When I first heard the news from Focus about this new version of their Firestore technology, I was BLOWN AWAY! This was what so many of our customers had been asking for. All of the advantages of the FS-5 (light weight, small footprint, silent operation, long running times) combined with swappable solid state storage. Since HDV footage requires 13GB per our, you’ll get over an hours worth on a single 16GB card. Because of the demands of video, you will need the more expensive Type 1, UDMA, 266x minimum Compact Flash Cards. Today you can get 16GB for about $125, while 32GB will cost you $250. Of course these prices will tumble over time.
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 the FS-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