New FireStore FS-4 - DTE for Hand Held Camcorders

[Matt McEwen]

New product announcement from Focus Enhancements...

FOCUS Enhancements Announces the Affordable FireStore FS-4, Direct To Edit Technology for Hand - Held Camcorders

Portable FS-4 digital disk recorder model joins industry leading FireStore family

CAMPBELL, CA, – August 10, 2004 – FOCUS Enhancements Inc. (NASDAQ SC: FCSE), a worldwide leader in video production and conversion technology, today announced the latest addition to the FireStore family of Direct To Edit™ (DTE) Technology digital video disk recorders, FireStore FS-4. FS-4 is the first DTE product designed to bring tapeless technology to hand-held DV camcorders from JVC, Panasonic, Canon, Sony and others.

Designed to mount directly to hand-held camcorders, be worn on a belt or used in other situations where portability is a requirement, the FS-4 is ideal for wedding and event production, field production, independent film, corporate, education and many other uses. Powered by a removable battery system, the small and lightweight FS-4 interfaces with camcorders via a single FireWire (IEEE-1394, iLink) cable. DTE Technology allows hand-held camcorder owners to record clips in native NLE file formats so editing can begin immediately after shooting is finished. This eliminates the need to first capture then convert files prior to editing.

“Our industry leading FireStore DTE disk recorders have brought the benefits of tapeless acquisition and production to full size camcorders, desktops and studios all over the world,” said Matt McEwen, product manager for FOCUS Enhancements. “Now we are expanding our customer base by offering DTE Technology to hand-held camcorder owners at an affordable price.”

Two models of FireStore FS-4 will be available: FS-4 and FS-4 Pro. Both models will feature a 40GB (Three hour) internal disk drive, a 6-pin FireWire connector for interface with camcorders, a 6-pin FireWire connector for interfacing with a computer for editing or file transfer, a backlit status LCD display and a comprehensive set of control buttons including a navigation pad. Both models will also feature support for DTE Technology file formats including RawDV, AVI Type 1, AVI Type 2, Matrox AVI, Canopus AVI and QuickTime including 24p. FS-4 Pro adds support for the Avid OMF and Pinnacle AVI file formats, retro record modes so you will never miss a shot, user definable time lapse, loop playback, scene marking and multiple file folder capabilities. The FS-4 PRO also is available with an 80GB (Six hour) internal drive.

Where to Buy
FireStore FS-4 is expected to be available in December 2004 through the worldwide FOCUS Enhancements dealer and distributor network for a US MSRP of $799. FireStore FS-4 Pro 40GB and 80GB are also expected to be available in December 2004 for a US MSRP of $1,195 and $1,695 respectively. For more information on FOCUS Enhancements and its products, please visit www.focusinfo.com.

About FOCUS Enhancements, Inc.
FOCUS Enhancements, Inc. (NASDAQ SC: FCSE) is a leading designer of world-class solutions in advanced, proprietary video technology. Headquartered in Campbell, CA, FOCUS Enhancements designs, develops, and markets video solutions in two distinct markets: advanced proprietary video conversion integrated circuits (ICs) and affordable, high quality, digital-video conversion and video production equipment. Semiconductor IC products include designs for PCs, game cards, internet, set-top boxes, Internet appliances, and interactive TV applications, and they are sold directly to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). FOCUS Enhancements’ complete line of video presentation and video production devices are sold globally through resellers and distributors to the broadcast, education, cable, business, industrial, presentation, Internet, gaming, home video production and home theater markets. More information on FOCUS Enhancements may be obtained from the company's SEC filings, or by visiting the FOCUS Enhancements home page at http://www.FOCUSinfo.com.


Safe Harbor Statement
Statements about future results and other expectations constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on current expectations and the current economic environment. The Company cautions that these statements are not guarantees of future performance. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. A number of factors in addition to those discussed herein could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations. Demand for FOCUS Enhancements’ products, which impacts revenue and the gross margin percentage, is affected by business and economic conditions and changes in customer order patterns. Any projections are inherently subject to significant economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are beyond the control of FOCUS Enhancements. Important assumptions and other important factors, including risk factors, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements are specified in the Company's Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2003 and other filings with the SEC. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

[Matt McEwen]

More info and pics at:
www.focusinfo.com/products/firestore/fs-4.html

[Chris Hurd]

Outstanding. This looks great! Thanks Matt,

[Don Berube]

Congratulations to Matt McEwen and his team at FOCUS Enhancements for once again setting the Gold Standard for portable Direct To Disk recording with DTE technology.

It's a thrill to know that FOCUS Enhancements actually listens to their customers and to all of the input provided by those looking for the best DTE solution with the best value. Focus Enhancements clearly understands that the user interface is most important. The FireStore interface is easy to read and the menus are easy to navigate. The ability to create multiple keeper clip folders makes organizing clips a breeze. The FireStore interface is simply the best.

Matt, I think Senator Fowler would be most impressed!
http://www.focusinfo.com/products/fi.../fs3video.html

Thanks FOCUS Enhancements!

- don

[Tim Delarm]

Matt,

Please see my post "recording digi video from analog source"

You may be able to shed some light on an area I am new to regarding your product.

Thanks,

Tim Delarm

[Jos Svendsen]

In the specs it is stated that PAL "is model dependant". Does that mean that you can not order a unit from B&H and expect it to be switchable to PAL? Meaning that you have to dig a more expensive model up in Europe - if you can find a reseller.

[Matt McEwen]

Hi Jos,

There will be separate PAL and NTSC models of FS-4.

Matt

[Jos Svendsen]

Why?

Deepest apologies, if I have ovelooked something, but I can not see any technical reasons for having two models. You get a DV-stream with TC and audio from the camera and you store this on the harddrive. Here it does not matter if it is NTSC, 4:2:1, nondrop TC or not. It is a bitstream
When the NLE reads the file it has to be told, what to ekspect, so it can interpret the file correctly.

In my mind it must be better to have as few product models as possible, so I am a little puzzled

Kind 01001010's

[Matt McEwen]

Hi Jos,

As with all Focus products, a PAL model of FS-4 will be available at B&H as a special order version. However, any warranty or support for the product is through the United States.

You are correct in that FS-4 is a bitsream recorder and technically they are very similar, but there is more to a product than technical similarities. The DV-PAL model and DV-NTSC models are different in that they have different pack out accessories (power supplies, manuals etc.), different warranty plans (all European models are serviced in Focus' European office) and different support plans (we have distributors in most European countries who provide support for the product).

Our distributor for FireStore in Denmark is Dansk AV Teknik. They have had a lot of experience with FireStore selling FS-1 and FS-3 models. Their web address is... http://www.dansk-av-teknik.dk/

Hope that helps,
Matt McEwen

[Daniel Kohl]

Hi Matt,

I am very happy to hear about this newest development from Focus Enhancements.

It makes me feel like all the troubles I have been having with trying to get a Quickstream or Citidisk that works, to have been for some cosmic good reason. Luckely I haven't waisted my money on one of these two products yet (although I have come very close).

Can you give me a recomendaion on where I can Pre-order, or order an European FS4 here in Germany?

By the way, are you (personally) going to be in Amsterdamm for the IBC?

Thanks for the good news.

DK

[Matt McEwen]

Hi Daniel,

I will be at IBC for the duration of the show and we will be showing a prototype of FS-4. Please come past our booth as it would be great to meet you in person. I can give you some purchase/pre-order options when we meet.

It would be great to meet any other dvinfo.net members if they are going to be at IBC. Focus will be in Hall 9, Stand 130 (near the Sony booth).

Best regards,

Matt McEwen

[Jos Svendsen]

Matt

I am still somewhat puzzled. I checked B&H, and discovered, as you mentioned two versions of your products, with a price difference of around 100 USD.

As far as I can read your replay the NTSC and PAL products are the same product in a technical sense. As the warranty and service terms must be the same on both products, as they are sold in the US, and all servie is carried out here. Then why is there a pricedifference of 100 $??

I know for a fact that the price of a international powersupply is arround 50 cents mere expensive than a 110 V one. And international warrenties are quite common, ant not very difficult to make. And if you are doing centralized repairs in Europe, then the only thing the resellers has to do is the idiot test (obvious things like mistreament etc etc) plop the unit in a UPS bag and await its return.

You have to do the electrical certifications for equipment to be sold in Europe, but that has only to be done onces.
Apple has managed to do all this, and their prices are more or les equal between the US and Europe. And everybody is happy.

Kind regards

[Matt McEwen]

Hi Jos,

The price difference at B&H is based on PAL FireStore's being a special order product. We do not sell that many PAL products in the US, but they are available if it is required (for independent film etc.).

The channel strategy for selling non-native video standards is complicated, and I don't fully understand how resellers control grey goods from being purchased in the US and imported into countries that often have completely different MSRP's (even when you take currency exchange ratios into account).

I appreciate your questions, but I don't wish to turn this thread into a defense of our sales strategy. I answered your original question on why there are two models from a market perspective-- we want to be in a position to control regional features (hardware or software) and to deploy these easily. Without the model differentiation, it is easy to ship out a product with the wrong power cord or supply for instance. This is somewhat out of my area.

Hope this makes sense,

Matt McEwen

[Phil Johnston]

Do you have a reseller in the UK.

[Jos Svendsen]

I've just recieved at Taiwanese LCD monitor, that has worldwide warranty, UK-EU-US powerplugs and a list of worldwide resellers in the box. It is the same product thats is shipped worldwide. So I was just sort of puzzeled, why you could not do the same?
I am sort of being curious why we PAL-people always have to pay more, since the PAL-world is more or less equal in size to the NTSC-world.
But I'll leave it here, and if we ever meet in a bar, I'll drill you some more.

Kindest