Focus Enhancements Announces the new FS-H200 Solid-State Direct To Edit® Recorder

New FS model brings rugged, inexpensive Compact Flash media and QuickTime file formats to DV or HDV camcorders

Campbell, CA. – June 2, 2009 — Focus Enhancements Inc, a worldwide leader in media management and digital audio technology, today announced an addition to its FS acquisition product family, the FS-H200 Portable Compact Flash Direct To Edit Recorder. The FS-H200 is the first portable Direct To Edit (“DTE”) recorder for use with DV or HDV cameras that features removable solid-state media allowing for easy swap-out of industry standard Compact Flash (“CF”) cards. Once recorded, user supplied CF cards can be easily mounted to both Windows and Mac systems either via USB 2.0 from theFS-H200 itself or via standard memory card readers for Direct To Edit workflow with popular NLE systems. Designed for use in the most extreme conditions including high temperatures (up to 50 degrees C / 122 degrees F), high altitudes, and extreme shock environments, the FS-H200 performance is outstanding.

“We have been frequently asked by our customers for an acquisition device that provided the DTE workflow they rely on together with the many advantages of solid-state media,” said Matt McEwen, director of product management for Focus Enhancements. “We believe that Compact Flash has now reached the required capacities, performance and low-cost that our customers are demanding to make this a viable choice for our award winning FS recorder family.”

Highlights of FS-H200:

- Support of popular DTE formats such as QuickTime and M2T for HDV and RawDV, AVI Type 1, AVI Type 2, Matrox AVI and Canopus AVI for DV
- Side located, removable Compact Flash slot that accepts standard Type 1, 266x Compact Flash Cards (currently available up to 32GB) 
- Polymer dust cover for shock and moisture protection
- Record over 2.5 hours of 720p or 2.2 hours of 1080i HDV on a single 32GB card
- 6-pin FireWire interface to DV or HDV cameras
- Fast USB 2.0 interface to Mac or Windows based NLE systems
- Supports large file sizes with UDF disk format on CF cards
- Ultra compact design weighs only 12 oz and features silent fanless operation
- Color back-lit LCD for menu navigation and status 
- Back-lit scroll wheel for easy menu navigation
- Removable 3-hour (record time) Li-Ion battery pack
- 12V power input and supplied AC adapter 
 

Pricing and Availability

FS-H200 is expected to be available in June, 2009 through the Focus Enhancements worldwide dealer and distributor network for a US MSRP of $1,195.

I still do not know what the answer is to this problem but I would like to share a word of warning…I was filming yesterday and choose to film in SP 1080i mode as I had a 12 hour day. Now as we all know we do not film 12 hours of material in a 12 hour day but those precious 22 extra minutes per 16Gig card can be useful.

Now why did I choose 1080i and not 720p well firstly there is a lot of action footage and the final production ends up on SD DVD and watched mainly in the UK. A rule of thumb for filming in HD is as follows…

1. End result = DVD = interlace

2. End result = web = progressive

So I stupidly choose SP mode instead of HQ mode to “save on card space”. My 16G cards being SDHC Transend cards for archive purposes as this job will not be completed till sometime in July. So you start to see the picture…I was saving card space when I had at least three 16G SDHC cards with me and even at full HD would not fill 3 cards. 

So as they say in the good old Indiana Jones films “You choose badly”…why. I have an Apple Mac Pro with an AJA io HD box so I can afford to start with the best setting and down convert later if needed. 

To get to the point I was reviewing some of yesterdays shots and it came to the canoe section when I noticed square pixel boxing all over the water shots to be fair this will not be seen by the time it gets to an SD DVD but it’s there all the same. I have not experienced this before but I also have a nagging doubt that it may also be the cards fault as well.

In my own Sherlock fashon I took things back to basics and tried to re-create the problem without success…I filmed a sink of water at 1440 and 1920 but both looked fine although the 1920 was crisper looking as you would expect, but no blocking.

Fortunately 99% of the footage is fine and it spans 2h 24m using 3 cards I had forgot I had used 20mins of one of the cards last week. So my advice is as follows…

1. Only choose HQ mode for filming with the EX1, EX3

2. Web based productions look better shot with 720P 50

3. TV and DVD based productions look better with motion shot on 1920 x 1080i 50

4. If like me you need archive where the SxS card becomes a pain only use Transend Class 6 SDHC or Panasonic Class 10 SDHC cards.

My conclusions…

I doubt if this was card problems as the rest of the footage is fine and the SDHC card is only a problem if you are using over cranking as they do not work in this mode. You do not get a choice of HQ and SD for the sake of it…HQ gives you the best quality so don’t compromise for the sake of a £40 SDHC card !

UPDATE…It’s not a card problem it’s the technology, seemingly moving water is very hard for digital to understand and compresses it into wee square boxes, you only see this effect when you have moving water. I filmed further test footage this morning and it did not matter a hoot wether it was on HQ or SQ mode and I also filmed onto Sony SxS and SDHC both the same quality…though the HQ pictures were much punchier.

I have to admit I have not filmed a lot of water shots with this camera so I was caught out when I suddenly saw the square boxes in the moving water but as I can do nothing about it I will avoid filming water sports in the future. The best part about video is that you never stop learning.

Panasonic has launched the worlds first ‘Class 10′ series of SDHC cards. Class 10 is a new speed specification developed by the SD Card Association, it inherits the attributes of the current ‘Class 6′ line with further enhanced speed performance of up to 22MB/s. In addition to its Gold series Class 10 cards, it has announced a Silver series of Class 4 cards with a maximum speed of up to 20MB/s. The Gold series will start shipping by the end of this month in 4, 8, 16 and 32 GB capacities.

Panasonic is pleased to announce that it will launch new SDHC Memory Cards with Class 10 speed specification in Europe and other markets from the end of May, 2009. Class 10 is a new speed specification standardized by SD Card Association as part of SD Card Specification Ver.3.0 to meet the requirement for higher resolution consecutive shooting and large-sized high definition video shooting.

As an example of sequential writing of 3 frame/sec.(1 frame=3MB), the class10 card enables to write out large amounts of data continuously up until the card is fully written without missing any shots or writing stops. The Panasonic GOLD line series will be the world’s first memory cards* to adopt this new speed class. The new series will be available in the following four models: RP-SDW04G(4GB) / RP-SDW08G(8GB) / RP-SDW16G(16GB) / RP-SDW32G(32GB).

The current Panasonic Class 6 models are highly evaluated in the market for its superior speed performance and high reliability as well as user-friendly features like its memo label. The 32GB high capacity model was awarded the TIPA Award** as Best Imaging Storage Media 2009. The new GOLD line series inherits the advantages of the current Class 6 line with further enhanced speed performance. Its Class 10 speed capability as well as maximum speed of 22MB/s combined with intelligent controller is ideal for large volume data recording and transmission in high definition applications. The new cards also allows for high-speed data transfer from a card to a PC. A large volume of AVCHD Full HD video data fully written on a new Gold card can be transferred to a PC approx. 40% faster compared to the current Class 4 card.

Panasonic will also introduce a SILVER line series with Class 4 speed specification and maximum speed of up to 20MB/s, ideal for high definition video recording. All the new models will come with eco-friendly packages as the plastic used in previous packaging has been reduced by 90%.

The new cards will be available in the UK from June 2009.

Colorado Springs, CO — Convergent Design announced a $2,995 MSRP price for the highly anticipated nanoFlash, which will ship in June, now with analog audio I/O.  nanoFlash is the world’s smallest, lowest-power professional HD/SD recorder/player creating visually lossless Quicktime or MXF files stored on affordable Compact Flash media.

The diminutive (4.2×3.7×1.4” / 107x94x36 mm) nanoFlash easily mounts on any professional camera, adding less than 1 lb (400 grams) additional weight.  The very low power consumption of less than 6 Watts assures long battery life, while the very wide power input range of 6.5 to 19.5V makes nanoFlash compatible with most power sources.

nanoFlash utilizes the very high quality XDCAM HD 422 CODEC (from Sony) at 50/100 Mbps (Long-GOP) or 100/140/160 Mbps (I-Frame-Only).  Quicktime and/or MXF files can be played/edited in Avid, Final Cut Pro, Edius, Vegas and Premiere (restricted usage) without transcode or re-wrap.  HD/SD-SDI and HDMI I/O ports support 1080p30/25/24, 1080i60/50 and 720p60/50 video formats.   nanoFlash can also be used as an HD/SD-SDI to HDMI or HDMI to HD/SD-SDI converter.

nanoFlash records embedded audio over HD/SD-SDI or HDMI.  Users can optionally input analog audio (stereo unbalanced line, stereo unbalanced mic or one balanced mic) via the 3.5 mm jack recently added.  Audio monitoring is available via a headphone output.  All audio is recorded at 24-bit, 48KHz sampling.

Two Compact Flash slots (32GB CF cards are US $75) provide 80 minutes of 100 Mbps record/playback time without touching the hot-swappable cards.  Video can be played directly off the CF cards using a FW-800 reader (attached to your NLE) or transferred at 3X to 6X faster than real-time to your hard-drive.

Once again we see how the money is taken from our pockets when you compare Gig for Gig with the professional solid state media. Sony should be ashamed of themselves for almost 18 months down the road of the SxS (S by S) card pricing, we see no reduction in prices…in fact all the Sony cards went up by 10% at the end of April 09. Even the 64Gig P2 ‘E’ card is £126 cheaper than Sonys 32Gig card.

Panasonic have overtaken them and the HPX-301 is now £102 cheaper than a Sony EX-3. Sony are also fighting the MxM (SDHC card holders) total cost including a class 6 Transend 16Gig card is £80.
The argument from Sony will be “our card is newer technology” that may be but the EX-3 does not film up to 100Mbs nor does it go all the way down to 3.6Mbs DV.

Value for money you can now buy a Panasonic HPX-301 full spec HD camcorder for £7475 and get a 32Gig card FREE saving you £460 !  

Pricing was taken from H Preston Media 6th May 2009

This card is not compatible with the MxM card readers as used in the Sony EX-1 and  EX-3 HD camcorders even although it is clearly labeled ’CLASS 6′, just thought I would let you chaps and chapettes know.

Having used this camcorder for a couple of days I have to admit I was very impressed with the picture quality, considering this camcorder is one year old it can hold it’s head high.

I am a 720 50P man myself and set this camcorder to these settings and I was gob smacked. It was as good in low light as the EX-3, stood up to a wide open lens my only fault with this camcorder was the boxy design and the 4:3 lower rez LCD.

Panasonic have an obsession with designing shoe boxes with a lens and a 4:3 LCD, this design is dated please, please, please  Mr Panasonic in Japan stop designing ugly camcorders. If you give me your design budget I will design one for you ! The 151 is not as boxy due to giving up the tape mechanism on the right hand side and gladly does not weigh the same as a Nori brick.

For years Sony rolled out the 12x lens, now good old Panasonic are stuck with a 13x lens, saying that, it’s a good 13x lens and is very sharp. 

A chap commented yesterday in ER that people should look at the JVC HM100 for the same price but I doubt it will come near to the 151 in low light and it’s very surprising 9dB capabilities. The SDHC card works a treat and is a very low cost outlay and gives you cheap archive. As I heard Philip Bloom comment recently about the EX-3 and most of your pro HD camcorders where has SD recording gone, once again the 151 gives you everything but no SD recording.

The HMC-151 is a “Cinderella” camcorder it’s ready to go to the ball, but no one wants to take it. I personally think this camcorder has a bit of bad timing, saddled with the AVCCAM which is a professional version of AVCAM but coming from a domestic codec does it no favors, psychologically that is and maybe a design that people are tiring of.

The sad thing is that we have a camcorder that arrived a year ago, hits all the right spots yet never got the hype it dually deserved.

NOTE : The Panasonic HPX-301 is the only camcorder to date at it’s price range to give you 100Mbs all the way down to DV. Other manufacturers take note. 

SEE THE VIDEO REVIEW HERE…

http://exposureroom.com/members/dvwarrior.aspx/assets/736ae26a767f4b4393542e6a53fed36a/

Panasonic Broadcast and IT Systems Europe (PBITS) will reward buyers with a free 32GB E-Series P2 Card (AJ-P2E032XG) when they purchase either the AG-HPX301E, AG-HVX201AE or AG-HPX171E special promotional kit. Each camera recorder unit comes equipped with a 32GB P2 Card (AJ-P2CO32AG) and the additional free 32GB E-Series P2 Card will be shipped to the buyer’s preferred delivery address once purchase and registration is complete. 
  
This offer, valid from April 20th 2009 until 31st May 2009 through authorised participating dealers, coincides with the global launch of the new E-series P2 cards announced at NAB 2009. 
  
To receive the new E-Series 32GB card, customers will need to register at the dedicated special promotion page available on www.panasonic-broadcast.com website. 
  
The E-Series card is compatible with Panasonic’s full line of P2 camcorders, recorders and workflow tools. The P2 cards can store content in the complete range of P2-supported frame rates and formats, from high definition to standard definition and from DVCPRO to AVC-Intra 100.   
  
“Panasonic is committed to making P2 technology more accessible to all users so they can take advantage of the benefits on offer,” said Carmen Mendoza, PBITS European Marketing General Manager. “With the launch of the new E-series cards we reinforce this commitment by providing the best solid state memory solutions on the market today. The new E-Series cards come in addition to our existing P2 cards and both with be available in parallel in the marketplace.” 
  
Promotion terms and conditions and a list of authorised participating European dealers can be found at www.panasonic-broadcast.com 

   

As broadcasters and industry professionals move beyond traditional tape formats to technology compatible with high definition (HD) recording, the new Maxell P2 Card is expected to be the recording standard of next generation formats. Featuring high volume storage capacity and high quality digitalization for HD imaging, the new Maxell P2 Card is available in three storage capacities –16GB, 32GB and 64GB – and has the ability to record up to 256 minutes of HD footage.

The new Maxell P2 Card performs well even in harsh environments with variable conditions, because its compact design is resistant to vibration, impact, and extreme temperatures and humidity. Capable of withstanding 30,000 uses without degradation in quality, the new Maxell P2 Card offers long term performance resulting in great cost savings.                              

“As technology shifts from traditional to HD formats, Maxell Corporation of America is prepared with a full line of high quality – and cost effective – professional recording media,” said Pat Byrne, senior marketing manager for Maxell. “Now broadcasters can rely on Maxell’s long-standing history of developing dependable recordable media for emerging formats like HD technology.” 

The Maxell P2 card is full compatable with the Panasonic P2 series of cameras.

Very interesting development I hope this means P2 cards at sensible prices…if these cards are not at P2 ‘E’ prices how on earth are they going to sell ?

Let’s hope Maxell have the balls to compete with Panasonic and finally bring down the vastly over inflated prices of P2.

UPDATE…Speaking to Maxell UK today these cards are not due in the UK till end of June, no confirmed prices yet.