater, Stephen. "Compressor". Google. Google Patents. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
- Streater, Stephen. "Method for enabling efficient navigation of video". Google. Google Patents. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
- Niedermeier, Florian. "Quality assessment of the MPEG-4 scalable video CODEC. Lecture Notes in Computer Science". researchgate. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
- Garland, David. "The Evolution Of Online Video With Special Guest "THE BRITISH BILL GATES" Stephen Streater". therisetothetop. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
- Stewart-Smith, Hana. "Forbidden Technologies details new video codec Blackbird 9". morningstar. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
- Sanders-Hewett, Rebecca (23 January 2017). "Next generation of Blackbird video codec". Financial Times. Redleaf Communications. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
- "THE 61st ANNUAL NEW YORK EMMY® AWARD NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED THIS MORNING!" (PDF). www.nyemmys.org.
- e-consultancy Archived 21 November 2004 at the Wayback Machine report on Misys
- ^ Digital-Lifestyles.info IBC TV News uses Forscene and Formobile
- Army on Everest Archived 22 July 2007 at the Wayback Machine Mobile page
- Davies, David. "Forbidden Technologies Brings Cloud Editing To Brightcove Users". Retrieved 25 January 2019.
- IBC 1990 programme guide
- Acorn Cybervillage Optima
- "Live demonstration". Forbidden. 10 November 2003. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
- Highbeam Research Forscene launch
- "hoeksteen.dds.nl". Archived from the original on 6 March 2006. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
- Hardware depot online article about GMTV signing up to Forscene
- Regulatory News Service Over-the-air upload
- e-consultancy Archived 15 December 2004 at the Wayback Machine report on Bluetooth
- Cellular news article on British Army use of Forscene for mobile
- Regional Film and Video article on Save the Children use of Forscene for review
- Avid’s web-based editing demo at NAB 2010
- Professor Steve Keeler
External links
- Official website
- Third party reviews here and here
| Video editing software | |
|---|---|
| Free and open-source | |
| Freeware | |
| Proprietary software | |
| Abandonware or discontinued | |