FOR-A
FOR-A Company Limited is a Japanese manufacturer of professional broadcast video and audio equipment. Founded in 1971, FOR-A has spread globally, with subsidiaries in America, Canada, Korea, Italy, United Kingdom, India, Hong Kong, Middle East and Africa.
FOR-A manufactures 4K variable-rate, slow-motion digital video cameras, digital video switchers, signal processing equipment, broadcast graphics products, multi-viewers, frame synchronizers and time base correctors, HD/SD converters, and video stabilizers.
History
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, which allowed for the establishment of FOR-A Corporation of America in California. In 1977, after producing the FVW-900, the company went on to manufacture the FA-410P, a time-based corrector. 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 was chosen for official production display use at the Nagano Olympic Games. FOR-A recently also developed the instant replay and mark entry used by the International Skating Union at all major figure skating events, including the Olympics.Company Timeline
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. 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 Limited established in London.
1996 - FOR-A Italia S.r.l. established in Milan.
1997 - digiWarp designed to add virtual studio systems to product lineup.
1998 - Headquarters moved to Ebisu in Shibuya-ku, Tokyo.
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
Associated Companies
- FOR-A Corporation of America
- FOR-A Latin America, Incorporated
- FOR-A Corporation of Canada
- FOR-A UK Limited
- FOR-A Italia S.r.l
- FOR-A Corporation of Korea
- EXA International Co., Ltd.
- FOR-A MFG. Co., Ltd.
- FOR-A System Service Co., Ltd.
- WIZ Co., Ltd.
- Towa Air Transport System Ltd.
- FOR-A KIKAKU Co., Ltd.
- VIF Co., Ltd.
- Idea Institute Inc.
- Vanguard International Foods Co., Ltd.