Reprinted from a Focus Enhancements press release:
FOCUS Enhancements Inc., a worldwide leader in video production and conversion technology, today announced it will demonstrate its new FireStore FS-4 HD and FS-4Pro HD High Definition (HD) Portable Direct To Edit (DTE) recorders at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) convention in Las Vegas from April 18th to 21st (Booth SL505, SL4255E).
The much-anticipated DV FireStore FS-4 is available now, and the FireStore FS-4Pro is expected to ship later this month. As the current FireStore models are upgradeable to HD, customers who purchase FS-4 and FS-4Pro on or before April 30, 2005 will be offered a special $99 (normally $299) software upgrade coupon to capitalize upon full HD functionality.
HD is quickly emerging as the standard for video, with accelerating growth in the amount of footage shot and broadcast in HD format. In addition to the current feature set and DV25 capabilities of the existing portable DTE recorders, FireStore will now record pure HD streams via FireWire from leading video products including Sony’s HDV and JVC’s HD camcorders and decks. FireStore then connects directly to a Mac/PC notebook or desktop, allowing video professionals to edit content directly from the FS-4 – maintaining an HD format throughout the entire production process from capture and editing to distribution. The new FireStore is ideal for all HD-driven field applications including sporting, news, and live events.
“HD represents an exciting, new market opportunity in video distribution, with HD TVs and displays wildly preferred over older analog products,” said Matt McEwen, product manager for FOCUS Enhancements. “New digital capture, editing and broadcast solutions will be the critical enabler as the proliferation of HD content increases to meet demand. FOCUS Enhancements continues to extend FireStore’s leadership by integrating HD format support to the industry’s most popular disk acquisition solution, giving video professionals everything they need to maintain HD integrity from glass to glass.”
FS-4 HD and FS-4Pro HD enable users to switch between standard definition DV25 mode and HD mode. DV25 mode allows recordings in any one of eight or ten DTE technology supported file formats while HD mode allows 480p/576p, 720p or 1080i MPEG2 transport streams to be recorded and used immediately with supporting NLE applications.
The portable, lightweight FS-4 HD features a removable Li-Ion battery pack, sixteen front panel buttons, a back-lit status LCD display, multiple control modes, a six second retro-cache, user definable function keys, extensive playback features and support for DV25 based DTE. In addition to HD formats, FireStore supports RawDV, AVI Type 1, AVI Type 2, Matrox AVI, Canopus AVI, QuickTime, 24p QuickTime and 24p AVI Type 2. The FS-4Pro HD has the same feature set as FS-4, but also includes up to ten seconds of retro-cache, retro disk, loop record, user definable folders for scene marking, and support for additional DV25 DTE technology file formats including Avid DV-OMF and Pinnacle AVI.
Where to Buy
Prices for the FS-4 HD, FS-4 HD Pro will be announced in April 2005. FireStore HD upgrades, FS-4 HD, and FS-4Pro HD are expected to be available in the Summer of 2005 through the worldwide FOCUS Enhancements dealer and distributor network. For more information on FOCUS Enhancements and its products, please visit www.focusinfo.com.
