FOCUS Enhancements Provides High Quality Video Output for Intel-R- 82830 Chipset; FS450 reference design allows new video functionality in laptops

Business Wire, Nov 1, 2001

Business/Technology Editors

CAMPBELL, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 1, 2001

FOCUS Enhancements, Inc. (NASDAQ: FCSE), announced today the availability of a complete reference design for PCs with studio grade `TV out' provided by FOCUS' FS450 TV encoder chip for use in laptops and desktops based on Intel(R) Corporations 830G and 830MG chipsets in Celeron(R) and Pentium(R) III designs. The FS450 brings PC-to-TV features and quality to notebooks and portable PCs that were previously only available on internal desktop or external scan converters. FOCUS will provide evaluation daughter cards to any company using Intel 830 reference design systems for development of 82830 based PCs.

"The need for TV output is significant for users who wish to utilize their computer's internal DVD with a full screen TV. According to industry sources, approximately 35% of the units sold in the retail market have a DVD drive installed. The rapidly expanding laptop computer market with DVD drives represents a growth opportunity for the convergence market in the years to come" said Mike Conway, Vice President of Marketing. "By using the FS450, notebooks and portable computers can offer uncompromised DVD playback quality as well as the advanced technology critical for displaying small fonts and graphics found in web pages, games, software and presentations."

FOCUS Enhancements collaborated with Intel to validate this design including full WHQL certification of the drivers for Microsoft's Win95, Win98, WinNT, Win2000, WinMe, and WinXP operating systems. With Intel including FOCUS' drivers, the reference design ensures wide compatibility with all PC manufacturers to expedite the convergence of PC-to-TV applications.

"Intel and Microsoft have mature test environments to validate, test and certify a new ASIC for the PC environment. FOCUS passed all the tests eliminating any development risk from using the FS450 to improve the TV out quality" said Thomas Hamilton, Focus Enhancements Executive VP and General Manager of the Semiconductor Division. "Engineers who want to use the FS450 can download the fully WHQL certified drivers and reference schematics from Intel's Developer's Website."

Users of Intel's reference design board can obtain ADD and DVO port daughter cards by contacting the FOCUS' OEM Sales department (send email to oem@focusinfo.com). The WHQL certified drivers are located on the Intel website at: http://support.intel.com/support/graphics/intel830M/tti001.htm

The reference design can be obtained by contacting Intel and requesting the "RS - Intel(R) AGP Digital Display (ADD) Card with FS450 Board Design Documentation"

About The FS450

The FOCUS Enhancements FS450 family of ASICs is composed of the highest quality NTSC/PAL digital video processors on the market. The FS450 features advanced video processing technology, allowing a seamless conversion from progressive to interlaced video. The FS450 accepts digital input resolutions up to 1024x768 and converts them into NTSC or PAL standards compliant with SMPTE-170M and CCIR-656. Unlike other PC-to-TV video conversion chips, the FS450 supports true broadcast quality video. It has a flexible input/output structure allowing it to be compatible with many non-traditional applications. The FS450 converts digital progressive RGB inputs to the CCIR 656 video format. The FS450 has a set of CCIR 656 input/output ports to allow an external interface to a CCIR 656 video MUX (for video overlay). The FS450 incorporates a 2-Dimensional Flicker Filter that significantly enhances readability for small text and fine detailed fonts such as Kanji, Arabic and Hindi. A programmable down scaler precisely fits the input image to the output display format. The FS450 supports genlocking for studio broadcast sync, studio-grade timing and encoding, S-video, CVBS, and component RGB or YUV outputs. It supports a variety of output signal formats including all variants of interlaced NTSC and PAL, as well as CCIR 656 video. Users have full control over video quality with programmable brightness, contrast, saturation, flicker filtering (w/ sharpness control), and composite Y-notch and C bandpass filtering to prevent image artifacts associated with composite video on a television. Required external components are minimal: a single 27 MHz oscillator or crystal and passive elements. Additional information about the FS450 can be found on the FOCUS website at: http://www.focusinfo.com/products/b_asics.htm

About FOCUS Enhancements, Inc.

FOCUS Enhancements, Inc. (NASDAQ: FCSE) and Videonics, Inc. (previously NASDAQ: VDNX), both formerly independent public companies, completed a merger on January 16, 2001. The merged company, operating under the FOCUS Enhancements name, is a leading designer of world-class solutions in advanced, proprietary video scan conversion ASICs, and affordable, high quality, digital-video conversion and video production equipment. Semiconductor products include the FS400, FS450 and FS460 series ASICs for scaling, scan conversion, Internet TV and interactive TV applications. Commercial products for video presentation include desktop PC-to-TV scan converters, scalers, and line quadruplers. Video production products include application controllers, edit controllers, mixers, and character and effects generators. The company's products and technologies are sold globally through Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and resellers to the broadcast, education, cable, business, industrial, presentation, internet, gaming, home video production and home theater markets. FOCUS Enhancements stock is traded on the NASDAQ SmallCap Market under the symbol FCSE. More information on FOCUS Enhancements may be obtained from the company's SEC filings, or by visiting the FOCUS Enhancements home page at http://www.FOCUSinfo.com.