FFV's Outrider DVR Provides Flawless Video in Rugged CORR Off-Road Truck Race

Fast Forward Video Inc. (FFV), a recognized innovator of digital video recorder (DVR) technology for broadcast, industrial video, presentation, and military applications, announced that its Outrider CF DVR is being utilized by Inertia Unlimited, a provider of specialty camera systems to network television, in its CF solid-state recorder. From Sept. 2 - 4, the recorder was used for in-vehicle recording in the CORR (Championship Off Road Racing) Off-Road Truck Series in Crandon, WI.

Inertia Unlimited's CF recorder weighs a mere 0.62 pounds and measures only 6 in. by 3 in. by 0.82 in. The exterior housing is composed of anodized machined aluminum for rugged environments, and its video connectors are pin-compatible with a Sony Handycam. Utilizing FFV's Outrider, the recorder features video capture and playback at 60 fields per second and offers a resolution greater than 550 lines at 4:1 compression.

"We chose the Outrider for our CF recorder because it provides several advantages over the tape-based recorders we had used previously," said Jeff Silverman, president of Inertia Unlimited. "Being able to record directly to QuickTime saves time, and the Outrider is tolerant of high-vibration and G-force environments. During the CORR race, 26 cameras recorded directly to QuickTime on board the race trucks. We recorded two extreme G-force crashes. The onboard recordings in those crashes were flawless. That just wouldn't be possible with a tape-based recorder."

The Outrider CF DVR is an ultra-compact digital video recorder. At only 4.9 in. by 2.2 in. by 0.6 in. in size, the Outrider records to compact cards, providing easy removal and transfer of recorded material. The Outrider features NTSC/PAL compatibility, composite and Y/C inputs and outputs, pre-event record, and loop record of PC-viewable QuickTime files or secure video files. The recorder provides 720 x 486 image pixel resolution and uses scalable and user-selectable motion JPEG compression.

Motion JPEG technology delivers exceptional picture quality for applications such as slow motion, quick-cut editing, and spontaneous or interactive presentation requests. Unlike MPEG compression, which uses the difference between frames as a compression technique and thus does not keep each whole frame, motion JPEG applies the original JPEG still-file compression technique to every individual frame of a video or film sequence. Using a pixel-block match system that minimizes image degradation, motion JPEG retains and gives users access to each and every frame of video that is compressed in the recorder. The result is superb performance for every application with crisp images and random access to video material.

The Outrider is optimized for OEM applications and is ideal for high-resolution recording for surveillance, law enforcement, emergency first-responders, and portable broadcasters.

The CORR race will air in the fall on the SPEED Channel. A video clip of material recorded during one of the extreme G-force crashes is available for viewing at www.inertiaunlimited.com.

More information about the Outrider CF DVR and the company's complete range of digital video recording systems is available at www.ffv.com.