FOCUS Enhancements intros FireStore FS-4 HD and FS-4Pro HD DTE recorders

FOCUS Enhancements' highly anticipated FireStore FS-4 HD and FS-4Pro HD Portable Direct To Edit (DTE) disk recorders are now available, through FOCUS Enhancements’ distribution network. The new DTE video recorders are designed for HDV videographers involved in wedding and events, independent film, HD television production, corporate video, government, and education.

FOCUS Enhancements’ groundbreaking FireStore FS-4 HD line of Portable DTE recorders is the latest extension to its industry-leading FireStore family of DTE studio rackmount, shoulder mount, and SD handheld recorders. The FS-4 HD delivers HD and DV acquisition solutions from the field to the editing room, enabling videographers to record HDV or DV streams directly to disk from leading HD video camcorders and decks including Sony's HVR-Z1U HDV camcorder and JVC's GY-HD100U ProHD camcorder via FireWire. FireStore then connects directly to Mac/Windows-based editing systems, allowing video professionals to edit content directly from the FS-4 HD. Users can choose from the most popular NLE file formats including standard definition Avid OMF, Canopus AVI, Matrox AVI and more, as well as high definition 720p or 1080i MPEG2 transport streams (.m2t).

“With the enormous success of HDV camcorder shipments, combined with the strong growth in the amount of HD footage shot and broadcast, HD is quickly emerging as the standard of choice for many different applications,” said Matt McEwen, product manager for FOCUS Enhancements. “FS-4 HD’s powerful DTE technology, rugged enclosure, and compact size, make it the most complete digital recording solution for HDV and DV applications – further extending our leadership in the disk-based acquisition market.”

The new FS-4 HD DTE recorders feature a 40GB (3 hour) internal disk drive and the FS-4Pro HD recorders offer an optional 80GB (6 hour) internal disk drive, all in a small, shockproof chassis. FS-4 HD recorders are lightweight, weighing about one pound including the battery, and are only 1.5-inches thin. Videographers can easily mount the unit to their camcorder using the optional hot-shoe clip-on adapter or attach it directly to their belt. The FS-4 HD features a removable Li-Ion battery pack, sixteen front panel buttons with VTR-like controls, a back-lit status LCD display, multiple control modes, a six second retro-cache, user definable function keys, extensive playback features and support for HDV and DV25 based DTE.

The FS-4Pro HD offers the same feature set as FS-4 HD, 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.

FireStore FS-4 HD, FS-4Pro HD 40GB and FS-4Pro HD 80GB recorders are available through the worldwide FOCUS Enhancements dealer and distributor networks for a US MSRP of $999, $1,395 and $1,795, respectively. FireStore FS-4 SD models are upgradeable to HD in the field by purchasing a simple download for a US MSRP of $299.