PETERSFIELD, U.K.—InSync Technology, a developer of high-quality video conversion, will debut updated versions of its FrameFormer software at the 2023 NAB Show, April 15-19 in Las Vegas. InSync says the latest versions deliver even higher quality in real time conversion using CPU only, while reducing the processor demands by as much as 20%. 

The FrameFormer motion compensated frame rate and format converter is aimed at discerning users such as sports broadcasters who set very high standards for image processing where detail is absolutely critical to ensure viewers appreciate exactly how the action is developing and the ball is moving. InSync engineers work closely with expert users to ensure that the product delivers against the highest expectations. 

FrameFormer software is designed to run on CPUs only, either in appliances on premises or, increasingly, in the cloud. As well as increasing quality, InSync says its engineers constantly strive to optimize the efficiency of processing, to create the best result at the lowest operating cost. For a typical broadcast contribution application with sub-sampled chroma video in and out, the new version of FrameFormer reduces CPU demand by up to 20%.

In addition, the software has now been ported to run on the highly efficient ARM processing architecture. Cloud compute providers have been expanding their ARM based capacity allowing users to streamline workflows and operational costs even further. 

“Our customers tell us that preserving detail in their challenging content is what is critical for them,” said James Shepherd, CTO of InSync Technology. “For our development team, this means two things: continuing to raise the subjective image quality; and doing so with reduced resources, to minimise cost and environmental impact. What our new version does is allow smaller instance machines to be used – at a better price point and greater availability – while at the same time delighting the ‘golden eyes’ who are evaluating the performance of our solution every day. 

“ARM is also a very important development for us,” Shepherd continued. “We designed FrameFormer from day one to be CPU-only software that was vendor and architecture agnostic. By rolling out the software for ARM, our users have the opportunity to achieve equivalent performance at a significantly lower price point.” 

The new version of FrameFormer software is suitable for all existing and new users and will be available from mid-April 2023.

InSync will be in Booth C2013 in the Central Hall of the LVCC. 

LAS VEGAS—InSync Technology, a leading developer of high-quality video conversion, will be celebrating its 20th birthday at the 2023 NAB Show, where it will be exhibiting at booth C2013 between April 16 to 19. 

Demonstrations on the booth will focus on the remarkable advances in quality in its algorithms which ensure that fine detail is preserved in even the most challenging content, such as fast-moving sports.

“Our users include the world’s leading sports federations and broadcasters,” said James Taylor, CEO of InSync Technology. “We deeply engage to understand what really matters to them, and the thoughts of their ‘golden eyes’ engineers give us real insight into how our solution preserves the critical detail they need. I am extremely proud that the InSync team continuously adapts and improves to meet these heavily demanding applications that deliver the best viewer experience, while at the same time reducing our impact on processing and the environment.”

FrameFormer, InSync’s flagship solution, delivers industry-leading motion compensated frame rate and format conversion. This is available as a standalone solution or embedded in products from other leading vendors including AWS Elemental, Comprimato, Dalet, Hiscale, M2A and Telestream, the company said. 

Continuing development of the algorithms in FrameFormer, driven by real-world user experiences, has led to ever-more faithful retention of fine detail, the company said. 

At the same time, engineers continue to advance the CPU-only application delivering direct cost benefits to the user by reducing the compute processing power required by as much as 20%.

Designed from the ground up to be vendor and architecture agnostic, FrameFormer is now available for deployment on ARM based platforms. This reduces the processor demand still further, reducing cost, power consumption and environmental impact, the company said. 

InSync was founded in 2003 by world leading broadcast engineers specializing in video standards conversion. Initially providing modular video processing systems for some of broadcast’s biggest vendors, InSync continues to invest in and advance its knowledge and experience to create the next generation of signal processing technology. Since 2013 it has been an employee-owned business.

Visit InSync in the Central Hall at NAB2023, booth C2013. More information on its products and services can be found at www.insync.tv. 

AMSTERDAM—InSync Technology has announced that it has entered into an OEM partnership agreement with metadata solutions provider, GrayMeta, to deliver a solution for high-quality content ingest with automated metadata creation. 

The integrated offering is particularly relevant to archiving applications. It has already been deployed by the Library of Congress, the world’s largest library and will be shown at IBC 2022 between Sept. 9 and 12 in Amsterdam. 

The solution draws on InSync’s heritage and expertise in delivering ultra high-quality content for broadcast applications, and GrayMeta’s deep knowledge of leveraging metadata to increase revenue. 

InSync’s AE2020 Analysis Engine will now form part of GrayMeta’s Emmy Award-winning System for Automated Migration of Media Assets (SAMMA), which performs video digitisation and supports migration of tape archives to file-based assets. The integrated solution is designed as an input stage to receive analogue and digital outputs from legacy storage technologies and optionally apply a raft of signal conditioning options.  

InSync Technology’s managing director, James Taylor explained that “We are proud to partner with an innovator such as GrayMeta as we meet the growing demand for unmatched quality and cost-effective conversion in archiving. The combination of InSync AE2020 and SAMMA creates an elegant and powerful solution that can handle a comprehensive range of formats.” 

Together, InSync and GreyMeta have delivered a solution that can apply a wide range of signal conditioning, including time base correction, RF dropout compensation, noise reduction, procamp, gamut legalization, and aspect ratio conversion. It also automates the process of managing the migration of videotapes to digital files. 

"We are delighted to bring InSync Technology’s analysis engine into our archiving ecosystem,” said Chi-Long Tsang, SVP & Principal Architect with GrayMeta. “We are now able to offer customers a comprehensive solution that makes archived content more accessible and reusable across a wide range of applications.”  

The integrated InSync and GreyMeta solution will be shown on stand 2.A18 during IBC. 

LONDON—M2A Media has announced that it is working with image processing and broadcast standards conversion specialist InSync Technology Ltd and video streaming and transcoding expert Hiscale to bring the M2A Connect | Cloud Frame Rate Converter, to the global market.

The companies are billing the launch as the first motion-compensated, live, cloud-based frame rate conversion service. 

"As more and more broadcasters transition their workflows to the cloud, the demand to move traditional hardware-based services to the cloud also grows,” explained Marina Kalkanis, CEO and founder of M2A Media. “We immediately saw the value of a cloud-based frame rate conversion service and were delighted to collaborate with InSync Technology to be the first service providers to offer exactly that. M2A Connect | Cloud Frame Rate Converter is market-leading and the perfect addition to M2A Connect's innovative, software-defined offering."

The companies explained that many broadcasters need ad hoc frame rate conversion to handle unexpected peak demand or planned additional services for special events but find that keeping proprietary hardware on-premises for irregular use is costly and limiting. 

M2A Connect | Cloud Frame Rate Converter turns this traditional model on its head, the companies said. 

Integrated with M2A Media's cloud acquisition, aggregation, and distribution system, M2A Connect, M2A Connect | Cloud Frame Rate Converter is a live, cloud-based, motion-compensated frame rate conversion service. 

Delivered entirely as an on-demand, pay-per-use solution, it offers broadcasters and OTT platforms flexibility and scalability without the capex costs usually associated with traditional, hardware-based frame rate conversion, the companies said. 

Paola Hobson, managing director at InSync Technology, added, "FrameFormer from InSync Technology offers exceptional quality frame rate conversion for all types of content, extending usual national programming to a global reach. We're particularly excited to work with M2A Media as leaders in the new paradigm of cloud service delivery."

"Enabling access to our media processing and transcoding solutions via such an advanced partner as M2A Media was an obvious next step for Hiscale," commented Tilo Skomudek, CEO of Hiscale. "The combination of advanced cloud-based processing technologies and M2A's service expertise is clearly a winner for all content owners".

More information about M2A Connect | Cloud Frame Rate Converter is available at: https://m2amedia.tv/m2a-connect/.

PETERSFIELD, U.K.—InSync Technology and For-A have launched the MCC-4K-A UHD motion-compensated frame rate converter, the companies said.

The new frame rate converter, developed by InSync Technology and exclusively distributed by For-A, meets the needs of demanding live UHD workflows, offering advanced frame rate conversion and workflow tools for HDR/SDR (high and standard dynamic range) management, handling closed captions and multichannel audio, InSync Technology said.

The converter builds on the MCC-4K with new motion estimation algorithms that deliver more accurate motion processing. New format conversion tools enable high-quality results when moving between HD and UHD and SDR and HDR, the company said. 

“MCC-4K-A owes its performance to a highly skilled and dedicated team of engineers at InSync and to the tremendous support and collaboration we have had with FOR-A,” said Lee Hunt, head of Hardware at InSync Technology.

More information is available on the For-A website.

PETERSFIELD, U.K.—InSync Technology has integrated its FrameFormer standards conversion software engine with Amazon Web Services (AWS) Elemental MediaConvert, bringing its motion-compensated frame rate conversion algorithms to the cloud platform solution, the company announced.

The integration will enable content owners to deliver media at any desired video frame rate using motion compensation, a method recognized around the world as effectively delivering smooth motion video and preserving quality, the company said.

FrameFormer conversion can be added to any content preparation workflow under the control of AWS Elemental MediaConvert. The conversion typically will be used to normalize content to the house standard or to localize content based on a required delivery standard, InSync Technology said.

Video frame sequences are passed to FrameFormer, which generates new output frames based on the products motion analysis and estimation algorithms, it said.

"We are delighted to add high-quality motion compensated frame rate conversion through integration with AWS Elemental MediaConvert," said James Shepherd, CTO of InSync Technology. "The InSync FrameFormer software engine is a great fit, as we require CPU-only resources, which provide the maximum flexibility and scalability that on-demand video services require."

AWS Elemental MediaConvert customers will be able to select the InSync FrameFormer motion compensated frame rate conversion service as an add-on option at an added cost from within the AWS Elemental MediaConvert console without having to obtain a separate license.

More information is available on the company’s website.  

InSync Technology specializes in video conversion and plans to showcase a range of its software video conversion products this spring that are able to support live and file-based workflows, as well as be used on premise or in the cloud.

The first of the planned products is the FrameFormer Link software engine, which brings live conversion of UHD/4K streams. This frame rate conversion software can be integrated into any live production platform, or can be made available through a service provider. With software that requires CPU-only processing with cross-platform support, it can also support cloud-based workflows.

There’s then FrameFormer Live, which uses InSync’s live conversion capability within a turnkey application that can handle frame rate conversion of any format up to UHD/4K. The product has the FrameFormer software engine built into a standalone environment that includes handling of popular streaming formats plus support for emerging SRT transport protocol.

Rounding out InSync’s offerings is the FLICS | SOLO FF powered by InSync FrameFormer. This is a content preparation application, developed by InSync’s partner HiScale GmbH, that offers automated transcoding and frame rate conversion for formats up to UHD/4K. It also offers codec support for ProRes, AVC-I, DNxHD, H.264 and H.265, as well as ABR encoding for VOD delivery. This software is available as a turnkey application or in the cloud.

For more information, visit www.insync.tv. 

TOKYO—Two heads are better than one, that is the philosophy that For-A and InSync Technology are going with as they work to develop 8K UHDTV signal processing equipment. This collaboration between the Japan and U.K.-based companies, which has resulted in the formation of the new company InSync Technology Products, is meant to help support current and future international program distribution.

“With the formation of this new joint venture, we are able to unite InSync and For-A’s most talented engineers in creating highly novel products, which address immediate and forthcoming 8K markets requirements,” said Katsuaki Kiyohara, president of For-A.

InSync designs and develops software and hardware signal processing equipment, with a focus on frame rate and frame conversion. For-A is a provider of broadcast and production products.