Inter BEE 2011: Focal Point Computers exhibits the Apple ProRes, a portable disc recorder produced by Taiwanese manufacturer ATOMOS

Focal Point Computers, Ltd. exhibits three products: NINJA and SAMURAI (Apple ProRes portable disc recorders produced by ATOMOS, which record Apple ProRes codex data from HDMI and HD/SD-SDI) and CONNECT, a battery-equipped converter.

- ATOMOS-produced NINJA and SAMURAI portable disc recorders on display

NINJA is a portable disc recorder that can record data directly from HDMI in 10bit Apple ProRes format, while SAMURAI is a portable disc recorder that can record data directly from HD/SD-SDI in 10bit Apple ProRes format . These two products can each be used in media with a 2.5-inch hard disc and SSD, and they make use of dual battery systems. Mitsuhiro Iwasaki, Focal Point Computers’ Senior Sales Executive, explains how they work: “The dual battery system automatically switches the primary battery over to the secondary battery when the first's remaining power reaches zero, so you don't need to stop in the middle of recording in order to change batteries.”

Both devices come equipped with a touchscreen display (4.3-inch touchscreen on NINJA, 5-inch touchscreen on SAMURAI), which makes the video recording, playback, and monitor functions easy to use. Using a PC dock connector, recorded media can be uploaded onto a Windows PC or Mac. Video editing on SAMURAI can be done with FCPX/FCP7, Media Composer 5.0, Primiere 5.0, EDIUS 6.0, Veras Pro 10, or Lightworks. Video editing on NINJA can be done with FinalCut Pro.

As for why these products are attracting attention, Mr. Iwasaki explains, “The touchscreen makes them easy to operate, they come bundled with PC dock connectors, and their running costs are remarkably low compared to other companies.” Pointing out further merits, he adds, “Instead of expensive proprietary Flash Media, they use 2.5-inch HDD and SDD, and you can obtain either of those media for a low price. In addition, recorded media can be stored as-is in the form of a master media, so they can bring some advantages to your workflow.”

- Battery-equipped converter on display as a reference exhibit

Today’s booth held a reference exhibit of CONNECT, a battery-equipped mini-converter that can be used with NINJA and SAMURAI. This converter can perform HD-SDI/SDI to HDMI and 3G-HDMI to HD-SDI conversions. In addition, the batteries can be stacked and used in conjunction with each other. Regarding the product's release date, Mr. Iwasaki says, “We plan to offer it for sale around the New Year's holiday.”