the Future Store

The Future Store (TFS), based it Utrecht, the Netherlands, started as a Softron Media Services reseller in September 2008. Already well established in the business of providing professional video solutions at the time, TFS met the Softron team at IBC and was impressed by the software palette. TFS also liked the Softron approach to business, the Softron concept of application development and the corporate philosophy – everything seemed to mesh nicely with their way of doing things.

As a leading AJA and Blackmagic Design provider, it made it all the more reasonable for the Future Store to sell Softron products since Softron's open architecture solutions support hardware from those vendors. 

Having access to software and hardware products from different manufacturers makes it easy for The Future Store to recommend the most appropriate solutions to their clientele. They know what is out there, they know what works. It turns out rather nicely that the overwhelming majority of the recommended solutions involve some combination of Softron software. This is made possible because Softron's applications are versatile, reliable and are priced right; they address markets ranging from digital signage to live recording, to post product and to broadcast. The partnership TFS and Softron has proved beneficial for dozens of clients that rely on The Future Store for optimal performance platforms to solve their most pressing needs. 

For example, one account is the prestigious The Amsterdam Music Theater, home of the National Ballet and the Dutch Opera. Here audiovisual technology plays a major role. Much of this technology is provided using Apple Computers configured with multiple copies of Softron's MovieRecorder that ingest multiple feeds, all synced using LTC, and controlled by MovieRecorder Control. With one click of the mouse, all feeds are simultaneously recorded (for archival use) and streamed in real-time over an internal network providing that the entire production staff an opportunity to view the rehearsals on stage while they are taking place. 

Another advanced video solution provided by The Future Store can be found at the visitor center of Schiermonnikoog. The Future Store supplied a Softron OnTheAir Video Express HD playout solution that was configured to meet the town's precise requirements. Several issues that had to be taken into consideration because a number of things were fixed in place – the the projection wall itself and the glass behind the projector. The solution had to be to easy to use so that the employees would not have to worry about its operation and the visitors could launch videos on their own. Finally, the budget was a consideration – the solution had to come in at a reasonable price. TFS configured a Softron based software solution that included an Apple Mac mini with HDMI output. The mini itself is connected to a Full HD Epson EH-TW9000 projector with lens shift, so that no digital distortion is seen at different angles. The combination of Softron's OnTheAir Video Express software and a Softron GPI commander make it possible to start the presentation by pressing just one button in the visiting room. 

Yet another example of The Future Stores integration prowess can be found at the chroma key studio at Capricorn Field Productions where many public and commercial broadcasters recording material for their television programming. Softron's Movie Recorder enhances both the workflow and the image quality of the work there. The HD-SDI signal plus timecode output from the camera goes to Mac Pro configured with a Blackmagic Extreme card. Softron's MovieRecorder writes QuickTime files directly to a hard drive using Apple's ProRes 422 format, providing a higher quality result than the XDCAM HD quality from the camera. Thus, the recorded material is more convenient for keying plus there is always a backup in the form of a disk with XDCAM using the same time code. The Future Store configured this solution in a way so that what is recorded in the studio using MovieRecorder and the Blackmagic hardware can be seen not only in the studio but also in the crew room and dressing room one floor up. 

And finally, for RTV Dordrecht, a station that broadcasts entirely digitally, TFS configured two MacPros with Softron's playout software. The news broadcasts are recorded live and the media is immediately put into an OnTheAir Video playlist. The 24-hour schedule is controlled using Softron's scheduling option. Softron's OnTheAir Switch makes it possible to alternate between the Digital Signage radio audio output, the recorded programs playing from OnTheAir Video or live events. To complete the package titles and tickers are placed at the bottom of all video output using Softron's OnTheAir CG software.

In addition to its many Softron sales, The Future Store devotes a considerable amount of time to educating its clientele on the use of the latest video technologies. The Future Store involves Softron in these because Softron's solutions fit so well with many of the other products that TFS markets. For example, Softron, Panasonic and Blackmagic Design collaborated with TFS in a seminar in which Blackmagic Design's ATEM production switcher was the center point. Softron's Multicam Logger software is particularly adept at interfacing with the ATEM units in Live Production – to log information for editorial work when multi-camera editing is involved. In short, there is hardly an area where Softron's product do not address some client's needs. And in the Netherlands, those needs are addressed by The Future Store.