For more information, contact:
A&R Partners for Be, Incorporated
Elena Frigeri, 650/762-2837
lauslen@arpartners.com
In Europe:
Be Incorporated
Marie-Francoise Lelong-Weinberg, +33 (0)1 55 91 77 36
efrigeri@arpartners.com
FOCUS Enhancements, Inc.
Bill Schillhammer, 978/988-5888
www.FOCUSinfo.com
Steve Sheldon, 978/988-5888 (Investors)
Roher Public Relations, 212/986-6668 (Press)
rroher@roherpr.com
FOCUS Enhancements and Be Team to Incorporate TV-out Technology in BeIA
Focus' FS450 Chip technology to run on BeIA, the complete IA solution
CAMPBELL, Calif. and MENLO PARK, Calif.-- Jan. 30, 2001 -- FOCUS Enhancements, Inc. (Nasdaq: FCSE) and Be
Incorporated (Nasdaq: BEOS) today announced an agreement that will
enable Internet appliances powered by BeIA, the complete IA solution,
to utilize a TV as a display.
Under the agreement, Be will distribute the software driver for
the FOCUS FS450 TV-out chip as part of the BeIA Client Platform. By
including the chip in a BeIA-powered Internet appliance, a
manufacturer can sell the device without a monitor. This solution
enables the manufacturer to offer significantly lower priced IAs to
consumers, who can simply plug the devices into their existing TVs.
``While there are other TV-out solutions in the market, the FS450
is the first to produce truly high-quality graphics,'' said Lamar
Potts, Vice President, Sales and Marketing for Be. ``Virtually everyone
in the U.S. owns a TV, and our work with FOCUS allows manufacturers
using the BeIA platform to target consumers who want to use their TV
to access the Internet.''
``One of the features that makes an Internet appliance so
attractive to the end-user is the low price point over a PC solution,''
said Bill Schillhammer, Vice President of OEM Sales for FOCUS
Enhancements. ``FOCUS's FS450 technology is critical to reading the
small fonts found browsing the web and when using the wide range of
televisions found in homes. The FS450 has features specifically
designed to enhance the viewing experience allowing the TV to rival
monitors. The BeIA Client Platform provides a low cost IA solution
making it possible to hit even lower price points while not
compromising functionality.''
About BeIA: The Complete IA Solution
BeIA consists of three components; the BeIA Client Platform, the
BeIA Management and Administration Platform (MAP), and BeIA
Integration Services. The BeIA Client Platform is a small
footprint-operating environment for the device. BeIA MAP allows a
service provider to manage the operation and update BeIA Client
Platforms with no intervention on the part of the end user, so the
device will operate reliably without user intervention. Through the
BeIA Integration Services, Be assists device creators in the
development and deployment of the devices.
About the FS450
The FS450 chip incorporates a broadcast quality encoder and
programmable, flat, artifact-free scaling and an advanced 2D-flicker
filter and it is targeted for Internet set-top boxes, Cable/DVD Player
set-top boxes, web appliances, and video kiosks. The FS450 supports
XGA resolutions up to 1024x768. This allows full page web-browsing on
a TV without special formatting requirements.
About Be
Founded in 1990, Be Incorporated creates software solutions that
enable rich media and Web experiences on personal computers and
Internet appliances. Be's headquarters are in Menlo Park, Calif., and
its European office is in Paris, France. It is publicly traded on the
Nasdaq National Market under the symbol BEOS. Be can be found on the
Web at http://www.be.com.
About Focus Enhancements, Inc.
FOCUS Enhancements, Inc. (NASDAQ: FCSE - news) develops and markets
advanced, proprietary video conversion ASICs for the converging,
multi-billion dollar Internet, computer and television industries. The
Company's technology, which is sold globally through Original
Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and resellers, merges
computer-generated graphics and television displays for Internet
viewing, presentations, training, education, video teleconferencing,
and home gaming markets.
FOCUS Enhancements, (408) 866-8300, 1370 Dell Avenue, Campbell, CA
95008, www.focusinfo.com
Forward-Looking Statements
Forward-looking statements in this release are made pursuant to
the ``safe harbor'' provisions of the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995. The statements contained in this release, which
are not historical facts, are forward-looking statements. Investors
are cautioned that such forward-looking statements involve risks and
uncertainties including, without limitation, continued acceptance of
the companies' products, increased levels of competition for the
companies; new products and technological changes, the companies'
dependence upon third-party suppliers, intellectual property rights
and other risks detailed from time to time in the companies' periodic
reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Readers are
cautioned not to put undue reliance on any forward-looking statements
contained herein, which speak only as of the date hereof. The
companies undertake no obligation to release publicly any revisions to
forward- looking statements that may be made to reflect events after
the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
In addition, the forward-looking statements contained herein are
subject to risks and uncertainties, including the successful
integration of Videonics into FOCUS, fluctuations in operating
results, the timely development and acceptance of new products,
product availability from suppliers, the impact of competitive
products and pricing, changing TV standards and other risks set forth
under the caption ``Certain Factors That May Affect Future Results'' in
Focus and Videonics Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 1999, in its quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the
quarter ended March 31, 2000, June 30, 2000, September 30, 2000 and
other filings with the SEC by both FOCUS and Videonics. All
forward-looking statements related to Be Incorporated and its products
are expressly qualified in their entirety by the ``Risk Factors'' and
other cautionary statements included in Be Incorporated's Annual
Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 1999, and other
public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.