FOR-A Ships CG-Portable Compact Character Generator

FOR-A has unveiled CG-Portable, a compact character generator designed for broadcast and digital signage applications. Through its intuitive, browser-based GUI, CG-Portable makes it easy to produce and display lower-thirds and other graphics. FOR-A will demo CG-Portable at the 2020 NAB Show, which runs April 19-22 in Las Vegas.

About the size of a smartphone, CG-Portable features four SDI ports for easy integration with production switchers and HD displays, as well as an Ethernet port for network connectivity. Two independent, multi-lingual text overlays support horizontal crawls and vertical rolls, while a timer overlay provides up/down count. Plus, CG-Portable supports more than 70 frames of graphic playback buffer, so users can insert animated as well as static logos over programming. Also, 70 frames can be used for frame memory.

With CG software developed by Brainstorm, CG-Portable provides a simple solution for fill and key mixing over live video or graphics for PEG (public, educational, government) channels. Broadcasters can also use it for downstream logo insertion for multicast channels. Plus, CG-Portable offers its own CG mixing capability over a background input. For digital signage applications in corporate and worship environments, CG-Portable can quickly provide customized updates about room schedules, daily menu specials, weather advisories, and other notifications.

“CG-Portable is a versatile and affordable graphics solution for a number of applications, and our customers have been surprised at how easy it is to operate,” said Ken Truong, President, FOR-A. “It provides lower-third CG capability to traditional switchers in smaller studios or production trucks, but it’s also a great option for digital signage applications in business, government, and house of worship facilities.”

CG-Portable has a list price starting at $2,000 and is now shipping.