FFV Now Offers Straight-to-Avid Editing Workflows for Avid® Users Through Support of Avid DNxHD® Codec

New sideKick HD™ and sideKick HD Studio™ Digital Video Recorders Enable Instant Import of Camera Footage Into Avid® Without Transcoding

IRVINE, Calif. — March 21, 2012 — In a move that will deliver powerful new efficiencies for its rapidly growing base of Avid® customers, Fast Forward Video (FFV) today announced native Avid DNxHD® support for its multiformat, straight-to-edit digital video recorders (DVRs), the sideKick HD™ and sideKick HD Studio™. By recording video directly in the Avid DNxHD format, the sideKick HD systems enable the seamless movement of high-quality video content into Avid editing workflows.

“Avid Media Composer is one of the world’s most popular digital nonlinear editing systems, and now the sideKick HD and sideKick HD Studio will enable our Avid customers to streamline their camera-to-editing workflows like never before,” said Paul DeKeyser, founder of FFV. “Users can bring raw camera footage captured by the sideKick systems directly into Avid editing systems and instantly start editing, without any additional transcoding or any degradations in image quality.”

The sideKick HD is a multiformat, camera-mountable DVR that raises the bar for image quality when paired with today's state-of-the-art camcorders, and the sideKick HD Studio is a rack-mountable version for use in base stations and studios. As true straight-to-edit DVRs, the systems record to off-the-shelf, hot-swappable 2.5-inch SSD drives in the user’s choice of native Avid DNxHD or ProRes for Apple®. Bringing files into the Avid environment is a simple matter of moving the disk from the sideKick HD to the computer; no time-consuming ingest or transcoding operations are required.

“FFV’s support of Avid DNxHD means that our film, television, and live production customers will have even greater flexibility to ease their workflows and improve the quality of their productions, while saving valuable time,” said David Colantuoni, director of product management at Avid. “We’re very impressed with the extremely high image quality provided by the sideKick HD DVRs, and they are an ideal complement to Avid’s high-quality, low-bandwidth DNxHD codec.”

At the 2012 NAB Show, the sideKick HD will headline FFV's full line of durable, user-friendly DVR solutions, each designed with customer requirements in mind and focused on delivering the highest quality output possible.

sideKick HD FAQ’s

What is the size of your display? Will it work in bright sunlight? We selected a high quality 4.3 TFT Display (480 X 272 Pixel Resolution) that works well in direct sunlight.

Can I view my recorded clips? Does sideKick HD have a touchscreen? Our display is both a confidence monitor during recording and it allows users to playback their clips. SideKick HD has simple VTR style control buttons and even includes the ability to scrub and jog the video. We strategically decided against using a touch screen display. We felt users of sideKick would not want to have their finger prints on the display and interfere with the use of the screen as a confidence monitor and real buttons are more reliable

When will sideKick HD start shipping? FFV is in full production. Our authorized Resellers are accepting orders now.

Where can I purchase sideKick HD? Please check our website (www.ffv.com) for authorized Resellers and our Sales Representatives in your area who will be happy to assist you.

Why did Fast Forward Video go with Solid State Disk Drives (SSD) instead of spinning drives? We chose SSDs because they have no moving parts and aren’t affected by shock and vibration. In addition, SSD performs well in extreme environmental conditions. Spinning drives have the tendency to drop frames when affected by shock or vibration. No one wants to experience drop frames in their video file.

Can I use the HD-SDI and HDMI outputs simultaneously? SideKick HD has both HDMI and HD-SDI inputs and outputs. We cross convert both outputs so both outputs are always simultaneously active.

How complicated is your menu selection? Our mantra with sideKick has been to "keep it simple" so the user gets what they need and not a lot of what they don’t need. We built the sideKick for field use by professionals where time is a real commodity.

What is sideKick HD made out of and how much does it weigh? We built the sideKick’s enclosure out of glass-filled polycarbonate for durability and light weight. Our unit weighs less than a pound and that weight includes the SSD. We made it light so the user can easily attach sideKick to their camera or rig and not dramatically add to the overall weight or change the balance point.

How long has FFV been making DVR technology? FFV has a very long history designing and making digital video recorders, whereas some of our competitors have not made DVR’s before. FFV built the world’s first hard-disk based broadcast quality DVR in 1989. We have tens of thousands of recorders installed in the most demanding applications imaginable. Our recorders are on the space station and in unmanned submersibles at the bottom of the deepest parts of the ocean; they are on the (US) President’s helicopter, on the masts of Humvees in Iraq, in the belly of F-18 fighters. Our recorders perform in rock concerts with the likes of Sting and Madonna. Our broadcast products are on air 24/7 flying logo graphics and replays for live sports, including the referees for the entire National Hockey League. We have been nominated for an Emmy for our contribution to video recording technology and we even have a credit in the making of Pixar’s original "Toy Story".

Does FFV have plans to release more Codecs for sideKick? The sideKick HD supports ProRes 422 and ProRes HQ codec. SideKick does support other codecs and these will be released over time. We plan to release DNXHD in Q1 2012.

What are the various ways you can power the sideKick device? We include an AC power adapter in the box. Customers can purchase a "D" tap battery cable from us for those who have the full-size Anton-Bauer or V-Mount style batteries. Customers can also purchase an external battery mount with charger. This external battery solution has its own mounting plate with a simple mini XLR connection.

Can I purchase an extended warranty for my sideKick? Yes we offer a two year extended support contract which includes advance replacement (swap) and phone support. The support contract can be purchased off our website (www.ffv.com).

I noticed sideKick HD has a mini-USB port what is that for? The USB port is not active at this time. The port will be utilized for future functionality. We will announce the capability when the time is right.

How much video will a 128GB SSD Hold? Can I use larger drives? The answer to this question will vary depending on the content of the video being recorded because of the varying compressed frames sizes. In short the 128GB drive will give you approximately 70 minutes of record time using (ProRes 422) using ProRes HQ 422 you will get around 1 hour. Yes customers can use larger SSD like the 256GB and 500GB SSD drives.

Which SSD are qualified to work with the sideKick HD? We have qualified Unity Digital and Intel’s 320 series of SSD. We are qualifying other industry standard SSD’s. We will update our website accordingly.

What will the folder structure look like on the drive? During the formatting process, we reserve a portion of the disk to be used for the firmware update process. This portion of the disk is shown as available on the MAC or PC. The remainder of the disk is formatted with hidden FFV files. These hidden FFV files may or may not be seen on a computer depending on the setting of hidden file attributes/properties. If shown, these files are in the format of RAxxxxxx.FFV. These hidden files are replaced with .MOV files during the recording process, which are displayed in the folder structure of the drive on the PC.

What camera types support sideKick? We support any camera that has either a HDMI or HD-SDI output. Keep in mind we will support DSLR cameras if it outputs a valid HDMI signal. We know that some of the DSLR cameras are in the process of fixing their output to remove the viewfinder overlay. Please check with your camera manufacturer for updates. The good news is our sideKick HD solution offers both HDMI and HD-SDI inputs and outputs. This gives you the flexibility on your camera choices both today and in the future.

How do I update my firmware on my sideKick? Just download the new firmware file from our website (ffv.com) onto your SSD drive. Once you insert the SSD drive into your sideKick HD unit it will automatically recognize the new firmware and prompt you to install it. The entire process takes less than a couple of minutes.

How long does it take to format a drive? It will take a couple of minutes to format your 128GB SSD Drive. Keep in mind if you re-format the drive you will lose any and all video files stored on the drive.

How do I get my files into my FCP? Once you connect the SSD to your computer, simply drag and drop the video files into Final Cut Pro’s timeline, canvas window or project browser.

Can I view ProRes files on my computer? Yes you can view the files on any computer; you simply need the free QuickTime viewer from Apple.

What are the main competitive advantages of the sideKick compared to other solutions in the market? sideKick offers a number of competitive advantages….extremely lightweight, both HDMI and HD-SDI input and outputs (plus we cross convert the outputs), ease of use (simple menu very intuitive), a nice jog wheel so you can scrub and jog the video, along with 25 years of DVR experience makes FFV the right choice.