FOR-A Clip Servers Play Out Video for Bahakel Communications

FOR-A Corporation of America, a manufacturer of video and audio systems for the broadcast and professional video industries, announced that Bahakel Communications in Charlotte, NC, is using six FOR-A MBP-100SX MXF clip servers to store and convert MXF (XDCAM compatible) files for HD-SDI video play out during live newscasts for WCCB-FOX Charlotte and WOLO-ABC Columbia.

The clip servers, which reside in the station’s News Engineering room, replaced a bank of HDCAM tape machines.  FOX Charlotte’s news editors—working in nonlinear video editing suites in multiple cities—now wrap their finished news stories in MXF and transfer them as files over a high-speed data network.  Once downloaded onto the clip servers, the news director organizes them using the companion touchscreen into a “rundown” of stories that playout to air during the station’s newscasts.

“The FOR-A clip servers are far more cost-effective than broadcast video servers for tapeless news playout,” said Bob Davis, director of engineering and operations for Bahakel Communications, a Charlotte, NC-based communications company that owns television and radio stations primarily in the Southeastern U.S.   “Tapeless local news playout, as well as the ability to exchange news stories as files with other group members, helps us streamline our workflow and maximize our production efforts and resources.  Operational efficiency was a big motivating factor in our buying decision, along with reliability and great support.”

The MBP-100SX, which is a compact, 1-rack-unit MXF clip server, supports Sony’s XDCAM, XDCAM HD, and XDCAM HD422 compatible MXF files.  The control software displays thumbnail images on a PC monitor or touch panel that lets users confirm the content and metadata of recorded clips at a glance.   It outputs MXF files as HD/SD-SDI baseband video, with up to eight channels of embedded audio.

“The MBP-100SX clip server was designed to provide a bridge between IT and MXF file-based workflows and the HD/SD-SDI baseband video world, as well as playout to air,” said Pedro Silvestre, sales director for FOR-A Corp. of America.  “We’re extremely pleased that Bahakel has chosen our clip servers as an innovative, cost-effective way to streamline its tapeless news production workflow.”