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EX-32 - HAUPPAUGE DIGITAL INCv206632_ex32.htm
EX-23 - HAUPPAUGE DIGITAL INCv206632_ex23.htm
EX-21 - HAUPPAUGE DIGITAL INCv206632_ex21.htm
EX-31.2 - HAUPPAUGE DIGITAL INCv206632_ex31-2.htm
EX-31.1 - HAUPPAUGE DIGITAL INCv206632_ex31-1.htm
 
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-K

(Mark One)

x
ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended              September 30, 2010

OR

¨
TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from                              to                            

Commission file number          1-13550

HAUPPAUGE DIGITAL INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware
11-3227864
(State or other jurisdiction of
(I.R.S Employer
incorporation or organization)
Identification No.)

91 Cabot Court, Hauppauge, New York
11788
(Address of principal executive offices)
(Zip Code)

Issuer's telephone number, including area code    (631) 434-1600

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12 (b) of the Act:

Title of each class
Name of each exchange on which registered
   
Common Stock, $.01 par value
The NASDAQ Stock Market

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12 (g) of the Act:

None
(Title of class)

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.

¨ Yes                                                        x No

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Act.

¨ Yes                                                        x No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15 (d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding twelve (12) months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past ninety (90) days.

x Yes                                                        ¨ No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).
¨ Yes                                                        ¨ No

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant's knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.  x

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer,  a non-accelerated filer or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer”, “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.  (Check One):

¨  Large Accelerated Filer
¨  Accelerated  Filer
   
¨ Non-Accelerated Filer
x Smaller reporting company
(Do not check box if smaller reporting company)
 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule12b-2 of the Act).

¨ Yes                                                        x  No

The aggregate market value of the voting stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant as of the close of business on March 31, 2010 was approximately $6,743,406 based upon the last price reported on such date on the NASDAQ Global Market.  Non-affiliates include all stockholders other than officers, directors and 5% stockholders of the registrant.

As of December 29, 2010, the number of shares of Common Stock, $0.01 par value, outstanding was 10,081,889.  

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

None.
 
 
 

 
PART I

 Special Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements

This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements as that term is defined in the federal securities laws.  The events described in forward-looking statements contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K may not occur.  Generally these statements relate to business plans or strategies, projected or anticipated benefits or other consequences of our plans or strategies, financing plans, projected or anticipated benefits from acquisitions that we may make, or projections involving anticipated revenues, earnings or other aspects of our operating results or financial position, and the outcome of any contingencies.  Any such forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections of management.  We intend for these forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe-harbor provisions for forward-looking statements.  Words such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “believe,” “anticipate,” “project,” “plan,” “intend,” “estimate,” and “continue,” and their opposites and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements.  We caution you that these statements are not guarantees of future performance or events and are subject to a number of uncertainties, risks and other influences (including, but not limited to, those set forth in “Item 1A–Risk Factors”), many of which are beyond our control, that may influence the accuracy of the statements and the projections upon which the statements are based.  Any one or more of these uncertainties, risks and other influences could materially affect our results of operations and whether forward-looking statements made by us ultimately prove to be accurate.  Our actual results, performance and achievements could differ materially from those expressed or implied in these forward-looking statements.  We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether from new information, future events or otherwise.  All cautionary statements made in this Annual Report on Form 10-K should be read as being applicable to all related forward-looking statements wherever they appear.
 
ITEM 1.  BUSINESS
 
OVERVIEW

We are a developer of analog and digital TV tuner and other products for the personal computer market. Through our Hauppauge Computer Works, Inc., Hauppauge Digital Europe Sarl and PCTV Systems Sarl subsidiaries, we design, develop, manufacture and market analog, digital and other types of TV tuners and other devices that allow PC users to watch television on a PC screen in a resizable window. Our products also enable the recording of TV shows to a PC’s hard disk, receiving of digital TV data transmissions, and the display of digital media stored on a computer to a TV set via a home network.  We were incorporated in Delaware in August 1994 and are headquartered in Hauppauge, New York. We have administrative offices in Luxembourg, Ireland and Singapore,  sales offices in Germany, London, Paris, The Netherlands, Sweden, Italy, Spain, Singapore, Taiwan and California and research and development centers in Hauppauge, New York, Braunschweig, Germany and Taipei,Taiwan.

OUR STRATEGY

Since our entry into the PC video market in 1991, management believes that we have become a leader in bringing TV content to PCs by focusing on five primary strategic fronts:

 
·
innovating and diversifying our products
 
·
introducing new and desirable features in our products
 
·
expanding our domestic and international sales and distribution channels
 
·
forging strategic relationships with key industry players
 
·
outsourcing  our production to contract manufacturers

As more people are looking to  PCs for a total entertainment experience, we believe that our products are able to enhance the capabilities of the PC to enable it to become a one-stop integrated entertainment system.  We feel our current products and products we may introduce in the future have the potential to be ubiquitous in PC-based home entertainment systems.

 
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Our engineering group works on updating our current products to add new and innovative features that the marketplace seeks, while remaining vigilant in keeping our manufacturing costs low and trying to ensure that our products are compatible with new operating systems. This work is done in addition to our research and development efforts in designing, planning and building new products.

During fiscal 2010 our engineering department introduced the WinTV Extend, a built-in Internet video server for the WinTV v7.2 application.  WinTV Extend  takes a live TV signal received through one of the Hauppauge WinTV or PCTV tuner products and sends the live TV to your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac or PC computer over either a home WiFi connection or over the Internet.  In addition, we introduced the MediaMVD-HD High Definition digital media player and introduced new TV tuner products with the PCTV DV-T2 high definition digital TV receiver for the UK plus the PCTV 282e Flash Stick and the PCTV DVBV-S2 460e stick.

During fiscal 2009 our engineering department introduced software support for all of our WinTV-HVR and WinTV-NOVA products for use with the Microsoft Windows 7 operating system. In addition, we introduced new TV tuner products with the WinTV-Ministick, the WinTV-Aero Stick,  the  WinTV-HVR-930 Triple  mode TV tuner stick, the PCTV Nano-stick 73e Ultimate, and the PCTV Picostick.

All of these products are designed to run under the Microsoft Windows 7 operating system in addition to  Microsoft Vista and Microsoft  Windows XP.  The products for North America are designed to support the NTSC analog cable TV standard plus over-the-air ATSC high definition TV and clear QAM digital cable TV.

We believe that strategic relationships with key suppliers, PC manufacturers, technology providers, and internet and e-commerce solutions providers give us important advantages in developing new technologies and marketing our products.  By jointly working with, and sharing our engineering expertise with a variety of other companies, we seek to leverage our investment in research and development and minimize time to market.

Our domestic and international sales and marketing team cultivates a variety of distribution channels comprised of computer and electronic retailers, computer products distributors and PC manufacturers.  Electronic retailers include retail stores, web stores and third-party catalogs, both print and on-line, among others.  We work closely with our retailers to enhance sales through joint advertising campaigns and promotions. We believe that developing our international presence contributes to our strategic position, allowing us to benefit from investments in product development, and more firmly establishing our Hauppauge®, WinTV®, PCTV and MediaMVP™ brand names in the international marketplace. We currently have ten sales offices in countries outside of the U.S. and a sales and R&D facility in Taiwan to service the growing Asian market.

We seek to maintain and improve our profit margins by, among other things, outsourcing our production to contract manufacturers suited to accommodate the type and volume of our needs. We also leverage international supplier relationships to assist us in receiving competitive prices for the component parts we buy. We believe this two-tiered approach allows us to be the lowest cost / highest quality producer in our marketplace. This approach enables us to focus our human and financial resources on developing, marketing and distributing our products.    Successfully engineering products to have low production costs and commonality of parts along with the use of single platforms for multiple models are additional important ways that we believe our design and build strategy contributes to our financial performance.
 
PRODUCTS
 
 Our products fall under three product categories:

 
·
Analog TV tuners
 
·
Digital  TV tuners, and combination analog  plus digital TV tuner products
 
·
Non-TV tuner products such as our digital media players
 
 
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See “Item 7- Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and the Consolidated Financial Statements comprising part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional information relating to our operating segments.
 
Analog TV Tuners

Our analog TV tuner products enable, among other things, a PC user to watch analog cable TV in a resizable window on a PC.  Although we continue selling analog TV tuners in regions outside of the United States, we have stopped developing  analog only  TV tuners,  concentrating our engineering resources on digital TV tuners and combination hybrid analog and digital TV tuners, which is detailed in the section entitled “Digital TV Tuners".

With the global shift to digital TV broadcasts, the sales of our analog family products have been declining and we expect this decline to continue during the transition from analog to digital broadcasts.
 
Digital TV and Combination Analog plus Digital TV Tuner Products

Our digital TV tuner products enable, among other things, a PC user to watch digital television in a resizable window on a PC or laptop screen.  There are different digital TV standards throughout the world, and we develop TV tuner products for many of these digital TV formats. Examples of digital TV broadcasts we can receive on our TV tuner products include: over-the-air high definition ATSC, clear QAM and DVB-C digital cable, digital terrestrial DVB-T, digital satellite DVB-S and DVB-S2. To support these digital TV formats, and as many of our primary markets  transition from analog to digital TV, we have been concentrating our engineering resources on digital TV tuner products and have discontinued development on analog only TV tuners.

We have a line of external TV tuners called TV tuner “sticks”. TV tuner “sticks” are small TV tuners which connect to a PC, notebook or netbook computer through the USB port.  TV tuner “sticks’ are typically used for mobile PC users and others who want the flexibility to simply insert a USB TV tuner and watch TV on their screen. The small size and UPC plug-in capability are good for use in laptops while traveling.

Our WinTV-NOVA products are digital only TV tuners for PCs.  They support the various forms of digital TV and come in either an internal or external form factor.

Our  WinTV-NOVA-T is a  DVB-T digital terrestrial  tuner for our  European markets  which allows for the viewing of digital terrestrial TV and listening to digital radio on a PC. The product also allows recording of  digital TV and radio to a hard drive.  This product is available as either a PCI card or an external USB device.

Our WinTV-NOVA-T-500 is a dual tuner DVB-T tuner for our European markets which uses “Diversity Technology” and allows for the viewing of digital terrestrial programs while recording another program. The product  also allows recording of two digital TV programs simultaneously or watching one channel while recording another.

Our WinTV-NOVA-T-USB2 is an external high performance DVB-T digital TV tuner, with dual tuners for recording of two digital TV programs simultaneously or watching one channel while recording another.

Our WinTV-NOVA-T TV tuner stick is a pocket sized external DVB-T tuner for our European markets  which allows  for the viewing of digital terrestrial TV and the listening of digital  radio on a PC or laptop. The product also allows recording of  digital TV and radio  to a hard drive. The product’s pocket size and UPC plug-in capability is good for use in laptops while traveling.

Our WinTV-NOVA-TD stick, introduced during fiscal 2008, is a pocket-sized external DVB-T tuner for our European markets, employs “Diversity Technology” with the use of two antennas  to maximize the reception  for the  viewing of digital terrestrial TV on a PC or laptop. The product also allows recording of digital TV to a hard drive in high quality MPEG-2 format. The product’s pocket size and UPC plug-in capability is good for use in laptops while traveling.

Our WinTV-Aero stick is a small but powerful external DVB-T tuner with a built-in telescoping antenna  for our European markets  which allows  a user to watch and record DVB-T digital TV programs. It has a compact design and was designed for mobile laptop computers and compact netbook computers. The WinTV-Aero comes with a remote control and has a built-in external connector which allows a user to connect it to a rooftop TV antenna when the user is inside their  home or office building.

 
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Our WinTV-Ministick is a small and portable  external DVB-T tuner for our European markets  which allows  a user to watch and record digital TV programs on a netbook, laptop or desktop computer. WinTV-Ministick comes with a remote control and a portable digital TV antenna which allows a user to watch TV at home or when they travel.

Our WinTV-HVR products are combinations of both digital TV and analog TV tuners on an internal TV tuner board or external USB TV tuner.

Our WinTV-HVR-900 stick is a pocket sized  external tuner for our European markets  which allows  for the viewing of digital terrestrial and analog terrestrial  TV  on a PC or laptop.  Digital and analog programs can be recorded to a hard drive in high quality MPEG-2 format.

Our WinTV-HVR-930C stick is a triple mode external tuner for our European markets which allows for the viewing of digital cable TV and radio, digital terrestrial TV and radio and analog cable or analog terrestrial TV  on a PC or laptop. This product allows the recording of digital and analog programs to a hard drive in high quality MPEG-2 format and includes a DVB-T antenna.

Our WinTV-HVR-950Q stick is a pocket sized external tuner for our North American markets which allows for the viewing of  ATSC high definition  TV and NTSC cable  TV  on a PC or laptop. The product also allows recording of digital and analog programs to a hard drive in high quality MPEG-2 format.

Our WinTV-HVR-1100 and WinTV-HVR-1300 are PCI based tuners for our European markets, which are designed to be installed inside a desktop PC. These TV tuners allow the viewing of digital terrestrial and analog terrestrial TV on a PC screen, in addition to listening to FM radio and DVB-T radio through a PC’s audio system. These products also allow the recording of digital and analog programs to a hard drive in high quality MPEG-2 format.  The WinTV-HVR-1300 is the higher performance of the two models, in that it includes a hardware MPEG-2 encoder for recording analog TV directly to a PC’s hard disk.

Our WinTV-HVR-1400 and WinTV-HVR-1500, introduced during fiscal 2007, are dual tuner ExpressCard/54 cards designed for notebook computers with ExpressCard/54mm expansion slots.   These TV tuners are for analog and digital TV watching and recording on laptop computers, and allow the recording of  digital programs to a hard drive in high quality MPEG-2 format and the recording of analog programs.

Our WinTV-HVR-1600, introduced during fiscal 2007, is a PCI combination analog and digital TV tuner for our  North American  market. The WinTV-HVR-1600 is installed in an internal PCI slot in a desktop PC and allows the watching and recording of  ATSC high definition  TV and NTSC cable  TV. The WinTV-HVR-1600 can record all ATSC formats, including the 1080i format.  The WinTV-HVR-1600 also supports viewing and recording clear QAM digital cable TV channels and  includes a remote control and IR blaster which  changes the channels on your satellite or cable TV set top box.

Our WinTV-HVR-1800, introduced during fiscal 2007,  is a combination analog and digital PCI Express TV  tuner for our  North American  market. The WinTV-HVR-1800 allows the watching and recording of  ATSC high definition  TV, clear QAM digital cable TV and  NTSC analog cable  TV  on a PC.

Our WinTV-HVR-3300 is a  tri-mode PCI based TV tuner  for our European markets. The WinTV-HVR-3300 is installed in a desktop PC and allows watching and recording of digital terrestrial (DVB-T), satellite (DVB-S) and analog cable TV; in addition it has the ability to receive FM radio and DVB-T radio. When recording digital TV programs, the original broadcast format is used which preserves the quality of the recording.

Our WinTV-HVR-4400 is a quad-format PCI based TV tuner for our European markets. It is installed in a desktop PC and can be used to watch and record  digital terrestrial (DVB-T), digital satellite (DVB-S), high definition digital satellite (DVB-S2) and analog cable TV; in addition, it has the ability to receive FM radio and DVB-T radio. When recording digital TV programs, the original digital broadcast format is used which preserves the quality of the recording.

 
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Our  WinTV-NOVA-S  is a low cost DVB-S tuner for our European  markets which allows for the viewing of satellite based digital programming on a PC.  The product also allows for recording and playback of digital TV, using the high quality MPEG-2 format,  and for listening to digital radio.

Our HD PVR is a High-Definition video recorder for making real-time H.264 compressed video recordings at resolutions up to 1080i.  The HD PVR records component video from a game console such as the Playstation 3 or cable TV and satellite set top boxes. With a built-in IR blaster, the HD PVR can automatically change TV channels for scheduled recordings. The HD PVR recording format can be used to burn Blu-ray DVD disks. The HD PVRs  recording quality allows personal archival of  high definition TV programs from any component video HD set top box.  The HD PVR also has standard definition composite and S-Video inputs which allows you to record your old home video tapes into an AVCHD format for creating Blu-ray DVD recordings.

Our WinTV-HVR-1950  is a high performance external USB based TV tuner for your PC or laptop. The WinTV-HVR-1950  allows you to  watch, pause and record analog cable TV,  clear QAM digital cable TV, or ATSC over-the-air digital TV  at up to 1080i resolution.  The product comes with a remote control and IR blaster, and  contains a built-in hardware MPEG-2 encoder for use when recording analog video.

Our WinTV-HVR-2200 and WinTV-HVR-2250 products are dual tuner PCI Express based TV tuners designed to be installed in a desktop PC. These PCI Express boards allow a PC user to watch, pause or record two analog or digital TV programs at the same time.   A user can  either watch one TV program while recording another or can record two TV programs at once.  With the WinTV-HVR-2250, a user in North America can watch and record analog cable TV or high definition digital ATSC and clear QAM digital cable TV.  With the WinTV-HVR-2200, a user in Europe or Asia can watch or record analog PAL TV or digital DVB-T TV. Both of these products allow the recording of analog cable TV programs to a PC's hard disk with our built-in high quality MPEG-2 hardware encoder.
 
PCTV products

Our PCTV products allow Windows or Macintosh users to view television programming on their computers. Our PCTV line consists of a family of USB sticks  with a small and convenient form factor well-suited for use with laptops and PCI-based cards more appropriate for desktop users, in addition to PCI cards for  use in desktop computers. PCTV products are positioned as our  high end product offering. We believe that the positioning of the PCTV product line will be complementary to our existing WinTV line and will broaden our product offerings.

Other Non-TV Tuner Products
 
(i)
MediaMVP™
 
Our MediaMVP™ is a Linux-based digital media device, and is one of a new class of PC products which link TV sets and PCs. Media, such as music, digital pictures, and digital videos, are transmitted from the PC, where they are stored, to the MediaMVP™, where they are converted from a digital format into an analog format, enabling playback on a TV connected to the MediaMVP™. MediaMVP™ was introduced to the market in fiscal 2003, and the first  shipments to customers  were made at the start of our  2004 fiscal year.

Our MediaMVP™ enables a user to watch and listen to PC-based videos, music and pictures on a TV set through a home network.  The MediaMVP™ connects to TV sets or home theater systems and, via an Ethernet network, plays back MP3 music, MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 videos,  and JPEG and GIF digital pictures that have been recorded and stored on a PC. The MediaMVP™ decodes this media and then outputs video through composite and S-Video connections for high  quality video on TV sets and high quality audio through stereo audio output connectors to TV sets or home theater systems.

Our MediaMVP™ also provides an on-TV-screen display of media directory listings. It receives commands from the supplied remote control, and sends these commands to the PC server. The TV menus are created on the PC server, sent over the Ethernet LAN and displayed by the MediaMVP™’s browser. The MediaMVP™’s remote control allows a user to pause, fast forward and rewind through videos, plus pause music and picture shows. A user can adjust the audio volume from the MediaMVP™’s  remote control, avoiding the need to use the TV’s  remote control.  The MediaMVP™  is available in a wired or wireless version.

 
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(ii)
Video Capture Products

Our ImpactVCB Video Capture Board (“ImpactVCB”) is a low cost PCI board for high performance access to digitized video.  Designed for PC-based video conferencing and video capture in industrial applications, the ImpactVCB features “live” video-in-a-window, still image capture and drivers for Windows® 2000, Windows® XP, Windows® NT and Windows® 98. There are third party drivers and applications for use with the Linux operating system.

Our USB Live is an easy way to watch video, grab images and video conference on the PC with the addition of a camera.  It plugs into the PC’s USB port for easy installation and brings video into users’ PCs from their camcorder or VCR.  Users can create video movies, save still and motion video images onto their hard disk with our software, and video conference over the internet with the addition of a camera or camcorder.
 
(iii)
Software Recording Products
 
Our WinTV Extend is a built-in Internet video server for the WinTV v7.2 application. WinTV Extend is standard in the WinTV v7.2 application. WinTV Extend will take your live TV signal and send it to your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac or PC computer over either a home WiFi connection or over the Internet

Our “Wing” software enables the user to record TV shows on a personal computer for playback on the Sony Playstation Portable (PSP), Apple iPod and other portable video players. Wing can also convert existing TV recordings to the PSP and iPod formats. With the emergence and popularity of portable video players, our Wing product provides an easy  solution for recording live TV shows for playback on these devices.
 
TECHNOLOGY
 
Analog TV Technology
 
We have developed four generations of products which convert analog video into digital video since our first such product was introduced in 1991.

The first generation of WinTV® products put the TV image on the PC screen using chroma keying, requiring a dedicated “feature connector cable” between the WinTV® and the VGA (video) board. Our initial customers were mostly professional PC users, such as financial market professionals who needed to be able to view stock market-related TV shows while spending many hours on their PCs, who found having TV in a window on their desktop useful and entertaining.

In 1993, we invented a technique called “smartlock”, which eliminated the need for the “feature connector cable.” In 1994, we introduced the WinTV®-Celebrity generation of TV tuner boards based on this smartlock technology, greatly improving customer satisfaction. At the time, our CinemaPro series of WinTV® boards then used smartlock and other techniques to further reduce cost and improve performance.

In June 1996, we introduced the WinTV®-PCI line of TV tuner boards for PCs. These boards were developed to eliminate the relatively expensive smartlock circuitry and memory used on the WinTV®-Celebrity and CinemaPro products. The WinTV®-PCI used a technique called “PCI Push” and was designed to be used in the then emerging Intel® Pentium® market. These Pentium®-based PCs had a new type of system expansion “bus”, called the PCI bus, which allowed data to be moved at a much higher rate than the older ISA bus, which the previous WinTV® generations used. The “PCI Push” technique moves the video image 30 times per second (in Europe the image is moved 25 times per second) over the PCI bus.  In addition to being less expensive to manufacture, the WinTV®-PCI had higher digital video movie capture performance than the previous generations, capturing video at up to 30 quarter screen frames per second.  With this higher performance capture capability, the WinTV®-PCI found new uses in video conferencing, video surveillance and internet streaming video applications.

 
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The fourth generation analog TV tuners are the WinTV®-PVR models which were first developed during fiscal 2000 and introduced to the market in early fiscal 2001. The WinTV®-PVRs include both internal PCI and external USB TV tuners which are designed to add the ability to record TV shows to a PC’s hard disk. The core technology in the WinTV®-PVR products is a hardware MPEG encoder, which compresses analog video from a TV tuner or external video source into an MPEG format in real time. MPEG is the compression format used on DVDs and for the transmission of digital TV.  This MPEG encoder is a purchased chip, to which we add our driver and application software to create the recording and program pause functions. Our WinTV®2000 application was enhanced to add the functions needed to record, pause and play back TV on a PC screen.
 
Digital TV Technology

 
Our WinTV®-D board, developed during the 1999 fiscal year and delivered to the market in the beginning of fiscal 2000, was the first ATSC digital TV tuner for the North American market which allowed PCs to receive, display and record over-the-air digital TV signals. ATSC digital television is the digital TV standard for North America which has replaced analog television in the United States and Canada.  In the U.S., all analog over-the-air television transmissions have ceased as of June 19, 2009 and only digital TV transmissions will be broadcast.  Since our first ATSC digital TV tuner delivered in 2000, we have introduced 8 new digital TV tuners for use in North America.

In fiscal 1999, we also introduced the WinTV®-DVB board for the European market. This board brings European digital TV to PCs, and is based on the Digital Video Broadcast standard.  Both the WinTV®-D and the WinTV®-DVB have the ability to receive special data broadcasts which some broadcasters may send along with the digital TV signal, in addition to displaying digital TV in a resizable window. Data broadcasts on digital TV are transmitted at several million bits per second. Our proprietary software can decode and display some of these special data broadcasts. We may  work on standardized reception and display software, if such broadcasts become standardized.

The software to control the digital TV reception is based on our WinTV®-2000 software, which was developed during fiscal 1999 and has had a major update in 2006 and 2008.  Over the two fiscal years ended September 30, 2010, we have further developed the digital TV reception capabilities of our digital family of products and as of September 30, 2010 we have 18 products for DVB-T terrestrial, DVB-S and DVB-S2 satellite, ATSC and clear QAM digital TV reception.  In addition, there are seven PCTV products which allow digital TV to be watched on a PC or notebook computer.

Our MediaMVP™ is a device which allows TV recordings which are stored on a PC or notebook computer to be viewed on a TV set. Based on the Linux operating system, the MediaMVP™ works in a client/server system with a PC, communicating with the PC ‘server’ and receiving digital media from the PC and displaying the media on the TV set. The core technology to the MediaMVP™ comprises the configuration and enhancements to the Linux operating system, the user interface displayed on the TV set, and the technology to transmit digital media reliably over the local area network. The MediaMVP™  is available in a wired or wireless version.
 
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
 
Our development efforts are focused on extending the range and features of our existing products and developing additional internal and externally attached TV tuner products. We intend to develop more highly integrated versions of hardware products to further improve performance and price points, and new versions of software to add features, improve ease of use, and provide support for new operating systems.

As of September 30, 2010, we had three research and development operations: one based in our Hauppauge, New York headquarters, one based in Taipei, Taiwan, ROC and one in Braunschweig, Germany.  The New York and Taiwan R&D operations are aimed at extending the range and features of our digital/analog products, developing additional externally attached TV products, additional high-definition digital TV products and portable digital players. The Braunschweig, Germany PCTV research and engineering facility is responsible for the updating and enhancement of the current PCTV line in addition to developing new PCTV products.

The technology underlying our products and certain other products in the computer industry, in general, is subject to rapid change, including the potential introduction of new types of products and technologies, which may have a material adverse impact upon our business. See, “Item 1A — Risk Factors”.

 
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We maintain an ongoing research and development program. Our future success, of which there can be no assurances, will depend, in part, on our ability to respond quickly to technological advances by developing and introducing new products, successfully incorporating such advances in existing products, and obtaining licenses, patents, or other proprietary technologies to be used in connection with new or existing products. We continue to invest in research and development. We spent approximately $4,459,000 and $4,422,000 for research and development expenses for the years ended September 30, 2010 and 2009, respectively.  There can be no assurance that our current and future research and development will be successful or that we will be able to foresee, and respond to, advances in technological developments and to successfully develop other products. Additionally, there can be no assurances that the development of technologies and products by competitors will not render our products or technologies non-competitive or obsolete.   See “Item 1A- Risk Factors.”
 
PRODUCTION AND SUPPLIERS
 
We design the hardware for most models of the WinTV, PCTV and MediaMVP  products, and also write the operating software to be used in conjunction with many versions of the Microsoft Windows operating system, including Windows 7 and Windows Vista.

During fiscal 2010, we sub-contracted the manufacturing and assembly of most of these products to six independent third parties at facilities in various Asian countries. We monitor and test the quality of the completed products at any one of our facilities in the U.S. (Hauppauge, New York), Singapore or Ireland before packaging the products and shipping them to our customers. We also buy some models of TV tuner products, such as the WinTV Nova-t-Stick   and XFones from other unrelated third party companies, add Hauppauge software and sell under our name or on a private label basis.

Most of the PCTV products sold by Hauppauge in 2009 were manufactured and assembled by Avid prior to the PCTV acquisition. They were provided to Hauppauge by Avid as part of the PCTV Inventory and Product Return Agreement, which ended on June 24, 2010.  Of the PCTV products not provided by Avid, we sub-contracted the manufacturing and assembly to two independent third parties.  These two contract manufacturers, both located in Asia, were previous used by Avid for the manufacturing of PCTV products.

Certain component parts, such as TV tuners, video decoder chips and software compression chips, plus certain assembled products, such as the WinTV-HVR stick products  that are essential to our business,  are available from a single source or limited sources.  Other essential component parts that are generally available from multiple sources may be obtained by us from only a single source or limited sources because of pricing concerns. See “Item 1A-Risk Factors.”

Components are subject to industry-wide availability and pricing pressures. Any availability limitations, interruption in supplies, or price increases could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition. In addition, our new products may initially utilize custom components obtained from only one source. See “Item 1A-Risk Factors.” We typically attempt to evaluate and qualify additional suppliers for these components.

Where a product utilizes a new component, initial capacity constraints of the supplier of that component may exist until such time as the supplier's yields have matured.

Components are normally acquired through purchase orders, either issued by us or by our contract manufacturers, typically covering our requirements for a 60-120 day period from the date of issue. Purchased assembled products are normally covered by longer term purchase orders. Our principal suppliers of component parts are  Dibcom S.A., NXP Semiconductors and  Conexant Systems.

If the supply of a key component, or a purchased assembled product, were to be delayed or curtailed, or in the event a key manufacturing vendor delays shipment of completed products to us or our contract manufacturer, our ability to ship products in desired quantities, and in a timely manner, will be adversely affected. Our business, operating results  and financial condition will likely be adversely affected, depending on the time required to obtain sufficient quantities from the original source or, if possible, to identify and obtain sufficient quantities from an alternative source. See “Item 1A-Risk Factors.” We attempt to mitigate these potential risks by working closely with our key suppliers on product introduction plans, strategic inventories, coordinated product introductions, and internal and external manufacturing schedules and levels.

 
9

 

We have, from time to time, experienced significant price increases and limited availability of certain components. Similar occurrences in the future could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition. See “Item 1A-Risk Factors.”

During fiscal 2010 and 2009, all WinTV, PCTV and MediaMVP manufacturing was performed by six unrelated contract manufacturers in Asia. Product design specifications are provided by our engineering team to ensure proper assembly. Contract manufacturing is primarily done on a consignment basis, in which we provide all the significant component parts and we pay for assembly charges and for certain additional parts for each board produced. Some products are purchased on a turnkey basis, in which all components and labor are provided by the manufacturer, and the manufacturing price includes parts and assembly costs. We monitor the quality of the finished product produced by our contract manufacturers. As of September 30, 2010, we had six qualified contract manufacturers located in Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan and China, who are capable of producing our products to our standards.  If demand were to increase dramatically, we believe additional production could be absorbed by these qualified contract manufacturers. For fiscal 2010 and 2009 we did not engage any contract manufacturers in Europe or North America.
 
CUSTOMER SERVICE AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT
 
We maintain customer service and technical support departments in our Hauppauge, New York headquarters, as well as in the U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Scandinavia, Taiwan and in Singapore. Technical support is provided to help with installation problems or pre-sale and post-sale questions on our products, while customer service provides repair service in accordance with our warranty policy free of charge for product that is within the warranty period.  During fiscal 2009 customer support and technical support for PCTV products was absorbed into the existing Hauppauge customer support and technical support infrastructure.
 
CUSTOMERS AND MARKETS
 
We primarily market our products to the personal computer market, including both Microsoft Windows and Apple Macintosh based systems. To reach this market, we sell to a network of computer retailers in the U.S., Europe and Asia and through computer products distributors and manufacturers. To attract new users to our products, from time to time we run special promotions and participate in cooperative advertising with computer retailers. We actively participate in trade shows to educate and train key computer retail marketing personnel. Most of our sales and marketing budget is aimed at the consumer market.

Apart from the typical home user, we also target business users. One example of a business application is in the securities brokerage industry where our product is primarily used to display financial TV shows in a window on a broker’s PC screen while the PC continues to receive financial information. We have sold our WinTV® products on a direct corporate sales  basis to two large financial services information providers for incorporation into their workstations, and several independent financial institutions. This market segment is typically project-based.

We also offer our products to PC manufacturers that either embed a WinTV® product in a PC that they sell, or sell the WinTV® as an accessory to the PC.
 
Sales Channels for Our Products

We primarily sell through a sales channel which consist of  retailers, PC manufacturers and distributors. We have no exclusive distributors and retailers. For fiscal 2010 no one customer accounted for more than 10% of our net sales.  For fiscal 2009, we had one customer, D&H Distributing, that accounted for approximately 12% of our net sales.

Our   PCTV products are offered as our high end line and are sold  through similar retail and distribution channels as our WinTV products.

 
10

 
 
Marketing and Sales

We market our products both domestically and internationally through our sales offices in the U.S. (New York and California), Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Taiwan and Singapore, plus through independent sales representative offices in the Netherlands, Spain, Scandinavia, Poland and Italy. For the fiscal 2010, approximately 46% of our sales were made within the United States while approximately 54% were made outside the United States. For fiscal 2009, approximately 48% of our net sales were made within the United States while approximately 52% were made outside the United States.  More information on our geographic segments can be obtained from “Item 7-Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” and  the notes to the “Consolidated Financial  Statements” which comprise part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

From time to time, we advertise our products in a number of consumer computer magazines. We also participate in retailers’ market promotion programs, such as store circulars and promotions and retail store displays.  These in-store promotional programs, magazine advertisements, plus a public relations program aimed at editors of key PC computer magazines and an active website on the internet, are the principal means of getting our product introduced to end users. Our sales in computer retail stores are closely related to the effectiveness of these programs, along with the technical capabilities of the products. We also list our products in catalogs of various mail order companies and attend trade shows.

For the most part we intend to absorb the marketing and sales of our PCTV line into our existing sales and marketing structure. Our existing sales personnel  handle the generating of sales orders and the PCTV line  follows  marketing and advertising programs that are similar to our WinTV programs.

We currently have fifteen sales people located in Europe, two sales people in the Far East and two sales people in the U.S., located in New York and California. In addition to our sales people we also utilize the services of 7 manufacturer representatives in the United States and 12 manufacturer representatives in  Europe.

See “Item 7-Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” with reference to a discussion on the impact seasonality has on our sales.
 
FOREIGN CURRENCY FLUCTUATIONS
 
For each of the fiscal years ended September 30, 2010 and 2009, at least 40% of our sales were generated by our European subsidiary and were invoiced and collected in local currency, which is primarily the Euro. On the supply side, since we  predominantly deal with North American and Asian suppliers and contract manufacturers,  approximately  95% of the our inventory required to support  our European sales is purchased and paid in U.S. Dollars.

The combination of sales billed in Euros supported by inventory purchased in U.S. Dollars results in an absence of a natural local currency hedge. Consequently, our financial results are subject to market risks resulting from the fluctuations in the Euro to U.S. Dollar exchange rates.

See “Item 1A-Risk Factors” and “Item 7-Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.”
 
COMPETITION
 
Our business is subject to significant competition. Competition exists from larger companies that possess substantially greater technical, financial, human, sales and marketing resources than we do. The dynamics of competition in this market involve short product life cycles, declining selling prices, evolving industry standards and frequent new product introductions.  We compete against a number of Asian and European companies.  Our MediaMVP™ product competes in the consumer electronics market, where competition comes from Sony Corporation., Toshiba Corporation, Cisco Systems, Inc. and others.

 
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We believe that competition from new entrants into our market will increase as the market for television in a PC expands. There can be no assurance that we will not experience increased competition in the future. Such increased competition may have a material adverse affect on our ability to successfully market our products. Competition is expected to remain intense and, as a result, we may lose some of our market share to our competitors. Further, we believe that the market for our products will continue to be price competitive and thus we could continue to experience lower selling prices, lower gross profit margins and reduced profitability levels for such products than in the past.  “Item 1A-Risk Factors”.

Though management believes that the delivery of TV via the internet will become more popular in the future, we believe that TV delivered via cable, broadcast or satellite will continue to dominate the way consumers watch live television. Since our products connect directly to cable, broadcast and satellite tuners, we view our products as the preferred way to watch and record TV on the PC.
 
PATENTS, COPYRIGHTS AND TRADEMARKS
 
With the proliferation of new products and rapidly changing technology, there is a significant volume of patents and other intellectual property rights held by third parties with regard to our market. There are a number of companies that hold patents for various aspects of the technologies incorporated in some of the PC and TV industries' standards.  Given the nature of our products and development efforts, there are risks that claims associated with such patents or intellectual property rights could be asserted by third parties against us.  We expect that parties seeking to gain competitive advantages will increase their efforts to enforce any patent or intellectual property rights that they may have.  The holders of patents from which we may have not obtained licenses may take the position that we are required to obtain a license from them.

If a patent holder refuses to offer such a license or offers such a license on terms unacceptable to us, there is a risk of incurring substantial litigation or settlement costs regardless of the merits of the allegations or which party eventually prevails. If we do not prevail in a litigation suit, we may be required to pay significant damages and/or cease sales and production of infringing products and accordingly, may incur significant defense costs.  Additionally, we may need to attempt to design around a given technology, although there can be no assurances that this would be possible or economical.

We currently use technology licensed from third parties in certain products.  Our business, financial condition and operating results could be adversely affected by a number of factors relating to these third-party technologies, including:

 
·
failure by a licensor to accurately develop, timely introduce, promote or support the technology
 
·
delays in shipment of products
 
·
excess customer support or product return costs due to problems with licensed technology and
 
·
termination of our relationship with such licensors

We may not be able to adequately protect our intellectual property through patent, copyright, trademark and other means of protection.  If we fail to adequately protect our intellectual property, our intellectual property rights may be misappropriated by others, invalidated or challenged, and our competitors could duplicate our technology or may otherwise limit any competitive technological advantage we may have. Due to the rapid pace of technological change, we believe our success is likely to depend more upon continued innovation, technical expertise, marketing skills and customer support and service rather than upon legal protection of our proprietary rights. However, we intend to aggressively assert our intellectual property rights when necessary.

Even though we independently develop most of our products and copyright the operating software which our products use, our success will depend, in a large part, on our ability to innovate, obtain or license patents, protect trade secrets and operate without infringing on the proprietary rights of others. We maintain copyrights on certain of our designs and software programs, but currently we have no patent on the WinTV® board or other products.

The trademarks “Hauppauge®”, “SoftPVR®”, “HardPVR®” , “MediaMVP®”  and "WinTV®"  have been registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

 
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See “Item  1A-Risk Factors” and  “Item 7-Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.”
 
EMPLOYEES
 
As of September 30, 2010, we employed 167  people domestically and internationally, including our executive officers, all of whom are employed on a  full-time basis, and  none of whom are represented by a union.   Included in the 167 employees are 23 employees located  in Braunschweig, Germany, primarily consisting of engineers and product support personnel,  formerly employed by Avid Technology, Inc., whom we hired  to support our PCTV operations.
 
CORPORATE STRUCTURE

Hauppauge Digital Inc. was incorporated in the state of Delaware on August 2, 1994. Listed below is a chart depicting our corporate structure.       

Corporate Organization Chart


Hauppauge Digital Inc. is the parent holding company.  Our subsidiaries function as follows:

Hauppauge Computer Works, Inc., incorporated in New York, is our United States operating company. It has locations in Hauppauge, New York and Danville, California. The Hauppauge, New York location functions as our company headquarters and houses the executive offices and is responsible for some or all of the following functions:

 
·
Sales
 
·
Technical Support
 
·
Research and development
 
·
Warehousing and shipping
 
·
Finance and Administrative

 
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·
Inventory planning and forecasting

Hauppauge Digital Europe Sarl (“HDE”), incorporated in Luxembourg, is our European subsidiary.  It has the
following wholly-owned subsidiaries:
 
·
Hauppauge Digital Asia Pte Ltd. (incorporated in Singapore)
 
·
Hauppauge Computer Works, GMBH (incorporated in Germany)
 
·
Hauppauge Computed Works Ltd. (incorporated in the United Kingdom)
 
·
Hauppauge Computer Works Sarl (incorporated in France)

The subsidiaries of HDE listed above function as sales and commission agents, and are primarily responsible for some or all of the following functions:
 
·
Directing and overseeing European sales, marketing and promotional efforts
 
·
Procuring sales and servicing customers
 
·
Sales administration
 
·
Technical support
 
·
Product and material procurement  support
 
·
Contract manufacturer and production support

Hauppauge Digital Europe Sarl  also  has a branch office in Blanchardstown, Ireland, which functions as our European distribution center and  is responsible for some or all of our following functions:
 
·
Warehousing of  product
 
·
Shipment of  product
 
·
Repair center
 
·
European logistics center

Hauppauge Digital Inc. Taiwan was incorporated during fiscal 2004 in Taiwan, ROC and is responsible for some or all of the following functions:
 
·
Sales administration for Asia and China
 
·
Research and development activities
 
PCTV Systems Sarl  (Luxembourg) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hauppauge Digital Inc.  This subsidiary  was created to be the holding company of certain assets and properties acquired from  Avid Technology, Inc., Pinnacle Systems, Inc.,  Avid Technology GmbH,  Avid Development GmbH and Avid Technology International BV.   PCTV Systems GMBH is a division of PCTV Systems Sarl, Luxembourg.  Located in Germany, PCTV Systems GMBH is responsible for PCTV research and development.

Hauppauge Computer Works, Inc. is in turn the holding company of a foreign sales corporation, Hauppauge Computer Works, Ltd, (incorporated in the U.S. Virgin Islands).

HCW Distributing Corp., incorporated in New York, is an inactive company.

Our executive offices are located at 91 Cabot Court, Hauppauge, New York 11788, and our telephone number at that address is (631) 434-1600.  Our internet address is http://www.hauppauge.com.
 
ITEM  1A.       RISK FACTORS
 
Our operating results and financial condition are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including those described below, that could materially adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition, any of which could negatively affect the trading price of our Common Stock.  Because of the following factors, as well as other variables affecting our business, operating results and financial condition, past performance may not be a reliable indicator of future performance, and historical trends should not be used to anticipate results or trends for future periods.

 
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If TV technology for the PC, or our implementation of this technology, is not accepted, we will not be able to sustain or expand our business.

Our future success depends on the growing use and acceptance of TV and video applications for PCs. The market for these applications is still evolving, and may not develop to the extent necessary to enable us to further expand our business. We have invested, and continue to invest, significant time and resources in the development of new products for this market.

Our:
 
·
dependence on sales of TV and video products for the PC
 
·
lack of market diversification
 
·
concentration on the North American and European market for the majority of our sales
 
·
potential inability to remain ahead of the development of competing technologies

could each have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition if we are unable to address any of the factors listed above.

We rely upon sales of a small number of product lines, and the failure of any one product line to be successful in the market could substantially reduce our sales.

We currently rely upon sales from our existing product lines of internal and external products to generate a majority of our sales. While we continue to develop additional products within these and other product lines, there can be no assurance that we will be successful in doing so. Consequently, if the existing or future products are not successful, sales could decline substantially, which would have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.

We rely heavily on the success of retailers, dealers and PC manufacturers to market, sell and distribute our products. If these channels are not effective in distributing our products, our sales could be reduced.

These retailers, dealers and PC manufacturers may not effectively promote or market our products or they may experience financial difficulties and even close operations.  Our sales channels are not contractually obligated to sell our products, and they typically sell on an “as needed” basis. Therefore, they may, at any time:

 
·
refuse to promote our products
 
·
discontinue the use of our products in favor of a competitor's product
 
Also, with a distribution channel standing between us and the actual end user, we may not be able to accurately gauge current demand and anticipate future demand for our products.  For example, retailers, dealers and PC manufacturers may place large initial orders for a new product just to keep their stores and products stocked with the newest TV tuners and not because there is a significant demand for them.

We operate in a highly competitive market, and many of our competitors have much greater resources, which may make it difficult for us to remain competitive.

Our business is subject to significant competition. Competition exists from larger companies that possess substantially greater technical, financial, human, sales and marketing resources than we do. The dynamics of competition in this market involve short product life cycles, declining selling prices, evolving industry standards and frequent new product introductions.  We compete against companies such as ATI Technologies Inc., a division of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc., and a number of Asian and European companies. Our MediaMVP™ product competes in the consumer electronics market, where competition comes from Sony Corporation, Toshiba Corporation, Cisco Systems, Inc. and others.

 
15

 

We believe that competition from new entrants will increase as the market for digital video in a PC expands. There can be no assurance that we will not experience increased competition in the future. Such increased competition may have a material adverse affect on our ability to successfully market our products. Competition is expected to remain intense and, as a result, we may lose some of our market share to our competitors. Further, we believe that the market for our products will continue to be price competitive and thus we could continue to experience lower selling prices, lower gross profit margins and reduced profitability levels for such products than in the past.

Rapid technological changes and short product life cycles in our industry and the availability of new products, services and technologies could harm our business.

The technology underlying our products and other products in the computer industry, in general, is subject to rapid change, including the potential introduction of new types of products, services and technologies, which may have a material adverse impact upon our business, operating results and financial condition.  The pervasive availability of new products, services (including internet services) and technologies may have a material adverse impact upon our business, operating results and financial condition.  We will need to maintain an ongoing research and development program, and our potential future success, of which there can be no assurances, will depend, in part, on our ability to respond quickly to technological advances by developing and introducing new products, successfully incorporating such advances in existing products, and obtaining licenses, patents, or other proprietary technologies to be used in connection with new or existing products.  We expended approximately $4,459,000 and $4,422,000 for research and development expenses for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2010 and 2009, respectively. There can be no assurance that our research and development will be successful or that we will be able to foresee and respond to such advances in technological developments and to successfully develop additional products. Additionally, there can be no assurances that the development of technologies, services or products by competitors will not render our products or technologies non-competitive or obsolete.

If TV or video capabilities are included in PCs or in operating systems, it could result in a reduction in the demand for add-on TV and video devices.  Although we believe that our software is a competitive strength, as operating systems such as Windows move to integrate and standardize software support for video capabilities, we will be challenged to further differentiate our products.  Our operating results and ability to retain our market share are also dependent on continued growth in the underlying markets for PC, TV and video products.

We may not be able to timely adopt emerging industry standards, which may make our products unacceptable to potential customers, delay our product introductions or increase our costs.

Our products must comply with a number of current industry standards and practices established by various international bodies. Failure to comply with evolving standards, including video compression standards, TV transmission standards, and PC interface standards, will limit acceptance of our products by the market. If new standards are adopted in the industry, we will be required to adopt those standards in our products. It may take a significant amount of time to develop and design products incorporating these new standards, and we may not succeed in doing so. We may also become dependent upon products developed by third parties and have to pay royalty fees, which may be substantial, to the developers of the technology that constitutes the newly adopted standards.

We are dependent upon foreign markets for sales of our products, primarily the European market, and adverse changes in these markets could reduce our sales.

Our future performance will likely be dependent, in large part, on our ability to continue to compete successfully in the European markets, where a large portion of our current and potential customers are located. Our ability to compete in these markets will depend on many factors, including:

 
·
the economic conditions in these regions
 
·
the value of the euro versus the U.S. dollar
 
·
the stability of the political environment in these regions
 
·
adverse changes in the relationships between major countries in these regions
 
·
the state of trade relations among these regions and the United States
 
·
restrictions on trade in these regions
 
·
the imposition or changing of tariffs by the countries in these regions on products of the type that we sell
 
·
changes in the regulatory environment in these regions

 
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·
export restrictions and export license requirements
 
·
restrictions on the export of critical technology
 
·
our ability to develop PC TV products that meet the varied technical requirements of customers in each of these regions
 
·
our ability to maintain satisfactory relationships with our foreign customers and distributors
 
·
changes in freight rates
 
·
our ability to enforce agreements and other rights in the countries in these regions
 
·
difficulties in staffing and managing international operations
 
·
difficulties assessing new and existing international markets and credit risks
 
·
potential insolvency of international customers and difficulty in collecting accounts

If we are unable to address any of these factors, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.

We are heavily dependent upon foreign manufacturing facilities for our products, primarily facilities in Asia, which exposes us to additional risks.

The majority of our products are built at contract manufacturing facilities in Asia. Our ability to successfully build products at overseas locations will depend on many factors, including:

 
·
the economic conditions in these regions
 
·
the acceptance of the U.S. dollar as the currency to purchase manufactured products
 
·
the stability of the political environment in these regions
 
·
adverse changes in the relationships between major countries in these regions
 
·
the state of trade relations among these regions and the United States
 
·
restrictions on trade in these regions
 
·
the imposition or changing of tariffs by the countries in these regions on products of the type that we sell
 
·
changes in the regulatory environment in these regions
 
·
import restrictions and import license requirements
 
·
our ability to maintain satisfactory relationships with our foreign manufacturers
 
·
changes in freight rates
 
·
difficulties in staffing and managing international operations
 
·
potential insolvency of vendors and difficulty in obtaining materials

If we are unable to address any of these factors, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.

Foreign currency exchange fluctuations could adversely affect our results.

For the two fiscal years ended September 30, 2010 and 2009, at least 40% of our sales were generated by our European subsidiary and were invoiced  and collected  in local currency, which was primarily the Euro. On the supply side, since we predominantly deal with North American and Asian suppliers and contract manufacturers, approximately 95% of our inventory required to support our European sales are purchased and paid in U.S. Dollars.

The combination of sales billed in Euros supported by inventory purchased in U.S. Dollars results in an absence of a natural local currency hedge. Consequently, our financial results are subject to market risks resulting from the fluctuations in the Euro  to  U.S. Dollar exchange rates.

See “Item 7—Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.”

 
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We may be unable to develop new products that meet customer requirements in a timely manner.

Our success is dependent on our ability to continue to introduce new products with advanced features, functionality and performance that our customers demand. We may not be able to introduce new products on a timely basis, that are accepted by the market, and that sell in quantities sufficient to make the products viable for the long-term. Sales of new products may negatively impact sales of existing products.  In addition, we may have difficulty establishing our products' presence in markets where they do not currently have significant brand recognition.

We may experience volatile gross profit margins.

Over the last two fiscal years our gross profit margins have ranged from a low of 15.03% to a high of 29.21%   due to the following factors, among others:

 
·
larger sales mix of lower margin products
 
·
changes in foreign currency exchange rates
 
·
allowances for excess inventory
 
·
increases in costs charged by contract manufacturers
 
·
increases in duty and tariff rates
 
·
increases in shipping costs
 
·
lower average selling prices
 
·
increases in material acquisition costs and
 
·
different gross margins for like products in different markets

As margins may decline, our profitability will be more dependent upon effective cost management controls.  There can be no assurances that such cost and management controls can be implemented and maintained, and if implemented, that they will be successful.

We have experienced, and expect to continue to experience, downward pricing pressure on our products, which could substantially impair our operating performance.

We are experiencing, and are likely to continue to experience, downward pricing pressure on our products. As a result, we have experienced, and we expect to continue to experience, declining average sales prices for our products.  Increases in the number of units that we are able to sell and reductions in per unit costs may not occur, and if they occur, they may not be sufficient to offset reductions in per unit sales prices, in which case our net income would be reduced and we could incur losses. Since we typically negotiate supply arrangements far in advance of delivery dates, we may need to commit to price reductions for our products before we are aware of how, or if, these cost reductions can be obtained. As a result, any current or future price reduction commitments and our inability to respond to increased price competition could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.

Our cost reduction and operational efficiency programs may not achieve the intended results

Changing economic and business conditions may dictate that we undertake  a plan of cost and operational efficiency reductions.  We cannot be certain that these programs will achieve their intended results. Additionally, these programs may be misplaced or insufficient for purposes of positioning us for future growth, in which case our long-term competitive position may suffer.  Failure of these programs, if any, could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.

We are dependent upon contract manufacturers for our production.  If these manufacturers do not meet our requirements, either in volume or quality, then we could be materially harmed.

During fiscal 2010, we subcontracted the manufacturing and assembly of our products to six independent third parties at facilities in various Asian countries.

Relying on subcontractors involves a number of significant risks, including:

·           loss of control over the manufacturing process
·           potential absence of adequate production capacity
·           potential delays in production lead times
·           unavailability of certain process technologies

 
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·           reduced control over delivery schedules, manufacturing yields, quality and costs, and
·           unexpected increases in component costs

We may need to hold more inventory than is immediately required to compensate for potential manufacturing disruptions.

If our significant subcontractors become unable or unwilling to continue to manufacture these products in required volumes, we will have to identify qualified alternate subcontractors. Additional qualified subcontractors may not be available, or may not be available on a timely or cost competitive basis. Any interruption in the supply of, or increase in the cost of,  the products manufactured by third party subcontractors could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.

We are dependent upon single or limited source suppliers for our components and assembled products.  If these suppliers do not meet the demand, either in volume or quality, then we could be materially harmed.

If the supply of a key component or assembled product, such as the WinTV-HVR-900, the WinTV-Nova-T-Stick or a PCTV product, were to be delayed or curtailed or in the event a key manufacturing or sole vendor delays shipment of such components or completed products, our ability to ship products in desired quantities and in a timely manner would be adversely affected. Our business, operating results and financial condition could also be adversely affected, depending on the time required to obtain sufficient quantities from the original source or, if possible, to identify and obtain sufficient quantities from an alternative source. We attempt to mitigate these potential risks by working closely with our key suppliers on product introduction plans, strategic inventories, coordinated product introductions, and internal and external manufacturing schedules and levels.  We are also seeking out alternative sources for assembled products, making us less dependent on a single or limited source.

We may need to hold more inventory than is immediately required to compensate for potential component shortages or discontinuation. This could lead to an increase in the costs of manufacturing or assembling our products.

If any single or limited source supplier becomes unable or unwilling to continue to supply these components or assembled products in required volumes, we will have to identify and qualify acceptable replacements or redesign our products with different components.  Additional sources may not be available, or product redesign may not be feasible on a timely basis. Any interruption in the supply of or increase in the cost of the components and assembled products provided by single or limited source suppliers could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.

We may incur excessive expenses if we are unable to accurately forecast sales of our products.

We generally ship products within one to four weeks after receipt of orders. Therefore, our sales backlog is typically minimal. Accordingly, our expectations of future net sales and our product manufacturing and materials planning are based largely on our own estimates of future demand and not on firm customer orders.

If we obtain orders in excess of our internal forecasts, we may be unable to timely increase production to meet demand which could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.  If our net sales do not meet expectations, our business, operating results and financial condition would be adversely affected, we may be burdened with excess inventory, and we may be subject to excess costs or inventory write-offs.

We may experience a reduction in sales if we are unable to respond quickly to changes in the market for our products.

Our net sales can be affected by changes in the quantity of products that our retail, distributor and PC manufacturer customers maintain in their inventories. We may be directly and rapidly affected by changes in the market, including the impact of any slowdown or rapid increase in end user demand. Despite efforts to reduce distribution channel inventory exposure,  retailers, distribution partners and PC manufacturer customers may still choose to alter their inventory levels, which could cause a reduction in our net sales; this could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.

 
19

 

We may accumulate inventory to minimize the impact of shortages from manufacturers and suppliers, which may result in obsolete inventory that we may need to write off resulting in losses.

Managing our inventory is complicated by fluctuations in the demand for our products as well as the issues of using contract manufacturers and procuring components from suppliers mentioned above. As we must plan to have sufficient quantities of products available to satisfy our customers' demands, we sometimes accumulate inventory for a period of time to minimize the impact of possible insufficient capacity or availability of components from our manufacturers and suppliers. Although we expect to sell the inventory within a short period of time, products may remain in inventory for extended periods of time and may become obsolete because of the passage of time and the introduction of new products or new components within existing products. In these situations, we would be required to write off obsolete inventory which could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.

We may need financing, and may not be able to raise financing on favorable terms, if at all, which could increase our costs and limit our ability to grow and operate.

We anticipate that we may need to raise additional capital in the future to continue our long term expansion plans, to respond to competitive pressures or to respond to unanticipated requirements.  On March 31, 2009, our line of credit with the JP Morgan Chase Bank expired and was not renewed.  We cannot be certain that we will be able to obtain financing on commercially reasonable terms, if at all.  Our failure or inability to obtain financing on acceptable terms could require us to limit our plans for expansion, incur indebtedness that has high rates of interest or substantial restrictive covenants, issue equity securities that will dilute existing stockholders’ holdings or discontinue a portion of our operations, each of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.

We may become involved in costly intellectual property disputes.

With the proliferation of new products and rapidly changing technology, there is a significant volume of patents and other intellectual property rights held by third parties. There are a number of companies that hold patents for various aspects of the technologies incorporated in some of the PC and TV industries' standards.  Given the nature of our products and development efforts, there are risks that claims associated with such patents or intellectual property rights could be asserted by third parties against us.  We expect that parties seeking to gain competitive advantages will increase their efforts to enforce any patent or intellectual property rights that they may have.  The holders of patents from which we may have not obtained licenses may take the position that it is required to obtain a license from them.

If a patent holder refuses to offer such a license or offers such a license on terms unacceptable to us, there is a risk of incurring substantial litigation or settlement costs regardless of the merits of the allegations, or which party eventually prevails. If we do not prevail in a litigation suit, we may be required to pay significant damages and/or to cease sales and production of infringing products and accordingly, may incur significant defense costs.  Additionally, we may need to attempt to design around a given technology, although there can be no assurances that this would be possible or economical.

We currently use technology licensed from third parties in certain products.  Our business, financial condition and operating results could be adversely affected by a number of factors relating to these third-party technologies, including:

 
·
failure by a licensor to accurately develop, timely introduce, promote or support the technology
 
·
delays in shipment of products
 
·
excess customer support or product return costs due to problems with licensed technology
 
·
termination of our relationship with such licensors

We may be unable to enforce our intellectual property rights.

We may not be able to adequately protect our intellectual property through patent, copyright, trademark and other means of protection.  If we fail to adequately protect our intellectual property, our intellectual property rights may be misappropriated by others, invalidated or challenged, and our competitors could duplicate our technology or may otherwise limit any competitive technological advantage we may have. Due to the rapid pace of technological change, we believe our success is likely to depend more upon continued innovation, technical expertise, marketing skills and customer support and service rather than upon legal protection of our proprietary rights. However, we intend to aggressively assert our intellectual property rights when necessary.

 
20

 

Even though we typically develop our products independently, our success, of which there can be no assurances,  will depend, in a large part, on our ability to innovate, obtain or license patents, protect trade secrets, copyrights and trademarks, and draw upon our proprietary technology without infringing on the proprietary rights of others. We maintain copyrights on our designs and software programs, but currently we have no patent on the WinTV® board as we believe that such technology cannot be patented.

We have no patents issued or pending that relate to our technology. We are subject to a number of risks relating to intellectual property rights, including the following:

 
·
the means by which we seek to protect our proprietary rights may not be adequate to prevent others from misappropriating our technology or from independently developing or selling technology or products with features based on or similar to our products
 
·
our products may be sold in foreign countries that provide less protection to intellectual property than is provided under U.S. laws
·
our intellectual property rights may be challenged, invalidated, violated or circumvented and may not provide us with any competitive advantage

We may not be able to attract and retain qualified managerial and other skilled personnel.

Our success, of which there can be no assurances, depends, in part, on our ability to identify, attract, motivate and retain qualified managerial, technical and sales personnel. Our success, of which there can be no assurances, is dependent on our ability to manage effectively the enhancement and introduction of existing and new products and the marketing of such products. We are particularly dependent on our ability to identify, attract, motivate and retain qualified managers, engineers and salespersons. The loss of the services of a significant number of engineers or sales people or one or more senior officers or managers could be disruptive to product development efforts or business relationships and could seriously harm our business.

We depend on a limited number of key personnel, and the loss of any of their services could adversely affect our future growth and profitability and could substantially interfere with our operations.

Our products are complex and our market is evolving. The success of our business depends in large part upon the continuing contributions of our management and technical personnel. The loss of the services of any of our key officers or employees could adversely affect our future growth and profitability and could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.

Our dependence upon our key officers and employees is increased by the fact that they are responsible for our sales and marketing efforts as well as our overall operations. We do not have key person life insurance policies covering any of our employees other than Mr. Plotkin, our  President, Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer.  The insurance coverage that we have on him may be insufficient to compensate us for the loss of his services.

 
21

 
 
Our products could contain defects, which could result in delays in recognition of sales, loss of sales, loss of market share, or failure to achieve market acceptance, or claims against us.

We develop complex products for TV and video processing. Despite testing by our engineers, subcontractors and customers, errors may be found in existing or future products. This could result in, among other things, a delay in recognition of sales, loss of sales, loss of market share, failure to achieve market acceptance or substantial damage to our reputation. We could be subject to material claims by customers, and may need to incur substantial expenses to correct any product defects. We do not have product liability insurance to protect against losses caused by defects in our products, and we also do not have "errors and omissions" insurance. As a result, any payments that we may need to make to satisfy our customers may be substantial and may result in a substantial charge to earnings.

We may experience fluctuations in our future operating results, which will make predicting our future results difficult.

Historically, our quarterly and annual operating results have varied significantly from period to period, and we expect that our results will continue to do so. These fluctuations result from a variety of factors, including:

·
market acceptance of our products
·
changes in order flow from our customers, and their inability to forecast their needs accurately
·
the timing of our new product announcements and of announcements by our competitors
·
increased competition, including changes in pricing by us and our competitors
·
delays in deliveries from our limited number of suppliers and subcontractors
·
difficulty in implementing effective cost management constraints; and
·
market and economic conditions

As our sales are primarily to the consumer market, we have experienced certain seasonal revenue trends. Our peak sales quarter, due to holiday season sales of computer equipment, is typically our first fiscal quarter (October to December), followed by our second fiscal quarter (January to March). In addition, our international sales, mostly in the European market, were 54% and 52% of sales for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2010 and 2009, respectively. Our fiscal fourth quarter sales (July to September) can be potentially impacted by the reduction of activity experienced in Europe during the July and August summer holiday period. Accordingly, any sales or net income in any particular period may be lower than the sales and net income in a preceding or comparable period. Period-to-period comparisons of our results of operations may not be meaningful, and should not be relied upon as indications of our future performance. In addition, our operating results may be below the expectations of securities analysts and investors in future periods. Failure to meet such expectations, should such an event occur, will likely cause our share price to decline.

Our Common Stock price is highly volatile.

The market price of our Common Stock has been, and may continue to be, subject to a high degree of volatility. Numerous factors may have a significant impact on the market price of our Common Stock, including:

·
general conditions in the PC and TV industries
·
product pricing
·
new product introductions
·
market growth forecasts
·
technological innovations
·
mergers and acquisitions

 
22

 

·
announcements of quarterly operating results
·
overall U.S. and international economic and market conditions and economic health
·
stability of the U.S. and international securities markets

In addition, stock markets have experienced extreme price volatility and broad market fluctuations in recent years. This volatility has had a substantial effect on the market price of securities issued by many high technology companies in many cases for reasons unrelated to the operating performance of the specific companies. The price of our Common Stock has experienced volatility not necessarily related to our performance.

We may not be able to maintain compliance with the requirements for continued listing under the NASDAQ Listing Rules or we may not be able to maintain our NASDAQ listing.

On October 6, 2009, NASDAQ notified us that we were subject to delisting based on our failure to timely hold our annual meeting.  On December 9, 2009, we held our annual meeting and on December 10, 2009, a NASDAQ Hearings Panel rendered its determination to continue our listing.

On November 18, 2009, we received a notice from NASDAQ indicating that we were not in compliance with the $1.00 minimum closing bid price requirement for continued listing on The Nasdaq Global Market, as set forth in NASDAQ Listing Rule 5450(a)(1) (the "Rule").  In accordance with NASDAQ Rule 5810(c)(3)(A), we were provided 180 calendar days, or until May 17, 2010, to regain compliance with the $1.00 minimum closing bid price requirement.  On May 24, 2010, we received written notification (the "May 24 Notice") from NASDAQ that we had regained compliance with the $1.00 minimum closing bid price requirement.  The May 24 Notice stated that, as a result of the our having satisfied the $1.00 per share minimum closing bid price requirement for the ten consecutive business days ending on May 21, 2010, we had regained compliance with the Rule and that this matter was now closed.

No assurances can be provided that we will be able to achieve or maintain compliance with the requirements for continued listing under the NASDAQ Listing Rules (including with respect to, among others things, minimum bid price and stockholders’ equity) or that we will maintain our NASDAQ listing.

We may not be able to maintain our listing on The Nasdaq Global Market or be eligible for admittance on The Nasdaq Capital Market.

Our Common Stock trades on The Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol HAUP.  If we fail to meet the continued listing standards of The Nasdaq Global Market, our Common Stock could be delisted from The Nasdaq Global Market.  We may not be eligible for admittance on the NASDAQ Capital Market.  If our securities are delisted by NASDAQ, then the market liquidity for such securities would likely be negatively affected, which may make it more difficult for holders to sell such securities in the open market, and we could face additional difficulty raising capital necessary for our continued operation.  Investors may find it more difficult to dispose of or obtain accurate quotations as to the market value of our securities.

Our Amended and Restated By-Laws and the Rights Agreement to which we are party may have anti-takeover effects, limiting the ability of outside stockholders to seek control of management, and any premium over market price that an acquirer might otherwise pay may be reduced and any merger or takeover may be delayed.

Effective August 16, 2001, the Board of Directors unanimously approved Amended and Restated By-Laws for us (the “By-Laws”).  The By-Laws do not permit stockholders to call a special meeting of stockholders and consequently, an expensive proxy contest cannot occur other than in connection with the annual meeting of stockholders.  The By-Laws also impose strict requirements for shareholder proposals and nominations of prospective board members other than those nominated by or at the discretion of the Board of Directors.  These amendments may collectively or individually impact a person’s decision to purchase voting securities in our company and may have anti-takeover effects in that any merger or takeover may be delayed.  Accordingly, any premium over market price that an acquirer might otherwise pay may be reduced.  On July 19, 2001, the Board of Directors declared a dividend distribution of one Right for each outstanding share of our Common Stock to stockholders of record at the close of business on August 5, 2001.  Each Right entitles the registered holder to purchase from us one Common Share at a purchase price of $11.00 per share, subject to adjustment and terms set out in the Rights Agreement between us and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as Rights Agent.

 
23

 
 
The Rights may have certain anti-takeover effects.  The Rights will cause substantial dilution to a person or group that attempts to acquire us in a manner which causes the Rights to become discount Rights unless the offer is conditional on a substantial number of Rights being acquired.  Accordingly, any premium over market price that an acquirer might otherwise pay may be reduced.

We have paid no dividends and none are anticipated.

We have never paid any cash dividends on our Common Stock and do not contemplate or anticipate paying any cash dividends on our Common Stock in the foreseeable future. It is currently anticipated that earnings, if any, will be used to finance the development and expansion of the business.  In addition, the Note contains restrictions on the payment of dividends, among other things.

We may not be able to effectively integrate businesses or assets that we acquire.

We may identify and pursue acquisitions of complementary companies and strategic assets, such as customer bases, products and technology.  However, there can be no assurance that we will be able to identify suitable acquisition opportunities.

If any such opportunity involves the acquisition of a business, we cannot be certain that:

 
·
we will successfully integrate the operations of the acquired business with our own
 
·
all the benefits expected from such integration will be realized
 
·
management's attention will not be diverted or divided, to the detriment of current operations
 
·
amortization of acquired intangible assets will not have a negative effect on operating results or other aspects of our business
 
·
delays or unexpected costs related to the acquisition will not have a detrimental effect on our business, operating results and financial condition
 
·
customer dissatisfaction with, or performance problems at, an acquired company will not have an adverse effect on our reputation
 
·
respective operations, management and personnel will be compatible.

In most cases, acquisitions will be consummated without seeking and obtaining stockholder approval, in which case stockholders will not have an opportunity to consider and vote upon the merits of such an acquisition.
 
Although we will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular acquisition, there can be no assurance that we will properly ascertain or assess such risks.

We have a history of operating losses and there can be no assurance that we will be profitable in the future.

We incurred losses from continuing operations for the last three fiscal years.  While we believe that, with the proper execution of our business and operating plan, our cash and cash equivalents as of September 30, 2010 and our internally generated cash will provide us with sufficient liquidity to meet our capital needs for the next twelve months, we must ultimately remain profitable or obtain financing to be able to meet our future cash flow requirements, and there can be no assurance that we will be able to do so.  In addition, there can be no assurance that we will be able to obtain financing on commercially reasonable terms, if at all.
 
ITEM  1B.       UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
 
Not applicable

 
24

 
 
ITEM  2.        PROPERTIES
 
We occupy a facility located at 91 Cabot Court, Hauppauge, New York that we use for our executive offices and for the testing, storage and shipping of our products.  Hauppauge Computer Works, Inc., (“HCW”) leased  the premises (the “1990 Lease”), from Ladokk Realty Co., a real estate partnership which is principally owned by Kenneth Plotkin, our  President, Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer  and the holder of approximately 8.44% of our shares of Common Stock as of  September 30, 2010,  Dorothy Plotkin, the wife of Kenneth Plotkin, holder of approximately 5.47% of our shares of Common Stock  as  September 30, 2010,  and Laura Aupperle, believed by us to be the holder of approximately 7.00% of our shares of Common Stock as of September 30, 2010.  We are obligated to pay real estate taxes and operating costs of maintaining the premises under the 1990 Lease.

The current lease on the premises commenced as of September 1, 2006 and ends on August 31, 2011 and calls for base  rent in the first year of the term of $300,000, payable monthly in the amount of $25,000. Rent is subject to an annual increase of 3% over the term. The execution of the current lease was approved by our Board of Directors, following the recommendation of our Audit Committee.  Under the current lease HCW is obligated to pay for utilities, repairs to the premises, and taxes during the term.

On May 1, 2001, Hauppauge Digital Europe Sarl commenced a lease of a 15,642 square foot building in Blanchardstown, Dublin, Ireland.  The facility houses our European warehousing and distribution center.   The lease, which is for the standard twenty-five year term in Ireland with the right to terminate by the lessee on the fifth and tenth year of the lease, calls for an annual rent of approximately $179,000.  The rent includes an allocation for common area maintenance charges.

Our PCTV Systems operation occupies approximately 8,400 square feet in Braunschweig, Germany. This location houses our PCTV engineering and product development personnel. The lease expires on March 31, 2014 and calls for an annual rent of approximately $115,000.

Our Singapore subsidiary, Hauppauge Digital Asia Pte Ltd., occupies approximately 5,400 square feet in Singapore, which it uses as a sales and administration office and for the testing, storage and shipping of our products. The lease expires on November 30, 2011 and calls for an annual rent of approximately $63,000. The rent includes an allocation for common area maintenance charges.

Our German subsidiary, Hauppauge Computer Works GMBH, occupies approximately 6,000 square feet in Mönchengladbach, Germany. It is used as our European sales office and customer support center.  It also has a product demonstration room and a storage facility.  Hauppauge Computer Works GMBH pays an annual rent of approximately $55,000 for this facility pursuant to a rental agreement, which expires on October 31, 2011.

HCW occupies a shared office facility at the Danville Business Center in Danville, California.  We use the California office as our western region sales office.   The lease expires on May 31, 2011 and requires us to pay an annual rent, which includes telecommunications services, of approximately $9,800.
 
ITEM 3.    LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
 
We are presently party to no pending material legal proceedings.
 
ITEM 4. (REMOVED AND RESERVED)

 
25

 
 
PART II

ITEM 5.       MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

Our Common Stock trades on the NASDAQ Global Market under the symbol HAUP.  The range of high and low sales prices for our Common Stock during the two fiscal years ended September 30, 2010 and 2009 were as follows:

Year ended September 30, 2010
 
High
   
Low
 
First Quarter
    1.12       0.62  
Second Quarter
    0.93       0.70  
Third Quarter
    3.93       0.86  
Fourth Quarter
    2.57       1.78  
Year ended September 30, 2009
 
High
   
Low
 
First Quarter
    1.16       0.82  
Second Quarter
    1.86       1.01  
Third Quarter
    1.40       1.03  
Fourth Quarter
    1.31       0.95  

We have been advised by our transfer agent, Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, that the approximate number of holders of record (registered holders) of our Common Stock as of December 28, 2010 was 141.

No cash dividends have been paid during the two fiscal years ended September 30, 2010. We have no present intention of paying any cash dividends in our foreseeable future and intend to use our net income, if any, in our operations.

On November 8, 1996, we approved a stock repurchase program.  The program authorized us to repurchase up to 850,000 shares of our own stock. The stock repurchase program was extended by a resolution of our Board of Directors on December 17, 1997.  At our August 3, 2007 Board meeting, our Board of Directors approved an increase in the number of shares which can be repurchased under the plan to 1,200,000.  As of September 30, 2010 we had repurchased 760,479 shares as an average price of $3.16

Securities Authorized for Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans

Set forth in the table below is certain information regarding the number of shares of our common stock that may be issued under options, warrants and rights pursuant to all of our existing equity compensation plans as of September 30, 2010.
 
Equity Compensation Plan Information
 
Plan Category
 
Number of securities
to be issued upon
exercise of
outstanding options,
warrants and rights
   
Weighted average
exercise price of
outstanding options,
warrants and 
rights
   
Number of securities
remaining available for
future issuance under
equity compensation
plans (excluding
securities reflected in the
first column)
 
Equity compensation plans approved by stockholders
    1,454,442     $ 3.31       326,625  
Equity compensation plans not approved by stockholders
     -     $ -       -  
Total
    1,454,442     $ 3.31       326,625  
 
 
26

 
 
ITEM 6.   SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

Item 301 of Regulation S-K “Selected Financial Data” is not required for Smaller Reporting Companies.

 
27

 

ITEM 7.   MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND  RESULTS OF  OPERATIONS

Results of operations
Twelve months ended September 30, 2010 compared to September 30, 2009.

Results of operations for the twelve months ended September 30, 2010 compared to September 30, 2009 are as follows:

   
Twelve
   
Twelve
                         
   
Months
   
Months
                         
   
Ended
   
Ended
   
Variance
   
Percentage of sales
 
   
9/30/10
   
9/30/09
   
$
   
2010
   
2009
   
Variance
 
                                       
Net Sales
  $ 56,918,617     $ 59,344,538     $ (2,425,921 )     100.00 %     100.00 %     -4.09 %
Cost of sales
    38,486,848       46,557,904       (8,071,056 )     67.62 %     78.45 %     -10.83 %
Gross Profit
    18,431,769       12,786,634       5,645,135       32.38 %     21.55 %     10.84 %
Gross Profit %
    32.38 %     21.55 %     10.83 %                        
Expenses:
                                               
Sales & marketing
    9,917,378       10,634,647       (717,269 )     17.41 %     17.92 %     -0.51 %
Sales & marketing-PCTV
    424,051       320,732       103,319       0.75 %     0.54 %     0.20 %
Technical support
    465,741       549,046       (83,305 )     0.82 %     0.93 %     -0.11 %
General & administrative
    3,446,878       3,433,719       13,159       6.06 %     5.79 %     0.26 %
General & administrative-PCTV
    291,647       266,250       25,397       0.51 %     0.45 %     0.06 %
Amortization of intangible assets
    754,836       566,127       188,709       1.33 %     0.95 %     0.37 %
Selling, general and administrative stock compensation expense
    278,549       347,069       (68,520 )     0.49 %     0.58 %     -0.10 %
Total  selling, general and administrative expense
    15,579,080       16,117,590       (538,510 )     27.37 %     27.16 %     0.20 %
Research  and development
    2,505,704       2,819,542       (313,838 )     4.40 %     4.75 %     -0.35 %
Research  and development-PCTV
    1,796,627       1,410,777       385,850       3.16 %     2.38 %     0.78 %
Research and development stock compensation expense
    156,584       191,616       (35,032 )     0.28 %     0.32 %     -0.04 %
Total expenses
    20,037,995       20,539,525       (501,530 )     35.21 %     34.61 %     0.59 %
Net operating  loss
    (1,606,226 )     (7,752,891 )     6,146,665       -2.83 %     -13.06 %     10.24 %
                                                 
Other income :
                                               
Interest income
    5,373       14,217       (8,844 )     0.01 %     0.02 %     -0.01 %
Interest  (expense)
    (4,340 )     (62,557 )     58,217       -0.01 %     -0.11 %     0.09 %
Foreign currency
    227,902       670,760       (442,858 )     0.40 %     1.13 %     -0.73 %
  Total other income
    228,935       622,420       (393,485 )     0.40 %     1.04 %     -0.66 %
Loss  before tax provision
    (1,377,291 )     (7,130,471 )     5,753,180       -2.43 %     -12.02 %     9.59 %
Deferred tax expense (benefit)
    264,247       (164,501 )     428,748       0.45 %     -0.28 %     0.73 %
Current income tax
    205,022       177,051       27,971       0.36 %     0.30 %     0.06 %
Net loss
  $ (1,846,560 )   $ (7,143,021 )   $ 5,296,461       -3.24 %     -12.04 %     8.80 %

Net sales for the twelve months ended September 30, 2010 decreased $2,425,921 compared to the twelve months ended September 30, 2009 as shown in the table below.

               
Increase
             
               
(decrease)
   
Increase
   
Percentage of sales by
 
   
Twelve Months
   
Twelve Months
   
Dollar
   
(decrease)
   
Geographic region
 
Location
 
Ended 9/30/10
   
Ended 9/30/09
   
Variance
   
Variance %
   
2010
   
2009
 
Domestic
  $ 26,194,015     $ 28,480,464     $ (2,286,449 )     -8 %     46 %     48 %
Europe
    29,329,137       28,932,928       396,209       1 %     52 %     49 %
Asia
    1,395,465       1,931,146       (535,681 )     -28 %     2 %     3 %
Total
  $ 56,918,617     $ 59,344,538     $ (2,425,921 )     -4 %     100 %     100 %

We experienced a decrease in unit sales of about 8.48%, while changes in sales mix, the addition of PCTV product line sales increased the average unit price by about 12.66%.  Sales were impacted by lower consumer demand primarily in Europe due to the weak global economic conditions and a weaker Euro exchange rate during the second half of our fiscal year.

 
28

 
 
Seasonal nature of sales
 

As the chart above indicates, there is a seasonal pattern to our quarterly sales.  Listed below are the primary causes of our
seasonal sales:

 
·
We primarily sell through a sales channel which consists of retailers, PC manufacturers and distributors.  Spurred on by holiday spending, our sales during our first fiscal quarter, which encompasses the holiday season, have historically been the highest of our fiscal year.
 
·
For each of the fiscal years ended September 30, 2009 and 2010 at least 40% of our sales were generated by our European subsidiary.  We typically experience a slowdown due to the summer holiday period in Europe starting with the second half of our fiscal third quarter and into the first half of our fiscal fourth quarter.  We also experience decreased sales in the U.S during the summer holiday months.  This has historically caused sales for the last six months of our fiscal year to be lower than the first six months of our fiscal year. As the chart above indicates, our sales for the first six months of fiscal 2009 and fiscal 2010 accounted for 51% and 56% of sales, respectively, and our sales for the last six months of fiscal 2009 and 2010 accounted for 49% and 44% of sales, respectively.

Although our strategy has been to diversify our sales to minimize the seasonal nature of our business, we anticipate similar seasonal trends for the near term future.

Gross profit

Gross profit increased $5,645,135 for the twelve months ended September 30, 2010 compared to the twelve months ended September 30, 2009.

 
29

 
 
The increase in the gross profit is detailed below:
   
Increase
 
   
(decrease)
 
Decrease in  sales
  $ (785,062 )
Higher gross profit on sales mix
    3,288,773  
Higher gross profit due Euro exchange rate
    227,024  
Lower production and production related costs
    278,691  
Change in accrued expense fees due to settlements and changes in estimates
    2,253,709  
Change in accrued expense fees due to correction of error related to prior periods
    382,000  
Total increase in gross profit
  $ 5,645,135  

Gross profit percentage for the twelve months ended September 30, 2010 was 32.38% compared to 21.55% for the twelve months ended September 30, 2009, an increase of 10.83%.

The increase in the gross profit percentage is detailed below:
   
Increase
 
   
(decrease)
 
Higher  gross profit on  sales mix
    5.89 %
Increase in gross  profit due  Euro exchange rate
    0.28 %
Lower  production and production related costs as a percentage of sales
    0.03 %
Change in accrued expense fees due to settlements and changes in estimates
    3.96 %
Change in accrued expense fees due to correction of  error related to prior periods
    0.67 %
Total increase in gross profit percentage
    10.83 %

The increase in the gross profit percentage for the twelve months ended September 30, 2010 compared to the twelve months ended September 30, 2009 was primarily due to:
 
 
·
Favorable changes in product sales mix, price stabilization and the addition of the PCTV product line resulted in an increase in the gross profit percentage for fiscal 2010 over fiscal 2009 of 5.89%.
 
·
Reductions in production and production related costs such as building overhead, packaging costs, freight costs and labor costs at a third party facility resulted in an increase in the gross profit percentage for fiscal 2010  over fiscal 2009 of 0.03%.
 
·
An increase in the average Euro to USD rate from $1.3532 for fiscal 2009 to $1.3570 for fiscal 2010 resulted in an increase in gross profit percentage of 0.28% for fiscal 2010 over fiscal 2009.
 
·
Changes in accrued expense fees due to settlements and changes in estimates resulted in a gross profit percentage increase of 3.96% for fiscal 2010.
 
·
Changes in accrued expense fees due to correction of error related to prior periods resulted in a gross profit percentage increase of 0.67% for fiscal 2010.

 
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Volatility of gross profit percentage:
 
As the chart above indicates, excluding changes in the gross profit relating to accrued expense fee adjustments due to settlements and changes in estimates, over the eight quarters of fiscal 2009 and fiscal 2010, the gross profit percentage has ranged from a low of 15.03% to a high of 29.21%.

Factors affecting the volatility of our gross profit percentages are:
 
·
Mix of gross profit percentages: gross profit percentages vary within our retail family of products as well as for products sold to computer manufacturers. Varying sales mix of these product lines affects the quarterly gross profit percentage.
 
·
Volatility of Euro to U.S. dollar exchange rate. With over 40% of our sales denominated in Euros, changes in the Euro to U.S. dollar exchange rate impact gross profit. An increase in the Euro tends to increase our gross profit percentage, while a decrease in the Euro tends to decrease our gross profit percentage.
 
·
Fluctuating quarterly sales caused by seasonal trends: included in cost of sales are certain fixed costs, mainly for production labor, warehouse labor and the overhead costs of our Ireland distribution facility. When unit and dollar sales decline due to seasonal sales trends, these fixed costs get spread over lower unit and dollar sales, resulting in  increased  unit costs and increased fixed costs as a percentage of sales,  which lowers the gross profit percentage.
 
·
Competitive pressures: our market is constantly changing with new competitors joining our established competitors. These competitive pressures from time to time result in a lowering of our average sales prices to meet our competitors’ prices, which tends to reduce the gross profit and gross profit percentage.
 
·
Supply of component parts: in times when component parts are in short supply we have to manage price increases. Conversely, when component parts’ supply is high we may be able to secure price decreases.
 
·
Sales volume: as unit sales volume increases we have more leverage in negotiating volume price reductions with our component suppliers and our contract manufacturers.
 
·
Cost reductions: we evaluate the pricing we receive from our suppliers and our contract manufacturers and we often seek to achieve component part and contract manufacturer cost reductions.
 
·
Mix of sales that impact our obligation to pay certain licensing costs.
 
·
Volatility of fuel prices: increases in fuel costs are reflected in the amounts we pay for the delivery of product from our suppliers and the amounts we pay for deliveries to our customers. Rising fuel prices increase our freight costs and negatively impact our gross profit.

Managing product mix through market strategy and new products, moderating seasonal trends, efficiently managing shipments and achieving cost reductions are a company priority and are critical to our competitive position in the market.  Although our goal is to optimize gross profit and minimize gross profit fluctuations, in light of the dynamics of our market we anticipate the continuance of gross profit percentage fluctuations.

 
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Selling, general and administrative expenses

The chart below illustrates the components of selling, general and administrative expenses.

   
Twelve months ended September 30,
 
   
Dollar Amounts
   
Percentage of Sales
 
               
Increase
                   
   
2010
   
2009
   
(Decrease)
   
2010
   
2009
   
Increase
 
Sales & marketing-HCW
  $ 9,917,378     $ 10,634,647     $ (717,269 )     17.41 %     17.92 %     -0.51 %
Sales & marketing-PCTV
    424,051       320,732       103,319       0.75 %     0.54 %     0.20 %
Technical support
    465,741       549,046       (83,305 )     0.82 %     0.93 %     -0.11 %
General & administrative-HCW
    3,446,878       3,433,719       13,159       6.06 %     5.79 %     0.26 %
General & administrative-PCTV
    291,647       266,250       25,397       0.51 %     0.45 %     0.06 %
Amortization of intangible assets
    754,836       566,127       188,709       1.33 %     0.95 %     0.37 %
Selling, general and administrative stock compensation expense
    278,549       347,069       (68,520 )     0.49 %     0.58 %     -0.10 %
Total  selling, general and administrative expense
  $ 15,579,080     $ 16,117,590     $ (538,510 )     27.37 %     27.16 %     0.20 %

Selling, general and administrative expense for the fiscal 2010 decreased $538,510 compared to fiscal 2009.

Excluding the PCTV expenses and amortization of intangible assets acquired in the PCTV acquisition, selling, general and administrative expenses decreased $855,935 from the prior year. Sales and marketing expenses for HCW decreased $717,269, driven by reductions in trade show expenses of $70,790, lower sales office expenses of $353,861, mainly due to personnel and overhead reductions plus lower sales and lower advertising expense of $286,170 due lower sales.

Sales and marketing expenses related to the PCTV product line increased $103,319. The PCTV acquisition was finalized at the end of December 2008, so the results for fiscal 2009 only included nine months of PCTV expenses while the results for the fiscal 2010 included PCTV expenses for twelve months.

General and administrative expenses for HCW and the PCTV product line remained consistent year over year.

The increase in amortization of intangible assets of $188,709 was related to intangible assets acquired in the purchase of the PCTV business. The PCTV acquisition was finalized at the end of December 2008, so the results for fiscal 2009 only included nine months of intangible asset amortization while the results for fiscal 2010 included twelve months of intangible asset amortization.

 
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Selling, general and administrative expense as a percentage of sales


The chart above shows the quarterly fluctuations for technical support, general and administrative, sales and marketing and total selling, general and administrative expense.  Due to fixed costs which fluctuate minimally with changes in sales coupled with the seasonal nature of our business, selling general and administrative expense as a percentage of sales are sensitive to seasonal sales fluctuations. Over the eight quarters of fiscal 2009 and fiscal 2010, selling general and administrative expense as a percentage of sales has resulted in the following trends:

 
·
With our first quarter usually yielding the highest quarterly sales levels of the fiscal year, selling, general and administrative expense as a percentage of sales have typically been the lowest of the fiscal year.  As reflected in the chart, selling, general and administrative expense as a percentage of sales was the lowest in the first quarter of fiscal 2009 and 2010.
 
·
Reflecting the seasonal trend in sales, selling, general and administrative expense for the third or fourth quarter  are the highest as a percentage of sales.  Total selling, general and administrative expense as a percentage of sales were the highest in the third quarter of fiscal 2009 and fourth quarter of fiscal 2010.
 
·
Reflecting the decline in sales, total selling, general and administrative expenses as a percent of sales were higher for fiscal 2010 compared to fiscal 2009.

With the expectation that the seasonal nature of sales will continue for the near future, we expect selling, general and administrative expenses as a percentage of sales to reflect a future trend that is similar to the historical trends we have experienced over the prior two fiscal years.   

Research and development expense

Research and development expense increased $36,980 from the prior fiscal year as follows:

Research and development expense
                 
Fiscal 2010 increases (decreases) from fiscal 2009
 
HCW
   
PCTV
   
Total
 
Research and development expense-HCW
  $ (313,838 )   $ 0     $ (313,838 )
Research and development expense-PCTV
    0       385,850       385,850  
Stock compensation expense
    (35,032 )     0       (35,032 )
Total research and development increase (decrease)
  $ (348,870 )   $ 385,850     $ 36,980  

 
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Excluding the expense of the PCTV division, research and development expense decreased $313,838 from the prior fiscal year. The decrease was primarily due to personnel and personnel related reductions and the number of development programs in process.

 Offsetting the expense decreases were $385,850 in expense related to personnel and development programs of the PCTV business.   The PCTV acquisition was finalized at the end of December 2008, so the results for fiscal 2009 only included nine months of PCTV expenses, while the results for the fiscal 2010 included PCTV expenses for twelve months.

Other income

Other income for the twelve months ended September 30, 2010 was $228,935 compared to other income of $622,420 for the twelve months ended September 30, 2009 as detailed below:

   
Twelve months ended September 30,
 
   
2010
   
2009
 
Interest income
  $ 5,373     $ 14,217  
Interest (expense)
    (4,340 )     (62,557 )
Foreign currency transaction gains
    227,902       670,760  
Total other income
  $ 228,935     $ 622,420  

Lower interest income was due to lower interest rate yields coupled with less cash invested.  Lower interest expense was due to the note payable to Avid Technology, Inc. being paid in full as of December 24, 2009. Lower foreign currency transaction gains were due to lower Euro exchange rates.

Tax provision

Our net tax provision for the year ended September 30, 2010 and 2009 is as follows:

   
Twelve months ended September 30,
 
   
2010
   
2009
 
Deferred tax expense (benefit)
  $ 264,247     $ (164,500 )
Foreign income tax
    165,022       137,050  
State income tax
    40,000       40,000  
Net tax  provision
  $ 469,269     $ 12,550  

Our net deferred tax asset is primarily attributable to our Hauppauge Computer Works Inc. domestic operations and consists primarily of timing differences.  In evaluating the future realization of our deferred tax asset and the corresponding valuation allowance as of September 30, 2010, we took into consideration.
 
 
·
our domestic operations had  taxable income  for  four out of the  last five  fiscal years
 
 
·
including royalties paid to our domestic operations  by our European subsidiary,  we anticipate  taxable income for our domestic operations  for  fiscal 2011
 
 
·
our  history  of  utilization of  prior  domestic net operating losses

After evaluating the circumstances listed above, it was our opinion that our net deferred tax asset of $1,920,938 is realizable as of September 30, 2010.

As a result of all of the above items mentioned in the Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, we had a net  loss of  $1,846,560 for the twelve  months ended September 30, 2010, which resulted in  basic and diluted  net loss per share of $0.18  on weighted average basic  and diluted shares of 10,066,637, compared to a net loss  of $7,143,021 for the twelve months ended September  30, 2009, which resulted in basic and diluted  net loss per share of $0.71 on weighted average basic  and diluted shares of 10,045,449.

 
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Options to purchase 1,454,442 and 1,522,394 shares of Common Stock at prices ranging $1.05 to $7.45 and   $1.08 to $8.75, respectively, were outstanding as of September 30, 2010 and 2009, respectively, but were not included in the computation of diluted net income per share of Common Stock because they were anti-dilutive.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Our cash, working capital and stockholders’ equity position is set forth below:

   
As of September 30,
 
   
2010
   
2009
 
Cash
  $ 7,057,904     $ 8,368,342  
Working Capital
    4,777,442       5,885,577  
Stockholders’ Equity
    9,980,642       12,334,866  

We had cash and cash equivalents as of September 30, 2010 of $7,057,904 a decrease of $1,310,438 from September 30, 2009.

The decrease in cash was due to:

   
Operating
   
Investing
   
Financing
       
 
 
Activities
   
Activities
   
Activities
   
Total
 
Sources of cash:
                               
Decrease in accounts receivable
  $ 5,360,314     $ -     $ -     $ 5,360,314  
Net loss adjusted for non cash items
    500,198       -       -       500,198  
Proceeds from employee stock purchases
    0       -       27,829       27,829  
Total sources of cash
    5,860,512       -       27,829       5,888,341  
Less cash used for:
                               
Decrease in accounts payable and accrued expenses
  $ (3,726,119 )   $ -     $ -     $ (3,726,119 )
Increase in inventory
    (2,346,246 )     -       -       (2,346,246 )
Effect of exchange rates on cash
    (477,618 )     -       -       (477,618 )
PCTV acquisition-net of note payable
    -       (511,332 )     -       (511,332 )
Capital equipment purchases
    -       (62,792 )     -       (62,792 )
Increase in prepaid expenses and other current assets
    (73,461 )     -       -       (73,461 )
Purchase of treasury shares
     -       -       (1,211 )     (1,211 )
Total usage of cash
    (6,623,444 )     (574,124 )     (1,211 )     (7,198,779 )
Net cash decrease
  $ (762,932 )   $ (574,124 )   $ 26,618     $ (1,310,438 )

Net cash provided by operating activities was due to a decrease in accounts receivable of $5,360,314 and the net loss adjusted for non cash items of $500,198. Offsetting these cash sources from operating activities was an increase in inventories of $2,346,246, a decrease in accounts payable and accrued expenses of $ 3,726,119 and an increase in prepaid expenses and other current assets of $73,461   The decrease in accounts receivable was due to lower sales during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2010 compared to the fourth quarter of fiscal 2009.   The increase in inventory was due to inventory purchased earlier in the year  to cover holiday promotions and world cup promotions.

Cash of $574,124 was used in investing activities.  Of this amount, the Company paid $511,332 on the note payable to Avid Technologies, Inc and $62,792 was used to purchase fixed assets.  The note to Avid Technologies, Inc. was fully paid on December 24, 2009.   Cash of $27,829 from financing activities came from purchases of stock under our employee stock purchase plan and employee stock option plan and $1,211 was used to purchase treasury stock.

Our cash requirements for the next twelve months will include, among other things, the cash needed to fund our operating and working capital needs.  With the proper execution of our business and operating plan, we believe that our cash and cash equivalents as of September 30, 2010 and our internally generated cash will provide us with sufficient liquidity to meet our capital needs for the next twelve months.  Failure to meet the business and operating plan could require the need for additional sources of capital.   In light of the current economic and credit conditions there can be no assurances that we will be able to find external sources of financing to fund our additional capital needs.  In addition, if we are able to obtain financing, there can be no assurances that it will be on financially reasonable terms.

 
35

 

On March 31, 2009 our line of credit with the JP Morgan Chase Bank expired and was not renewed.

On November 8, 1996, we approved a stock repurchase program.  The program authorized us to repurchase up to 850,000 shares of our own stock. The stock repurchase program was extended by a resolution of our Board of Directors on December 17, 1997.   At our August 3, 2007 Board meeting, our  Board of Directors approved an increase in the number of shares which can be repurchased under the plan to 1,200,000.  As of September 30, 2010, we held 760,479 treasury shares purchased for $2,405,548 at an average purchase price of $3.16.  As of September 30, 2009, we held 759,579 treasury shares purchased for $2,404,337 at an average purchase price of approximately $3.17 per share.

Sources and (usage) of cash components

The chart below shows our cash balances, sources of cash and (usage) of cash by quarter for fiscal 2009 through fiscal 2010.

Our sources and (usage) of cash primarily comes from the items listed below:

 
·
Net loss adjusted for non cash items
 
·
Changes in the levels of current assets and current liabilities, primarily accounts receivable, inventories and accounts payable
 
·
Effects of exchange rates on cash
 
·
Purchase of  capital equipment

Since accounts receivable, inventory and current liabilities make up the majority of our current asset and current liability levels, our cash balances are affected by changes in these assets and liabilities. In the quarters where cash was used to increase the current asset levels or decrease the current liability levels, there was usually a corresponding decrease or neutral position in the cash balances during those quarters.  Conversely, in the quarters when we generated cash by reducing the current asset levels or increasing the current liability levels, there was a corresponding increase in the cash balances during those quarters.
 
36

 
We expect for the near term future that our operating structure will remain similar to past years, therefore our investment and subsequent changes in our  current assets and current liabilities required to fund our operating cycles will continue to have a material impact on our cash generation, cash usage and cash balances.

Future Contractual Obligation

The following table shows our contractual obligations related to lease and note payable obligations as of September 30, 2010:

   
Payments due by period
 
   
Total
   
Less than 1 year
   
1-3 years
   
3 to 5 years
 
Operating lease obligations
  $ 1,144,654     $ 725,810     $ 359,906     $ 58,938  
 
Inflation

While inflation has not had a material effect on our operations in the past, there can be no assurance that we will be able to continue to offset the effects of inflation on the costs of our products or services through price increases to our customers without experiencing a reduction in the demand for our products; or that inflation will not have an overall effect on the computer equipment market that would have a material affect on us.
 
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

 
We believe the following critical accounting policies affect the significant judgments and estimates used in the preparation of our financial statements:

 
·
Revenue Recognition
 
·
Management’s estimates
 
·
Translation of assets and liabilities  denominated in  non-functional currencies on our European financial statements
 
·
Inventory obsolescence and reserves
 
·
Accounts receivable  related reserves
 
·
Intangible assets

Revenue Recognition

We sell through a sales channel which consists of retailers, PC manufacturers and distributors. The majority of our customers are granted lines of credit. The product is shipped on account with the majority of customers  typically given 30 to 60 day payment terms. Those customers deemed as large credit risks either pay in advance or issue us a letter of credit.

We require the customer to submit a purchase order to us.  The price of the product and payment terms are fixed per the terms of the purchase order.  Upon shipment of the order to the customer, the title to the goods is passed to the customer. The customer is legally obligated to pay for the order within the payment terms stated on the customer’s purchase order.  The obligation to insure the boards and the cost of any pilferage while in the customer’s possession is the responsibility of the customer.  We sell analog, hybrid video recorders or digital computer boards that are stocked on the shelves of retailers and are subject to the normal consumer traffic that retail stores attract. Aside from normal store promotions such as advertisements in the store’s circular, we have no further obligation to assist in the resale of the products.

We offer some of our customers a right of return. Our accounting complies with FASB ASC 605-15 (SFAS 48) Revenue Recognition when Right of Return Exists, as typically at the end of every quarter we, based on historical data, evaluate our sales reserve level based on the previous six months sales.  Due to the seasonal nature of the business coupled with the changing economic environment, management exercises some judgment with regard to the historical data to arrive at the reserve.

We offer mail-in rebates on certain products at certain times as we may determine. The rebates are recorded as a reduction to sales. We also participate in limited cooperative advertising programs with retailers and distributors and account for these in accordance with FASB ASC 605-50 (EITF 01-09), “Accounting for Consideration Given by a Vendor to a Customer (Including a Reseller of the Vendor’s Products)”.

 
37

 

Management’s Estimates

The discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based upon our consolidated financial statements which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States.  The preparation of these financial statements requires management to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities  and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts for  revenues, cost of sales and expenses during the reporting period. On an ongoing basis, management evaluates estimates, including those related to sales provisions, as described above, income taxes, bad debts, inventory allowances, accrued licensing fees and other contingencies.  We base  our estimates on historical data, when available, experience, and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, the combined results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates.

Translation  of assets and liabilities denominated in non-functional currencies on our European  financial statements

The functional currency of our European subsidiary is the Euro.  In preparing our consolidated financial statements, we are required to translate assets and liabilities denominated in a non-functional currency, mainly U.S. Dollars, to Euros on the books of our European subsidiary.  This process results in exchange gains and losses depending on the changes in the Euro to U.S. Dollar exchange rate.   Under the relevant accounting guidance, with the exception of inter-company accounts which are considered long term in nature, we are obligated to include these gains and losses on our statement of operations, which  we report in other income or expense under the caption “foreign currency”.

The extent of these gains and losses can fluctuate greatly from month to month depending on the change in the exchange rate, causing results to vary widely.  Due to the past volatility of the Euro, it is difficult to forecast the long term trend of these gains and losses.

Inventory obsolescence and reserves

The technology underlying our products and other products in the computer industry, in general, is subject to rapid change, including the potential introduction of new types of products and technologies.  Due to this, we   maintain a program in which we review on a regular basis our inventory forecasting, inventory purchasing and   our inventory levels. We review our inventory realization and inventory reserves on a quarterly basis.

Accounts receivable and related reserves

On a daily basis we credit approve all orders scheduled for shipment. Customers who are over their credit limit or who have invoices that are past their due date are typically placed on credit hold until the credit problem is resolved.  Credit reviews are performed on new customers.  Existing customers who request an increased credit line are subject to a new credit review before increases in their credit line are approved.

Our reserve for bad debt is done using a specific identification method. On a quarterly basis we review the age and quality of our accounts receivable. We reserve amounts due us from companies that have gone bankrupt or companies that we evaluate are near bankrupt.

Our products are sold through a sales channel which consist of retailers, PC manufacturers and distributors. Our product is primarily a retail product sold to end user consumers. Similar to other companies in the computer industry,  our products are subject to returns by the end user. In recognition that product  may be returned at a later date,  at the end of every quarter, based on historical data, we evaluate our sales reserve level based on the previous six months sales and we adjust our sales reserve as required.

 
38

 

Intangible assets

Long-lived assets include definite-lived intangible assets. Definite-lived intangible assets are evaluated for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the assets may not be recoverable through the estimated undiscounted future cash flows derived from such assets. Definite-lived intangible assets primarily consist of covenant not to compete, customer relationships and technology.  When an impairment exists, the related assets are written down to fair value. Although we believe our judgments, estimates and/or assumptions used in estimating cash flows and determining fair value are reasonable, making material changes to such judgments, estimates and/or assumptions could materially affect such impairment analyses and our financial results.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In January 2010, the FASB issued an accounting standard update amending the disclosure requirements for financial instruments under fair value. New disclosures required include the amount of significant transfers in and out of levels 1 and 2 fair value measurements and the reasons for the transfers. In addition, the reconciliation for level 3 activity will be required on a gross rather than net basis. The update provides additional guidance related to the level of disaggregation in determining classes of assets and liabilities and disclosures about inputs and valuation techniques. The Company does not expect the adoption of this guidance to have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements and disclosures.

In September 2009, the FASB issued a standard which modifies the revenue recognition guidance for arrangements that involve the delivery of multiple elements, such as product, software, services or support, to a customer at different times as part of a single revenue generating transaction. This standard provides principles and application guidance to determine whether multiple deliverables exist, how the individual deliverables should be separated and how to allocate the revenue in the arrangement among those separate deliverables. The standard also expands the disclosure requirements for multiple deliverable revenue arrangements. The Company does not expect the adoption of this guidance to have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements.
 
ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISKS
 
Item 305 of Regulation S-K “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risks” is not required for Smaller Reporting Companies.
 
ITEM 8.  FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
 
The financial statements required by this Item 8 are included in this Annual Report on Form
10-K following Item 15 hereof.
 
ITEM 9.  CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE
 
                   None.
 
ITEM 9A.     CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
 
Disclosure Controls and Procedures
 
Our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, after evaluating the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in paragraph (e) of Rules 13a-15 and 15d-15 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) as of the end of the period covered by this Annual Report on Form 10-K, have concluded that, based on such evaluation, our disclosure controls and procedures were effective to ensure that information required to be disclosed by us in the reports that we file or submit under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 is recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the SEC's rules and forms and is accumulated and communicated to management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, or persons performing similar functions, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

 
39

 

Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

Management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.  Internal Control over financial reporting is a process designed by, or under the supervision of, our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, or persons performing similar functions, and effected by our board of directors, management, and other personnel, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.  Our internal control over  financial reporting includes  policies and procedures that (i) pertain to the maintenance of records that in reasonable detail accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of our assets; (ii) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that our receipts and expenditures are being made only in accordance with authorizations of our management and directors; and (iii) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of  unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of our  assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness  to future periods are subject to risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with policies or procedures may deteriorate.

Management assessed the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of September 30, 2010.  Management conducted its evaluation of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting based on the framework in Internal Control – Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission.  Based on this evaluation, management has concluded that, as of September 30, 2010, our internal control over financial reporting was effective.

Exclusion of Registered Public Accounting Firm Attestation Report due to Rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission


Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

There has been no change in our internal control over financial reporting  during our fourth  fiscal quarter ended September 30, 2010 that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
 
ITEM 9B.     OTHER INFORMATION
 
                              None.

 
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 PART III
 
ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
 
The following table sets forth the positions and offices presently held with us by each of our directors and executive officers, his age as of September 30, 2010 and the year in which each director became a director.
 
Name
 
Age
 
Positions and Offices Held
 
Year Became
Director
Kenneth Plotkin
 
59
 
Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, President, Chief Operating Officer and Director
 
1994
Gerald Tucciarone
 
55
 
Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Secretary
   
John Casey
 
54
 
Vice President of Technology
   
Bernard Herman
 
83
 
Director
 
1996
Christopher G. Payan
 
36
 
Director
 
2003
Seymour G. Siegel
 
67
 
Director
 
2003

Kenneth Plotkin is one of our co-founders and has served as our Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and one of our directors since our inception in 1994.  He has been our President and Chief Operating Officer since September 27, 2004 and has also served in such offices from March 14, 2001 until May 1, 2002.  Mr. Plotkin served as our Secretary until June 20, 2001 and Vice-President of Marketing from August 2, 1994 until October 16, 2005.  He holds a BS and an MS in Electrical Engineering from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. We believe that Mr. Plotkin’s past business experience in addition to holding the position of CEO since 1994 give him the qualifications and skills necessary to serve as one of our directors.

Gerald Tucciarone joined us in January 1995 and has served as Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer since such time. He has served as our Secretary since July 25, 2005.  Prior to his joining us, Mr. Tucciarone served as Vice-President of Finance, from 1985 to 1992, with Walker-Telecommunications, Inc., a manufacturer of phones and voice-mail equipment, and from 1992 to 1995, as Assistant Controller with Chadbourne and Parke.  Mr. Tucciarone is a certified public accountant.
 
John Casey has been our Vice President of Technology since January 1995.

Bernard Herman has served as one of our directors since 1996.  From 1979 to 1993, Mr. Herman was Chief Executive Officer of Okidata Corp. of Mount Laurel, New Jersey, a distributor of computer peripheral products.  Since then, he has served as a consultant with reference to computer products.  He is also an Arbitration Neutral for the American Arbitration Association and the National Association of Securities Dealers.  We believe that Mr. Herman’s business experience as the former Chief Executive Officer of Okidata Corp. gives him the qualifications and skills necessary to serve as one of our directors.
 
Christopher G. Payan has served as one of our directors since May 16, 2003.  Mr. Payan served as the Chief Executive Officer of Emerging Vision, Inc. (“EVI”), an optical retailer that operates nearly 150 franchised and company owned retail locations throughout the United States, from June 2004 through November 30, 2009 and a director of  EVI from March 2004 through November 30, 2009.  From October 2001 until June 2004, Mr. Payan served as the Senior Vice President of Finance, Chief Financial Officer, Secretary and Treasurer of EVI.  From April 2002 until June of 2004, Mr. Payan served as Co-Chief Operating Officer of EVI.  Mr. Payan also serves on the Board of Directors of Newtek Business Services, Inc.  From March 1995 through July 2001, Mr. Payan worked for Arthur Andersen LLP, where he provided various audit, accounting, consulting and advisory services to various small and mid-sized private and public companies in various industries.  Mr. Payan is a certified public accountant and holds a Bachelor of Science degree, graduating Cum Laude, with Honors, from C.W. Post – Long Island University. We believe that Mr. Payan’s business experience as the former Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Emerging Vision, Inc. (“EVI”) give him the qualifications and skills necessary to serve as one of our directors.

 
41

 

Seymour G. Siegel has served as one of our directors since May 16, 2003.  He is a Certified Public Accountant and since April 2000 had been a principal in the Business Consulting Group of Rothstein, Kass & Company, P.C., an accounting and consulting firm.  From 1974 to 1990 he was managing partner and founder of Siegel Rich and Co, P.C., CPAs which merged into Weiser & Co., LLC, where he was a senior partner. He formed Siegel Rich Inc. in 1994, which, in April, 2000, became a division of Rothstein, Kass & Company, P.C.  Mr. Siegel has been a director, trustee and officer of numerous businesses, philanthropic and civic organizations.  He has served as a director and member of the audit committees of Barpoint.com, Oak Hall Capital Fund, Prime Motor Inns Limited Partnership and Noise Cancellation Technologies Inc., all public companies.  He is currently a director and chairman of the audit committee of EVI and Air Industries Inc.  He is also a member of the compensation committee of EVI. We believe that Mr. Siegel’s business expertise and experience and his accounting background give him the qualifications and skills necessary to serve as one of our directors.

Family Relationships

There is no family relationship among any of our executive officers and directors.

Term of Office

Each director will hold office until the next annual meeting of stockholders and until his or her successor is elected and qualified or until his/her earlier resignation, removal or death. Each executive officer will hold office until the next regular meeting of the Board of Directors following the next annual meeting of stockholders and until his or her successor is elected or appointed and qualified or until his or her earlier death, resignation or removal from office.

Audit Committee

The Audit Committee of the Board of Directors is responsible for (i) recommending independent registered public accountants to the Board, (ii) reviewing our financial statements with management and the independent registered public accountants, (iii) making an appraisal of our audit effort and the effectiveness of our financial policies and practices and (iv) consulting with management and our independent registered public accountants with regard to the adequacy of internal accounting controls.  The members of the Audit Committee currently are Messrs. Herman, Payan and Siegel.

Audit Committee Financial Expert

Our Board of Directors has determined that we have an "audit committee financial expert" (as defined by Item 407(d)(5) of Regulation S-K as promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission) serving on our Audit Committee.  Our audit committee financial expert is Seymour G. Siegel.  The directors who serve on the Audit Committee are "independent" directors based on the definition of independence in the listing standards of The Nasdaq Stock Market.

Code of Ethics
 
Our Board of Directors has adopted a Code of Ethics for our officers, directors and employees, including our principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer or controller and other persons performing similar functions.  You can obtain a free copy of our Code of Ethics by writing to our Secretary at our offices at 91 Cabot Court, Hauppauge, New York 11788.  We intend to satisfy the disclosure requirement under Item 5.05(c) of Form 8-K (formerly Item 10) regarding an amendment to, or waiver from, a provision of our Code of Ethics that applies to our principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer or controller, or persons performing similar functions and that relates to any element of the code of ethics definition enumerated in paragraph (b) of Item 406 of Regulation S-K by posting such information on our website, www.hauppauge.com.

 
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Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance

Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (“Section 16”), requires that reports of beneficial ownership of capital stock and changes in such ownership be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission by Section 16 “reporting persons,” including directors, certain officers, holders of more than 10% of the outstanding common stock and certain trusts of which reporting persons are trustees and that copies of such reports be furnished to us.

To our knowledge, based solely on a review of copies of Forms 3, 4 and 5 furnished to us and written representations from such persons that no other reports were required, our officers, directors and 10% stockholders complied with all Section 16(a) filing requirements applicable to them during the fiscal year ended September 30, 2010.

ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE  COMPENSATION
 
Summary Compensation Table
 
The following table sets forth certain compensation information for each of the fiscal years ended September 30, 2010 and 2009 for our Chief Executive Officer and two other most highly compensated executive officers.

Name and Principal
Position
 
Fiscal
Year
 
Salary
($)
   
Bonus
($)
   
Option Awards
($)
   
All Other
Compen-
sation
($)
   
Total
($)
 
                                   
Kenneth Plotkin
 
2010
  $ 172,386     $ -     $ -     $ 6,000 (2)   $ 178,386  
President, Chairman of the Board,  Chief Executive Officer, and Chief Operating Officer
 
2009
  $ 183,186     $ -     $ -     $ 6,000 (2)   $ 189,186  
                                             
Gerald Tucciarone
 
2010
  $ 149,468     $ -     $ 9,875 (1)(3)     -     $ 159,343  
Treasurer, Chief Financial Officer, and Secretary
 
2009
  $ 158,948     $ -     $ -       -     $ 158,948  
                                             
John Casey
 
2010
  $ 147,576     $ -     $ 9,875 (1)(3)     -     $ 157,451  
Vice President of Technology
 
2009
  $ 156,936     $ -     $ -       -     $ 156,936  
 


 
(1)
Represents the aggregate grant date fair value of option awards computed in accordance with FASB ASC-718 (SFAS No. 123R).  See Note 1 of  Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2010 for a description of the assumptions used in that computation. The actual value realized with respect to option awards will depend on the difference between the market value of our common stock on the date the option is exercised and the exercise price.

(2)
Represents non-cash compensation in the form of the use of a car and related expenses.

 
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(3)
12,500 options were granted on April 26, 2010 at an exercise price of $1.27 and a fair value price of $0.79.  The options vest to the extent of 6,250 shares on April 26, 2011 and 6,250 shares on April 26, 2012 and expire on April 25, 2020.
 
Employment Contracts
 
As of January 10, 1998, following the expiration of a prior employment agreement with us, Kenneth Plotkin entered into a new employment agreement (the "1998 Employment Agreement") with us to serve in certain of our offices.  The 1998 Employment Agreement provides for a three-year term, which term automatically renews on an annual basis, unless otherwise terminated by the Board or the executive.  The 1998 Employment Agreement provides for an annual base salary of $125,000 during the first year, $150,000 during the second year, and $180,000 during the third year. For each Annual Period (as defined in the 1998 Employment Agreement) thereafter, the 1998 Employment Agreement provides that compensation shall be mutually agreed upon by the Company and the executive, said amount not to be less than that for the preceding Annual Period.
 
On January 21, 1998, pursuant to the 1998 Employment Agreement, (i) incentive stock options to acquire a total of 90,000 shares of our common stock were granted to Mr. Plotkin, exercisable, beginning on January 21, 1999, in increments of 33 1/3% per year at $2.544 per share, each such increment due to expire 5 years after becoming exercisable and (ii) non-qualified options to acquire a total of 60,000 shares of common stock were granted to Mr. Plotkin, exercisable immediately for a period of 10 years, which expired as of January 20, 2008.
 
The 1998 Employment Agreement provides for a bonus to be paid to Mr. Plotkin as follows: an amount equal to 2% of our earnings, excluding earnings that are not from operations and before reduction for interest and income taxes ("EBIT"), for each fiscal year commencing with the year ended September 30, 1998, provided that our EBIT for the applicable fiscal year exceeds 120% of the prior fiscal year's EBIT, and if not, then 1% of our EBIT.  The determination of EBIT shall be made in accordance with our audited filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission on our Form 10-K.
 
The 1998 Employment Agreement further provides for disability benefits, our obligation to pay the premiums on a term life insurance policy or policies in the amount of $500,000 on the life of Mr. Plotkin, owned by Mr. Plotkin or his spouse, or a trust for their respective benefit or for the benefit of their family, a car allowance of $500 per month, reasonable reimbursement for automobile expenses, and medical insurance as is standard for our executives.  Furthermore, the 1998 Employment Agreement provides that we may apply for, and own, life insurance on the life of Mr. Plotkin for our benefit, in such amount as the Board may from time to time determine; we shall pay these premiums as they become due on any such insurance policies; and all dividends and any cash value and proceeds on such insurance policies shall belong to us.
 
OUTSTANDING EQUITY AWARDS AT FISCAL YEAR-END
 
The following table sets forth certain information concerning outstanding option awards held by our named executive officers as of the fiscal year ended September 30, 2010.

 
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OPTION AWARDS
Number of Securities Underlying
Unexercised Options

Name
 
Exercisable
   
Unexercisable
   
Option
Exercise
Price ($) (1)
 
Option
Expiration
Date
 
                       
Kenneth Plotkin
    10,000       -     $ 1.16  
10/01/2011
 
      10,000       -     $ 1.19  
10/16/2012
 
      5,000       -     $ 3.32  
8/09/2014
 
      120,000       80,000 (2)   $ 4.96  
11/20/2016
 
                             
Gerald Tucciarone
    10,000       -     $ 1.05  
10/01/2011
 
      22,500       -     $ 1.08  
10/16/2012
 
      20,000       -     $ 4.62  
2/11/2015
 
      20,000       10,000 (3)   $ 7.45  
1/22/2017
 
              8,000 (4)   $ 1.64  
6/26/2018
 
              12,500 (5)   $ 1.27  
4/25/2020
 
                             
John Casey
    10,000       -     $ 1.05  
10/01/2011
 
      30,000       -     $ 1.08  
10/16/2012
 
      20,000       -     $ 4.62  
2/11/2015
 
      12,000       4,000 (6)   $ 7.45  
1/22/2017
 
      4,000       4,000 (7)   $ 4.13  
12/26/2017
 
              5,000 (8)   $ 1.64  
6/26/2018
 
              12,500 (9)   $ 1.27  
4/25/2020
 

(1)
Calculated using the closing price of our common stock on the date of the grant.

(2)
80,000 options vest to the extent of 40,000 shares on November 20, 2010 and 40,000 shares on November 20, 2011.

(3)
10,000 options vest on February 1, 2011.

(4)
8,000 options vest to the extent of 4,000 shares on June 26, 2011 and 4,000 shares on June 26, 2012.

(5)
12,500 options vest to the extent of 6,250 shares on April 26, 2011 and 6,250 shares on April 26, 2012.

(6)
4,000 options on February 1, 2011.

(7)
4,000 options vest on December 26, 2010.

(8)
5,000 options vest to the extent of 2,500 shares on June 26, 2011 and 2,500 shares on June 26, 2012.

(9)
12,500 options vest to the extent of 6,250 shares on April 26, 2011 and 6,250 shares on April 26, 2012.

Termination of Employment and Change in Control Agreements
 
In the event of a termination of employment associated with a Change in Control of the Company, as defined in the 1998 Employment Agreement, a one-time bonus shall be paid to the executive equal to three times the amount of the executive's average annual compensation (including salary, bonus and benefits, paid or accrued) received by him for the thirty-six month period preceding the date of the Change of Control.
 
In the event of a Change in Control, as defined in our 1998 Incentive Stock Option Plan, options granted to the named executive officers pursuant to said plan shall become immediately vested and exercisable.  The 1998 Incentive Stock Option Plan further provides that options granted shall terminate if and when the optionee ceases to be our employee or the employee of one our subsidiaries, unless (1) the optionee shall die while in our employ or the employ of one of our subsidiaries, in which case, the options shall be exercisable, as and to the extent exercisable by such person or persons as shall have acquired the optionee's rights by will or the laws of descent and distribution, but not later than one year after the date of death and not after the expiration of the specific period fixed in the option grant or (2) the optionee shall become disabled (within the meaning of section 105(d)(4) of the Internal Revenue  Code) while in our employ or the employ of one of our subsidiaries and such optionee's employment shall terminate by reason of such disability, in which case the options shall be exercisable, as and to the extent exercisable at the time of the termination of his employment, within such period as shall be set forth in the option grant, but only within one year after the termination of the optionee's employment and not after the expiration of the specific period fixed in the option grant as in effect at the time of the termination of his employment. In the event of a termination of employment associated with a Change in Control, as defined in the 2003 Performance and Equity Incentive Plan, options granted pursuant to said plan shall vest or be exercisable upon termination of an employee’s employment within 24 months from the date of the Change in Control, but only to the extent determined by the Board (or the Committee, as defined in such plan), unless the employee is terminated for Cause or the employee resigns his employment without Good Reason (as such terms are defined in the 2003 Performance and Equity Incentive Plan).

 
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DIRECTOR COMPENSATION FOR 2010 FISCAL YEAR
 
The following table sets forth compensation paid to our non-employee directors for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2010: 

Name
 
Fees Earned or
Paid in Cash
   
Option
Awards
 
Stock Awards
 
All Other
Compensation
 
Total
 
                         
Bernard Herman
 
$
30,150
   
$
-
 
-
(1)
$
-
 
$
30,150
 
Christopher G. Payan
 
$
31,500
   
$
-
 
-
(2)
$
-
 
$
31,500
 
Seymour G. Siegel
 
$
40,500
   
$
-
 
-
(3)
$
-
 
$
40,500
 
 
During fiscal year 2010, each of Bernard Herman, Christopher G. Payan and Seymour G. Siegel, each a non-employee director, received an annual retainer of $18,000, paid in quarterly installments in advance, and $1,350 for every Board meeting that he attended in person.   Additionally, the Chairman of the Audit Committee, Mr. Siegel, received an annual stipend of $9,000.

(1)
As of September 30, 2010, Mr. Herman held options to purchase 50,000 shares of the Company’s Common Stock and had awards of 8,994 shares of the Company’s Common Stock outstanding.
(2)
As of September 30, 2010, Mr. Payan held options to purchase 25,000 shares of the Company’s Common Stock.
(3)
As of September 30, 2010, Mr. Siegel held options to purchase 45,000 shares of the Company’s Common Stock and had awards of 5,000 shares of the Company’s Common Stock outstanding.
 
ITEM 12.  SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS
 
Security Ownership

The following table sets forth, to our knowledge based solely upon records available to us, certain information as of December 28, 2010 regarding the beneficial ownership of our shares of common stock by (i) each person who we believe to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of our outstanding shares of common stock, (ii) each current director, (iii) each of the named executive officers, and (iv) all current executive officers and directors as a group.

 
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Name and Address
of Beneficial Owner
 
Title of Class
 
Amount and Nature of
Beneficial
Ownership
   
Percent
of Class
 
                 
Kenneth Plotkin
               
91 Cabot Court
               
Hauppauge, N.Y. 11788
 
common stock
    851,085 (1)(3)(4)     8.44 %
                     
Laura Aupperle
                   
23 Sequoia Drive
                   
Hauppauge, N.Y. 11788
 
common stock
    705,892 (2)     7.00 %
                     
Dorothy Plotkin
                   
91 Cabot Court
                   
Hauppauge, N.Y. 11788
 
common stock
    551,660 (1)(4)     5.47 %
                     
John Casey
                   
91 Cabot Court
                   
Hauppauge, N.Y. 11788
 
common stock
    190,200 (5)     1.89 %
                     
Bernard Herman
                   
91 Cabot Court
                   
Hauppauge, N.Y.  11788
 
common stock
    68,994 (6)     *  
                     
Gerald Tucciarone
                   
91 Cabot Court
                   
Hauppauge, N.Y.  11788
 
common stock
    79,000 (7)     *  
                     
Christopher G. Payan
                   
91 Cabot Court
                   
Hauppauge, N.Y.
 
common stock
    35,000 (8)     *  
                     
Seymour G. Siegel
                   
91 Cabot Court
                   
Hauppauge, N.Y.
 
common stock
    60,000 (9)     *  
                     
All executive officers and
                   
directors as a group (6) persons
 
common stock
    1,284,279 (1)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)     12.74 %

* Denotes less than 1% percent
 
(1)
Dorothy Plotkin, wife of Kenneth Plotkin, beneficially owns 551,660 shares of our common stock or 5.47% of the outstanding shares of common stock.  Ownership of shares of our common stock by Mr. Plotkin does not include ownership of shares of our common stock by Mrs. Plotkin.  Likewise, ownership of shares of our common stock by Mrs. Plotkin does not include ownership of shares of our common stock by Mr. Plotkin.

(2)
To our knowledge, based upon Schedule 13G filed under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and other information that is publicly available, Laura Aupperle, the widow of Kenneth R. Aupperle, beneficially owns 705,892 shares of our common stock,  or 7.00% of the outstanding shares of our common stock.

(3)
Includes 185,000 shares of our common stock issuable upon the exercise of incentive stock options which are currently exercisable or exercisable within 60 days.  Does not include  90,000 shares of our common stock issuable upon the exercise of incentive stock options  which are currently unexercisable or not exercisable within 60 days.

(4)
Does not include 18,000 shares of our common stock owned by the Plotkins' adult daughter. Does not include 4,000 shares of our common stock owned by the Plotkins' adult son.  Each of Mr. and Mrs. Plotkin disclaim beneficial ownership of all such 22,000 shares of our common stock.

 
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(5)
Includes 80,000 shares of our common stock issuable upon the exercise of incentive stock options which are currently exercisable or exercisable within 60 days. Does not include 21,500 shares of our common stock issuable upon the exercise of incentive stock options which are currently unexercisable or not exercisable within 60 days.

(6)
Includes 60,000 shares of our common stock issuable upon the exercise of non-qualified stock options which are currently exercisable or exercisable within 60 days and 5,000 shares of common stock issued in lieu of options on November 26, 2008.

(7)
Includes 72,500 shares of our common stock issuable upon the exercise of incentive stock options which are currently exercisable or exercisable within 60 days. Does not include 30,500 shares of our common stock issuable upon the exercise of incentive stock options which are currently unexercisable or not exercisable within 60 days.

(8)
Includes 35,000 shares of our common stock issuable upon the exercise of non-qualified stock options which are currently exercisable.

(9)
Includes 55,000 shares of our common stock issuable upon the exercise of non-qualified stock options which are currently exercisable or exercisable within 60 days and 5,000 shares of common stock issued in lieu of options on November 26, 2008.
 
ITEM 13.    CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE
 
We occupy a facility located at 91 Cabot Court, Hauppauge, New York 11788 (the “Premises”) and use it for our executive offices and for the testing, storage and shipping of our products.  In February 1990, Hauppauge Computer Works, Inc., one of our wholly-owned subsidiaries (“HCW”) entered into a lease for said Premises  with Ladokk Realty Co. (together with its successor, Ladokk Realty Co., LLC, “Ladokk”), a real estate partnership principally owned by Mr. Plotkin, the holder of approximately 8.44% of our shares of common as of  December 28, 2010;  Mrs. Plotkin, the holder of approximately 5.47% of shares of our common stock as of  December 28, 2010; and Ms. Aupperle, believed by us to be the holder of approximately 7.00% of shares of our common stock as of  December 28, 2010.
 
The current lease for the Premises commenced as of September 1, 2006 and ends on August 31, 2011.  The current rent is $337,656  per annum, payable monthly, and is subject to an annual increase of 3% during the term.  The execution of the current lease was approved by our Board of Directors, following the recommendation of our Audit Committee.  Under the current lease HCW is obligated to pay for utilities, repairs to the premises, and taxes during the term.
 
HCW has the option to renew the current lease for an additional 5-year term, upon written notice to Ladokk six to twelve months prior to expiration of said lease.  Rent that is due during the first year of the renewal term shall be equal to the market rate at the end of the current lease, but not less than the rent paid during the last year of the current lease, and is subject to increases for the second through fifth years of the renewal term by CPI plus 1% per annum.
 
The Company did not have any unpaid rent to this related party as of September 30, 2010.   Rent expense to related parties totaled approximately $329,979 and $318,270 for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2010 and 2009, respectively.  

Director Independence

Board of Directors

Our Board of Directors is currently comprised of Messrs. Kenneth Plotkin, Bernard Herman,  Christopher G. Payan and Seymour G. Siegel.  Each of Messrs. Herman, Payan and Siegel is currently an “independent director” based on the definition of independence in Rule 5605(a)(2) of the  listing standards of The Nasdaq Stock Market.

 
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Audit Committee

The Audit Committee of the Board of Directors is responsible for (i) recommending independent registered public accountants to the Board, (ii) reviewing our financial statements with management and the independent registered public accountants, (iii) making an appraisal of our audit effort and the effectiveness of our financial policies and practices and (iv) consulting with management and our independent registered public accountants with regard to the adequacy of internal accounting controls.  The members of the Audit Committee currently are Messrs. Herman, Payan and Siegel, each of whom is an "independent" director based on the definition of independence in Rule 5605(a)(2) of the listing standards of The Nasdaq Stock Market.

Nominating Committee

The purpose of the Nominating Committee of the Board of Directors is to assist the Board of Directors in identifying and recruiting qualified individuals to become Board members and select director nominees to be presented for Board and/or stockholder approval.  The members of the Nominating Committee currently are Messrs. Herman, Payan and Siegel, each of whom is an "independent" director based on the definition of independence in Rule 5605(a)(2) of the listing standards of The Nasdaq Stock Market.

Compensation Committee

The Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors is responsible for providing assistance to the Board of Directors in discharging the Board of Directors' responsibilities relating to management organization, performance, compensation and succession, including considering and authorizing the compensation philosophy for the Company's personnel; making recommendations to the Board of Directors with respect to the Company's employee benefit plans; administering the Company's incentive, deferred compensation and equity based plans; reviewing and approving corporate goals and objectives relevant to chief executive officer and senior management compensation, evaluating chief executive officer and senior management performance in light of those goals and objectives and, either as a committee or together with other independent directors (as directed by the Board of Directors), determining and approving chief executive officer and senior management compensation based on this evaluation; and annually reviewing and approving perquisites for the chief executive officer and senior management.

The members of the Compensation Committee currently are Messrs. Herman, Payan and Siegel , each of whom is an "independent" director based on the definition of independence in Rule 5605(a)(2) of the listing standards of The Nasdaq Stock Market.
 
ITEM 14.    PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES
 
The following is a summary of the fees billed to us by BDO USA, LLP, our principal independent registered public accountants, for professional services rendered for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2010 and September 30, 2009, respectively:

Fee Category
 
Fiscal 2010 Fees
   
Fiscal 2009 Fees
 
Audit Fees (1)
  $ 181,000     $ 177,000  
Audit-Related Fees (2)
    -       125,000  
Tax Fees  (3)
    18,000       23,000  
All Other Fees
    -       -  
Total Fees
  $ 199,000     $ 325,000  

(1)
Audit Fees consist of aggregate fees billed for professional services rendered for the audit of our annual financial statements and review of the interim financial statements included in quarterly reports or services that are normally provided by the independent registered public accountants in connection with   statutory and regulatory filings (including Form S-8) or engagements for the fiscal years ended   September 30, 2010 and September 30, 2009, respectively.

 
49

 
 
(2)
Audit-related fees consist of $106,000 in aggregate fees billed for professional services rendered for the audit of the PCTV business of Avid Technology, Inc., which the Company acquired on December 24, 2008,  $6,000 in aggregate fees billed for professional services rendered pertaining to a comment letter from the Securities and Exchange Commission and $13,000 in aggregate fees billed for professional services rendered for a VAT tax  matter related to our Ireland branch

(3)
Tax fees consist of aggregate fees billed for tax compliance and tax preparation for our federal and state tax filings.  These fees are related to the preparation of our federal and state tax returns.

The Audit Committee is responsible for the appointment, compensation and oversight of the work of the independent registered public accountants  and approves in advance any services to be performed by the independent registered public accountants, whether audit-related or not.  The Audit Committee reviews each proposed engagement to determine whether the provision of services is compatible with maintaining the independence of the independent registered public accountants.  All of the fees shown above were pre-approved by the Audit Committee.

 
50

 

PART IV
 
ITEM 15.  EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES
 
(a)(1)   Financial Statements

The following documents are included in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K:

   
Page
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
 
F-2
Consolidated Balance Sheets as of September 30, 2010 and 2009
 
F-3
Consolidated Statements of Operations
   
for the years ended September 30, 2010 and 2009
 
F-4
Consolidated Statements of  Other Comprehensive Loss
   
for the years ended September 30, 2010 and 2009
 
F-5
Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity for the years
   
ended September 30, 2010 and 2009
 
F-6
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the
   
years ended September 30, 2010 and 2009
 
F-7
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
 
F-8 to F23

(a)(2)   Financial Statement Schedules-N/A

(a)(3)   Exhibits.

Exhibit
Number
Description of Exhibit

2.1
Asset Purchase Agreement, dated October 25, 2008, by and among Avid Technology, Inc., Pinnacle Systems, Inc., Avid Technology GMBH, Avid Development GMBH, Avid Technology International BV, and PCTV Corp. (13)
 
2.1.1
Buyer Parent Guaranty, dated October  25, 2008, by Hauppauge Digital Inc. to and for the benefit of Avid Technology, Inc., Pinnacle Systems, Inc., Avid Technology GMBH, Avid Development GMBH, and Avid Technology International BV (13)
 
2.1.2
Amendment No. 1 to Asset Purchase Agreement, dated December 24, 2008, by and among Avid Technology, Inc., Pinnacle Systems, Inc., Avid Technology GMBH, Avid Development GMBH, Avid Technology International BV, and PCTV Corp. (17)
 
2.1.3
Secured Promissory Note, dated December 24, 2008, made by PCTV Systems Sarl in favor of Avid Technology, Inc. (17)
 
2.1.4
Transition Services Agreement, dated December 24, 2008, by and among Hauppauge Digital Europe Sarl, PCTV Systems Sarl, Hauppauge Computer Works, Inc., Avid Technology, Inc., Pinnacle Systems, Inc., Avid Technology GMBH, Avid Development GMBH, and Avid Technology International BV. (17)
 
2.1.5
Inventory and Product Return Agreement, dated December 24, 2008, by and among Avid Technology, Inc., Avid Technology International BV, Hauppauge Computer Works, Inc. and Hauppauge Digital Europe Sarl (17)
 
2.1.6
Intellectual Property License Agreement, dated December 24, 2008, by and among Avid Technology, Inc., Pinnacle Systems, Inc. and PCTV Systems Sarl (17)
 
2.1.7
Audited financial statements of the PCTV Business of Avid Technology, Inc. as of September 30, 2008 and December 31, 2007 and un-audited  pro forma financial statement of operations of Hauppauge Digital Inc. and the PCTV Business of Avid Technology, Inc. for the year ended  September 30, 2008.  (18)
 
3.1
Certificate of Incorporation (1)

 
51

 

3.1.1
Certificate of Amendment of the Certificate of Incorporation, dated July 14, 2000 (15)
3.2
By-laws, as amended to date (2)
4.1
Form of Common Stock Certificate (1)
4.2
1994 Incentive Stock Option Plan (1)
4.3
1996 Non-Qualified Stock Option Plan (7)
4.4
1998 Incentive Stock Option Plan (7)
4.5
2000 Hauppauge Digital Inc. Performance and Equity Incentive Plan (3)
4.6
Hauppauge Digital Inc. Employee Stock Purchase Plan (4)
4.7
Stockholder Rights Agreement (5)
4.8
2003 Hauppauge Digital Inc. Performance and Equity Incentive Plan (6)
4.9
Amendment to 2003 Hauppauge Digital Inc. Performance and Equity Incentive Plan (12)
4.10
Amendment to the Hauppauge Digital Inc. Employee Stock Purchase Plan (4)
4.11
Second Amendment to the Hauppauge Digital Inc. Employee Stock Purchase Plan (4)
4.12
Third Amendment to the Hauppauge Digital Inc. Employee Stock Purchase Plan (12)
10.1
Employment Agreement, dated as of January 10, 1998, by and between Hauppauge Digital Inc. and Kenneth Plotkin (7)
10.1.1
Amendment to Employment Agreement with Kenneth Plotkin, dated April 10, 2008 (16)
10.2
Lease, dated February 7, 1990, between Ladokk Realty Company and Hauppauge Computer Works, Inc. (1)
10.2.1
Modification made  February 1, 1996 to lease dated February 7, 1990 between Ladokk Realty Company and Hauppauge Computer Works, Inc.  (7)
10.2.2
Lease, dated February 17, 2004, between Ladokk Realty Co., LLC and Hauppauge Computer Works, Inc. (8)
10.2.3
Amendment dated October 17, 2006 to lease dated February 17, 2004, between Ladokk Realty Co., LLC and Hauppauge Computer Works, Inc.  (9)
10.3
Fourth Amended and Restated Promissory Note, dated as of December 2, 2008, made payable by Hauppauge Computer Works, Inc. to the order of JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. in the original principal amount of Seven Hundred Thousand ($700,000) Dollars. (14)
10.3.1
Guaranty, dated as of December 1, 2005, by Hauppauge Digital Inc. in  favor of JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (11)
10.3.2
Share Pledge Agreement, dated as of December 1, 2005, among Hauppauge  Digital Inc., JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. and Hauppauge Digital Europe Sarl (11)
10.3.3
Pledge Security Agreement, dated as of December 2, 2008, by Hauppauge Computer Works, Inc. and JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. (14)
14
Code of Ethics, as amended to date (10)
21
Subsidiaries
23
Consent of BDO USA, LLP
31.1
Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) or Rule 15d-14(a) as adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
31.2
Certification of the Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) or Rule 15d-14(a) as adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
32
Certification of Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

(1)
Denotes document filed as an Exhibit to our Registration Statement on Form SB-2 (No. 33-85426), as amended, effective January 10, 1995 and incorporated herein by reference.
(2)
Denotes document filed as an Exhibit to our Form 8-K dated December 26, 2007 and incorporated herein by reference.
(3)
Denotes document filed as an Exhibit to our Registration Statement on Form S-8 (No. 333-46906), and incorporated herein by reference.
(4)
Denotes document filed as an Exhibit to our Registration Statement on Form S-8 (No. 333-46910), and as an annex to our Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A dated September 18, 2006 and  incorporated herein by reference.
(5)
Denotes document filed as an Exhibit to our Form 8-K dated July 20, 2001 (File Number 001-13550, Film Number 1685278) and as an Exhibit to the our Registration Statement on Form 8-A12G and incorporated herein by reference.
(6)
Denotes document filed as an Exhibit to our Registration Statement on Form S-8 (No. 333-109065), and as an annex to our Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A dated September 18, 2006 and incorporated herein by reference.
(7)
Denotes document filed as an Exhibit to our Form 10-K for the period ended September 30, 2003 (File Number: 001-13550, Film Number: 031073457) and incorporated herein by reference.

 
52

 

(8)
Denotes document filed as an Exhibit to our Form 10-Q for the period ended March 31, 2004 (File Number: 001-13550, Film Number: 04809252) and incorporated herein by reference.
 (9)
Denotes document filed as an Exhibit to our Form 8-K dated October 17, 2006 and incorporated herein by reference.
(10)
Denotes document filed as an Exhibit to our Form 8-K dated August 23, 2004 (File Number: 001-13550, Film Number: 04995501) and incorporated herein by reference.
(11)
Denotes document filed as an Exhibit to our Form 8-K dated December 6, 2005 and incorporated herein by reference.
(12)
Denotes document filed as an Exhibit to our Form 8-K dated October 17, 2006 and incorporated herein by reference.
(13)
Denotes document filed as an Exhibit to our Form 8-K dated October 25, 2008 and incorporated herein by reference.
(14)
Denotes document filed as an Exhibit to our Form 8-K dated December 12, 2008 and incorporated herein by reference.
(15)
Denotes document filed as an Exhibit to our Form 10-K for the period ended September 30, 2006, and incorporated herein by reference.
(16)
Denotes document filed as an Exhibit to our Form 8-K dated April 10, 2008, and incorporated herein by reference.
(17)
Denotes document filed as an Exhibit to our Form 8-K dated December 24, 2008, and incorporated herein by reference.
(18)
Denotes document filed as an Exhibit to our Form 8-K-A dated March 9, 2009, and incorporated herein by reference.
 
 
53

 
 
INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
   
Page(s)
Report of Independent  Registered  Public Accounting Firm
 
F-2
     
Consolidated Balance Sheets as of September 30, 2010 and 2009
 
F-3
     
Consolidated Statements of Operations
   
for the years ended September 30,  2010 and 2009
 
F-4
     
Consolidated Statements of Other Comprehensive Loss
   
for the years ended September 30,  2010 and  2009
 
F-5
     
Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity for the years ended
   
September 30, 2010 and 2009
 
F-6
     
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the years ended
   
September 30, 2010 and 2009
 
F-7
     
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
 
F-8 to F-23
 
 
F-1

 
 
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Board of Directors and Stockholders of
Hauppauge Digital Inc. and Subsidiaries
Hauppauge, New York

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Hauppauge Digital Inc. and Subsidiaries as of September 30, 2010 and 2009 and the related consolidated statements of operations, other comprehensive loss, stockholders' equity and cash flows for the years then ended.  These financial statements are the responsibility of the management of Hauppauge Digital Inc. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audits.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement.  The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. Our audits included consideration of internal control over financial reporting as a basis for designing audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion. An audit also includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements,   assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements.  We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Hauppauge Digital Inc. and Subsidiaries at September 30, 2010 and 2009 and the results of their operations and their  cash flows for the years then ended in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

/s/ BDO USA, LLP
 
   BDO USA, LLP

Melville, New York
December 29, 2010

 
F-2

 

HAUPPAUGE DIGITAL INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
 
   
September 30,
   
September 30,
 
   
2010
   
2009
 
ASSETS
           
Current Assets:
           
Cash and cash equivalents
  $ 7,057,904     $ 8,368,342  
Accounts receivable, net of various allowances
    4,403,194       9,770,584  
Other non trade receivables
    2,355,834       4,116,392  
Inventories
    11,450,565       8,616,800  
Deferred tax asset-current
    1,310,204       1,297,574  
Prepaid expenses and other current assets
    980,087       928,680  
Total current assets
    27,557,788       33,098,372  
                 
Intangible assets, net
    3,941,266       4,696,102  
Property, plant and equipment, net
    544,959       757,488  
Security deposits and other non-current assets
    106,241       108,088  
Deferred tax asset-non current
    610,734       887,611  
Total assets
  $ 32,760,988     $ 39,547,661  
                 
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY :
               
                 
Current Liabilities:
               
Accounts payable
  $ 7,306,221     $ 12,478,625  
Accrued expenses – fees
    4,955,540       5,935,606  
Accrued expenses
    10,266,495       7,949,203  
Note payable
    0       625,045  
Income taxes payable
    252,090       224,316  
Total current liabilities
    22,780,346       27,212,795  
                 
Commitments and contingencies
               
                 
Stockholders' Equity
               
Common stock $.01 par value; 25,000,000 shares authorized,
               
10,842,274 and 10,814,042 issued, respectively
    108,423       108,140  
Additional paid-in capital
    17,739,330       17,276,651  
Retained earnings (deficit)
    (1,050,886 )     795,674  
Accumulated other comprehensive loss
    (4,410,677 )     (3,441,262 )
Treasury Stock at cost, 760,479 and 759,579 shares, respectively
    (2,405,548 )     (2,404,337 )
Total stockholders' equity
    9,980,642       12,334,866  
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity
  $ 32,760,988     $ 39,547,661  

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements

 
F-3

 
 
HAUPPAUGE DIGITAL INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

   
Years ended September 30,
 
   
2010
   
2009
 
             
Net sales
  $ 56,918,617     $ 59,344,538  
Cost of sales
    38,486,848       46,557,904  
Gross profit
    18,431,769       12,786,634  
                 
Selling, general and administrative expenses
    15,579,080       16,117,590  
Research and development expenses
    4,458,915       4,421,935  
Loss from operations
    (1,606,226 )     (7,752,891 )
                 
Other Income:
               
 Interest income
    5,373       14,217  
 Interest expense
    (4,340 )     (62,557 )
 Foreign currency
    227,902       670,760  
Total other income
    228,935       622,420  
Loss before tax provision
    (1,377,291 )     (7,130,471 )
Deferred tax expense (benefit)
    264,247       (164,501 )
Current income tax expense
    205,022       177,051  
Net loss
  $ (1,846,560 )   $ (7,143,021 )
                 
Net loss per share:
               
Basic and Diluted
  $ (0.18 )   $ (0.71 )

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements

 
F-4

 

HAUPPAUGE DIGITAL INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OTHER COMPREHENSIVE LOSS

   
Years ended September 30,
 
Other comprehensive loss :
 
2010
   
2009
 
                 
Net loss
  $ (1,846,560 )   $ (7,143,021 )
Forward exchange contracts marked to market
    -       16,545  
Foreign currency translation loss
    (969,415 )     (94,937 )
Other comprehensive loss
  $ (2,815,975 )   $ (7,221,413 )

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements

 
F-5

 

HAUPPAUGE DIGITAL INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
FOR THE YEARS ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2010 AND 2009

   
Common Stock
               
Accumulated
             
   
Number
         
Additional
   
Retained
   
Other
             
   
Of
         
Paid-in
   
Earnings
   
Comprehensive
   
Treasury
       
   
Shares
   
Amount
   
Capital
   
(Deficit)
   
Income (Loss)
   
Stock
   
Total
 
BALANCE AT SEPTEMBER 30, 2008
    10,784,717     $ 107,847     $ 16,709,201     $ 7,938,695     $ (3,362,870 )   $ (2,404,337 )   $ 18,988,536  
Net loss for the year ended September 30, 2009
    -       -       -       (7,143,021 )     -       -       (7,143,021 )
Stock compensation
    -       -       538,685       -       -       -       538,685  
Foreign currency translation loss
    -       -       -       -       (94,937 )     -       (94,937 )
Change in fair value of forward contracts
    -       -       -       -       16,545       -       16,545  
Stock issued through Employee Stock Purchase plan
    29,325       293       28,765       -       -       -       29,058  
BALANCE AT SEPTEMBER 30, 2009
    10,814,042     $ 108,140     $ 17,276,651     $ 795,674     $ (3,441,262 )   $ (2,404,337 )   $ 12,334,866  
Net loss for the year ended September 30, 2010
    -       -       -       (1,846,560 )     -       -       (1,846,560 )
Stock compensation
    -       -       435,133       -       -       -       435,133  
Purchase of treasury stock
    -       -               -       -       (1,211 )     (1,211 )
Exercise of stock options
    13,625       136       16,023       -       -       -       16,159  
Foreign currency translation loss
    -       -       -       -       (969,415 )     -       (969,415 )
Stock issued through Employee Stock Purchase plan
    14,607       147       11,523       -       -       -       11,670  
BALANCE AT SEPTEMBER 30, 2010
    10,842,274     $ 108,423     $ 17,739,330     $ (1,050,886 )   $ (4,410,677 )   $ (2,405,548 )   $ 9,980,642  

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements

 
F-6

 
 
HAUPPAUGE DIGITAL INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

   
Years ended September 30,
 
   
2010
   
2009
 
             
Cash Flows From Operating Activities:
           
Net loss
  $ (1,846,560 )   $ (7,143,021 )
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash
               
provided by (used in) operating activities:
               
Depreciation
    271,455       280,610  
Amortization of intangible assets
    754,836       566,127  
Inventory reserve
    290,000       360,000  
Bad debt expense
    70,000       35,000  
Sales reserve-net
    259,240       135,537  
Stock compensation expense-employees
    435,133       538,685  
Deferred tax expense (benefit)
    264,247       (164,500 )
Other non cash items
    1,847       (5,820 )
Changes in current assets and liabilities:
               
Accounts receivable and other non trade receivables
    5,360,314       (5,219,333 )
Inventories
    (2,346,246 )     3,669,643  
Prepaid expenses and other current assets
    (73,461 )     164,726  
Accounts payable
    (5,079,294 )     1,978,439  
Accrued expenses and income taxes
    1,353,175       3,577,766  
Total adjustments
    1,561,246       5,916,880  
Net cash used in operating activities
    (285,314 )     (1,226,141 )
                 
Cash Flows From Investing Activities:
               
Purchase of PCTV assets
    (511,332 )     (4,506,225 )
Purchases of property, plant and equipment
    (62,792 )     (41,679 )
Net cash used in investing activities
    (574,124 )     (4,547,904 )
                 
Cash Flows From Financing Activities:
               
Proceeds from employee stock purchases
    27,829       29,058  
Purchase of treasury stock
    (1,211 )     -  
Net cash provided by financing activities
    26,618       29,058  
Effect of exchange rates on cash
    (477,618 )     (78,392 )
Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents
    (1,310,438 )     (5,823,379 )
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of year
    8,368,342       14,191,721  
Cash and cash equivalents, end of year
  $ 7,057,904     $ 8,368,342  
Supplemental disclosures:
               
Interest paid
  $ 4,340     $ 62,557  
Income taxes paid
  $ 163,091     $ 60,880  
Note payable to Avid Technology, Inc.
    -     $ 2,500,000  

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements

 
F-7

 
 
1. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Principles of Consolidation
The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Hauppauge Digital Inc. (the “Company”) and its wholly-owned subsidiaries, Hauppauge Computer Works, Inc., HCW Distributing Corp., Hauppauge Digital Inc. Taiwan, PCTV Systems Sarl, its branch PCTV Systems GmbH, Hauppauge Digital Europe Sarl, its branch Hauppauge Digital Europe Sarl Ireland and Hauppauge Digital Europe Sarl’s wholly-owned subsidiaries, Hauppauge Digital Asia Pte Ltd, Hauppauge Computer Works, GmbH, Hauppauge Computer Works, Ltd. and Hauppauge Computer Works Sarl. All inter-company accounts and transactions have been eliminated.

Nature of Business

Hauppauge Digital Inc. is a developer of analog and digital TV tuner products for the personal computer market. Through its Hauppauge Computer Works, Inc., Hauppauge Digital Europe Sarl and PCTV subsidiaries, the Company designs, develops, manufactures and markets analog, digital and other types of TV tuners that allow PC users to watch television on a PC screen in a resizable window, and enables the recording of TV shows to a PCs hard disk, digital video editing, video conferencing, and the display of digital media stored on a computer to a TV set via a home network. The Company, incorporated in Delaware in August 1994, is headquartered in Hauppauge, New York. The Company has administrative offices in Luxembourg, Ireland and Singapore and sales offices in Germany, London, Paris, The Netherlands, Sweden, Italy, Spain, Singapore, Taiwan and California and research and development centers in Hauppauge, New York, Braunschweig, Germany and Taiwan.
.
 The Company’s products fall under three product categories:

 
·
Analog TV tuners
 
·
Digital TV tuners, and combination analog and digital TV tuners
 
·
Other non TV tuner products

The Company’s analog and digital TV tuner products enable, among other things, a PC user to watch TV in a resizable window on a PC.

The Company’s other non TV tuner products enable, among other things, a PC user to video conference, watch and listen to PC based videos, music and pictures on a TV set through a home network, and record TV shows on a PC for playback on portable video players.

Product Segment and Geographic Information

The Company operates in one business segment, which is the development, marketing and manufacturing of analog and digital TV tuner products for the personal computer market. The products are similar in function and share commonality of component parts and manufacturing processes. The Company’s products are either sold, or can be sold, by the same retailers and distributors in the Company’s marketing channel. The Company also sells the Company’s TV tuner products directly to PC manufacturers. The Company evaluates its product lines under the functional categories of analog TV tuners, digital TV and combination digital and analog TV tuners and other non TV tuner products. Sales by functional category are as follows:

   
Twelve months ended September 30,
 
   
2010
   
2009
 
Product line sales
           
Analog sales
  $ 1,498,046     $ 1,829,752  
Digital
    45,484,110       55,770,304  
Other non TV tuners products
    9,936,461       1,744,482  
Total sales
  $ 56,918,617     $ 59,344,538  

The Company sells its product through a domestic and international network of distributors and retailers. Net sales to international and domestic customers were approximately 54% and 46% and 52% and 48% of total sales for the years ended September 30, 2010 and 2009, respectively.

 
F-8

 
 
Net sales to customers by geographic location consist of:

   
Years ended September 30,
 
Sales to:
 
2010
   
2009
 
The Americas
    46 %     48 %
Northern Europe
    9 %     7 %
Southern Europe
    15 %     17 %
Central and Eastern Europe
    28 %     25 %
Asia
    2 %     3 %
Total
    100 %     100 %

Net long lived assets located in the United States, Europe and Asia locations were approximately 54%, 39% and 7% of total net long lived assets, respectively, at September 30, 2010, and 55%, 38% and 7%, respectively, at September 30, 2009.

Subsequent Events

Management has evaluated subsequent events after the balance sheet date through the issuance of the financial statements for appropriate accounting and disclosure through the filing date of our Form 10-K.

Use of Estimates

In preparing financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United
States of America, management is required to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. The Company reviews all significant estimates affecting the financial statements on a recurring basis and records the effect of any adjustments when necessary.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

For purposes of the statement of cash flows, the Company considers all highly liquid debt instruments purchased with an original maturity date of three months or less to be cash equivalents.

Concentrations of Credit Risk

Financial instruments which potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist principally of cash and accounts receivable. At times such cash in banks are in excess of the FDIC insurance limit. Concentration of credit risk with respect to accounts receivable exists because the Company operates in one industry (also see Note 10). Although the Company operates in one industry segment, it does not believe that the Company has a material concentration of credit risk either from an individual counter party or a group of counter parties, due to the large and diverse user group for its products. The Company performs ongoing credit evaluations of its customers and generally does not require collateral.  The Company maintains allowances to cover potential or anticipated losses for uncollectible amounts.

Shipping and Handling Costs

The Company records all shipping and handling charges in Cost of Sales.

Revenue Recognition

The Company sells through a sales channel which is comprised of retailers, PC manufacturers and distributors. The majority of the Company’s customers are granted lines of credit. The product is shipped on account with the majority of customers typically given 30 to 60 day payment terms. Those customers deemed as large credit risks either pay in advance or issue the Company a letter of credit.

 
F-9

 
 
The Company requires the customer to submit a purchase order to the Company.  The product price and payment terms are fixed per the terms of the purchase order.  Upon shipment of the order to the customer, the title to the goods is passed to the customer. The customer is legally obligated to pay for the order within the payment terms stated on the customer’s purchase order.  The obligation to insure the boards and the cost of any pilferage while in the customer’s possession is the responsibility of the customer.  The Company sells   analog, hybrid video recorders or digital  computer boards that are stocked on the shelves of  retailers and are subject to  the normal consumer traffic that  retail stores attract. Aside from normal store promotions such as   advertisements in the store’s circular, the Company has no further obligation to assist in the resale of the products.

The Company offers some of its customers a right of return. The Company’s accounting complies with FASB ASC 605-15  (SFAS 48) Revenue Recognition when Right of Return Exists, as typically at the end of every quarter the Company, based on historical data, evaluates its sales reserve level  based on the  previous six months sales.  Due to seasonal nature of the business coupled with the changing economic environment, management exercises some judgment with regard to the historical data when calculating the reserve.

The Company offers mail-in rebates on certain products at certain times as determined by the Company. The rebates are recorded as a reduction to sales. The Company also participates in limited cooperative advertising programs with retailers and distributors and accounts for these in accordance with FASB ASC 605-50 ( EITF 01-09), “Accounting for Consideration Given by a Vendor to a Customer (Including a Reseller of the Vendor’s Products)”.

Warranty Policy

The Company warrants that its products are free from defects in material and workmanship for a period of one year from the date of initial retail purchase. The warranty does not cover any losses or damage that occur as a result of improper installation, misuse or neglect and repair or modification by anyone other than the Company or its authorized repair agent. The Company accrues anticipated warranty costs based upon historical percentages of items returned for repair within one year of the initial sale.  The Company’s repair rate of product under warranty has been minimal and the warranty reserve has not been material.

Inventories

Inventories are valued at the lower of cost (principally average cost) or market. A reserve has been provided to reduce obsolete and/or excess inventory to its net realizable value.

Property, Plant  and Equipment

Depreciation of office equipment and machinery and amortization of leasehold improvements is provided for using both accelerated and straight line methods over the estimated useful lives of the related assets as follows:

Office Equipment and Machinery:  5 to 7 years
Leasehold improvements:  asset life or lease term, whichever is shorter

Income taxes

The Company follows the liability method of accounting for income taxes. Deferred income taxes are recorded to reflect the temporary differences in the tax bases of the assets or liabilities and their reported amounts in the financial statements.     The Company recognizes deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of events that have been included in the Company’s financial statements or tax returns. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on the difference between the financial statement and tax basis of assets and liabilities using enacted tax rates in effect for the year in which the differences are expected to reverse. Valuation allowances are established when necessary to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount currently estimated to be realized. The Company adopted ASC 740-10 (Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Interpretation No. 48), “Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes — An Interpretation of FASB Statement No. 109” (“FIN 48”) effective October 1, 2007.  Under ASC740-10 ( FIN 48), tax benefits are recognized only for tax positions that are more likely than not to be sustained upon examination by tax authorities. The amount recognized is measured as the largest amount of benefit that is greater than 50% likely to be realized upon ultimate settlement. Unrecognized tax benefits are tax benefits claimed in tax returns that do not meet these recognition and measurement standards. As of September 30 2010 and 2009, the Company did not have any uncertain tax positions, and the Company does not expect ASC 740-10 (FIN 48) to have a significant impact on its results of operations or financial position during the next 12 months.  As permitted by ASC-740-10(FIN 48), the Company also adopted an accounting policy to prospectively classify accrued interest and penalties related to any unrecognized tax benefits in its income tax provision. Previously, the Company’s policy was to classify interest and penalties as an interest expense in arriving at pre-tax income.

 
F-10

 

Long-Lived Assets

Long-lived assets, such as property and equipment and intangible assets, are evaluated for impairment when events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the assets may not be recoverable through the estimated undiscounted future cash flows from the use of these assets. When any such impairment exists, the related assets will be written down to fair value. In accordance with ASC 360-10-35 (SFAS No. 144, “Accounting for Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Assets” ASC 360-10-35 (“SFAS No. 144”), amortization of intangible assets is provided using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets.  Impairment indicators include, among other conditions: cash flow deficits, a historic or anticipated decline in net sales or operating profit, adverse legal or regulatory developments, accumulation of costs significantly in excess of amounts originally expected to acquire the asset, and a material decrease in the fair market value of some or all of the assets. Assets are grouped at the lowest level for which there are identifiable cash flows that are largely independent of the cash flows generated by other asset groups.

Research and Development

Expenditures for research and development are charged to expense as incurred.

Foreign Currency Translations  and Transactions

The Company’s Asian subsidiary reports its financial position and results of operations in the reporting currency of the Company.

The financial position and results of operations of the Company’s European subsidiaries are determined using Euros as the functional currency.  Assets and liabilities of these subsidiaries are translated at the exchange rate in effect at each period end.  Income statement accounts are translated at the average rate during the year.   Translation adjustments arising from the translation to U.S. Dollars at differing exchange rates are included in the accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) account in stockholders’ equity.  Gains and losses resulting from  transactions that are denominated in currencies other than Euros are included in earnings as a component of other income.  The Company had a translation loss of $3,441,262 recorded on the balance sheet as of September 30, 2009. For the twelve months ended September 30, 2010 the Company recorded on the balance sheet translation losses of $969,415, resulting in an accumulated translation loss of $4,410,677 recorded as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income as of September 30, 2010.  

Derivatives and Hedging Activities

For each of the fiscal years ended September 30, 2010 and 2009, at least 40 % of the Company’s sales were generated by its European subsidiary and were invoiced and collected in local currency, which was primarily the Euro. On the supply side, since the Company predominantly deals with North American and Asian suppliers and contract manufacturers, approximately 95% of the Company’s inventory required to support its European sales are purchased and paid in U.S. Dollars. The combination of sales billed in Euros supported by inventory purchased in U.S. dollars results in an absence of a natural local currency hedge. Consequently, the Company’s financial results are subject to market risks resulting from the fluctuations in the Euro  to  U.S. Dollar exchange rates.

The Company attempts to reduce these risks by entering into foreign exchange forward contracts with financial institutions. The purpose of these forward contracts is to hedge the foreign currency market exposures underlying the U.S. Dollar denominated inventory purchases required to support its European sales.

 
F-11

 
 
The Company does not try to hedge against all possible foreign currency exposures because of the inherent difficulty in estimating   the volatility of the Euro.  The contracts the Company procures are specifically entered into to as a hedge against forecasted or existing   foreign currency exposure.  The Company does not enter into contracts for speculative purposes. Although the Company maintains these programs to reduce the short term impact of changes in currency exchange rates,  long term strengthening or weakening of the U.S. Dollar  against the Euro impacts  the Company’s sales, gross profit, operating income and retained earnings. Factors that could impact the effectiveness of the Company’s hedging program are:

 
·
volatility of the currency markets
 
·
availability of hedging instruments
 
·
accuracy of the Company’s  inventory forecasts

Additionally, there is the risk that foreign exchange fluctuations will make the Company’s  products less competitive in foreign markets, which would substantially reduce  the Company’s  sales.

As of September 30, 2010 and 2009 the Company had no open contracts outstanding.

The Company’s accounting policies for these instruments designate such instruments as cash flow hedging transactions. The Company does not enter into such contracts for speculative purposes. The Company records all derivative gains and losses on the balance sheet as a component of stockholders’ equity under the caption “Accumulated other comprehensive loss,”.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

The carrying amounts of certain financial instruments, including cash,  receivables and accounts payable, approximate fair value as of September 30, 2010 and 2009 because of the relatively short term maturity of these instruments. The Company believes that borrowings outstanding under its note payable approximate fair value due to the short-term duration of the loan. 

Net income (loss) per share
   
Basic net income (loss) per share includes no dilution and is computed by dividing net income (loss) by the weighted average number of shares of Common Stock outstanding for the period.  Diluted net income (loss) per share reflect, in periods in which they have a dilutive effect, the dilution which would occur  upon the exercise of stock options.  A reconciliation of the shares used in calculating basic and diluted earnings (loss) per share follows:

   
Years ended September 30,
 
   
2010
   
2009
 
Weighted average Common Stock outstanding-basic
    10,066,637       10,045,449  
Common Stock equivalents-stock options
    -       -  
Weighted average shares outstanding-diluted
    10,066,637       10,045,449  

Options to purchase 1,454,442 and 1,522,394 shares of Common Stock at prices ranging $1.05 to $7.45 and   $1.08 to $8.75, respectively, were outstanding as of September 30, 2010  and 2009, respectively, but were not included in the computation of diluted net income  per share of Common Stock  because they were anti-dilutive.

Stock Based Compensation

The Company follows FASB ASC-718 (SFAS No. 123R), “Share-Based Payments”  where  the fair value of stock options are determined using the Black-Scholes valuation model  and such fair value is recognized as an expense over the service period, net of estimated forfeitures.

The Company had as of September 30, 2010 options issued from four incentive option plans and one non qualified option plan. These options typically vest over a period of four to five years. Options granted  have a contract term of 10 years and  the fair value for these options was estimated at the date of grant using a Black-Scholes option pricing model with the following weighted average assumptions based on historical data of the Company’s stock.

 
F-12

 
 
Stock option grant assumptions:
 
2010
   
2009
 
Weighted average fair value of grants
  $ 0.55     $ 0.70  
Risk free interest rate
    2.69 %     4.25 %
Dividend yield
    -       -  
Expected volatility
    50 %     50 %
Expected life in years
    7       7  

As of September 30, 2010, there was $501,671 of total unrecognized compensation expense net of estimated forfeitures, related to non-vested share based compensation arrangements which is expected to be recognized over a weighed average period of 4 years. The total fair value of options vested during the years ended September 30, 2010 and 2009 was $435,133 and $538,685.  For September 30, 2010 and 2009, stock compensation expense of $278,549 and $347,069 have been recorded to SG&A expense and $156,584 and $191,616 have been recorded to research and development expense.

In recognition that stock compensation is a non-cash expense, the effect of expensing options had no affect on the Company’s cash flow.  However, it was reflected in the Company’s cash flow statement as a non-cash item which was added back in the determination of cash flows from operating activities.

A summary of the Company’s non-vested shares as of September 30, 2010 and changes during the twelve months ended September 30, 2010 is presented below:

         
Weighted
 
         
Grant date
 
   
Shares
   
Fair value
 
Non-vested as of October 1,  2009
    465,000     $ 2.70  
Granted
    195,250       0.55  
Vested
    (186,080 )     2.34  
Forfeited
    (84,524 )     4.11  
Non-vested as of  September 30,  2010
    389,646     $ 1.29  

Accrued expenses- fees

The Company uses technology licensed from third parties in certain products.  The Company enters into agreements to license this technology, and in return for the use of the technology, the Company incurs a license fee for each unit sold that includes the licensors’ technology. The licensing amount per unit varies by licensor. The Company recognizes and estimates the amount of fees owed to third parties based on products sold that include software and technology purchased or licensed from these third parties.  The Company uses all available applicable information in determining these estimates and thus the accrued amounts are subject to change as new information is made available to the Company.
 The Company is obligated to provide the licensor with reports which quantify the licenses used and in certain cases the Company is subject to periodic audits. The licensing fees are accounted for as a component of product cost and are charged to cost of sales.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In January 2010, the FASB issued an accounting standard update amending the disclosure requirements for financial instruments under fair value. New disclosures required include the amount of significant transfers in and out of levels 1 and 2 fair value measurements and the reasons for the transfers. In addition, the reconciliation for level 3 activity will be required on a gross rather than net basis. The update provides additional guidance related to the level of disaggregation in determining classes of assets and liabilities and disclosures about inputs and valuation techniques. The Company does not expect the adoption of this guidance to have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements and disclosures.

 
F-13

 

In September 2009, the FASB issued a standard which modifies the revenue recognition guidance for arrangements that involve the delivery of multiple elements, such as product, software, services or support, to a customer at different times as part of a single revenue generating transaction. This standard provides principles and application guidance to determine whether multiple deliverables exist, how the individual deliverables should be separated and how to allocate the revenue in the arrangement among those separate deliverables. The standard also expands the disclosure requirements for multiple deliverable revenue arrangements. The Company does not expect the adoption of this guidance to have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements.

Reclassifications
Certain reclassifications have been made to the prior period consolidated financial statements to conform to the current year presentation.
 
2.
Accounts receivable

Receivables consist of:

 
·
Trade receivables from sales to customers
 
·
Receivables pertaining to component parts purchased from the Company by its contract manufacturers which are  excluded from sales
 
·
General services tax (GST)  and value added tax (VAT) reclaimable on goods purchased by the Company’s Asian  and European locations
 
·
Allowances, consisting of sales and bad debt
 
·
Other minor non trade receivables

The following is a listing by category of the Company’s accounts receivable as of September 30, 2010 and 2009.

   
As of September 30,
 
Receivable detail:
 
2010
   
2009
 
Trade receivables
  $ 9,123,726     $ 13,893,804  
Allowance for doubtful accounts
    (383,773 )     (823,220 )
Sales reserve
    (4,336,759 )     (3,300,000 )
Net trade receivables
  $ 4,403,194     $ 9,770,584  
                 
Receivable from contract manufacturers
  $ 1,846,949     $ 2,933,918  
GST and VAT taxes receivables
    439,745       1,134,331  
Other
    69,140       48,143  
Total other non trade receivables
  $ 2,355,834     $ 4,116,392  

3.  Inventories

Inventories consist of the following:                                                 

   
September 30,
 
   
2010
   
2009
 
Component Parts
  $ 3,565,643     $ 2,799,723  
Finished  Goods
    7,884,922       5,817,077  
    $ 11,450,565     $ 8,616,800  

4. Property, Plant and Equipment

The following is a summary of property, plant and equipment:

   
September 30,
 
   
2010
   
2009
 
Office Equipment and Machinery
  $ 3,793,797     $ 3,780,398  
Leasehold Improvements
    150,870       115,870  
      3,944,667       3,896,268  
Less: Accumulated depreciation and amortization
    (3,399,708 )     (3,138,780 )
    $ 544,959     $ 757,488  

Depreciation and amortization expense totaled $ 271,455 and $ 280,610 for the years ended September 30, 2010 and 2009, respectively.

 
F-14

 
 
5. Intangible Assets

The following is a summary of intangible assets as of September 30, 2009 and 2010

               
Net
   
Weighted
 
As of September 30, 2009
 
Purchase
   
Accumulated
   
Book
   
average remaining
 
Asset description
 
cost
   
Amortization
   
Value
   
life (in years)
 
Customer relationships
  $ 1,644,353     $ (102,772 )   $ 1,541,581       11.25  
Value of technology
    1,849,897       (198,203 )     1,651,694       6.25  
Covenant  not to compete
    1,767,979       (265,152 )     1,502,827       4.25  
Total intangible  assets
  $ 5,262,229     $ (566,127 )   $ 4,696,102       8.45  

               
Net
   
Weighted
 
As of September 30, 2010
 
Purchase
   
Accumulated
   
Book
   
average remaining
 
Asset description
 
cost
   
Amortization
   
Value
   
life (in years)
 
Customer relationships
  $ 1,644,353       (239,801 )   $ 1,404,552       10.25  
Value of technology
    1,849,897       (462,474 )     1,387,423       5.25  
Covenant  not to compete
    1,767,979       (618,688 )     1,149,291       3.25  
Total intangible  assets
  $ 5,262,229     $ (1,320,963 )   $ 3,941,266       7.64  

Amortization expense totaled $754, 836 and $566,127 for the years ended September 30, 2010 and 2009.  Amortization expense is expected to be approximately $755,000 for each of the fiscal years ended September 30, 2011, 2012  and  2013 respectively,  $490,000 for  the fiscal year ended September 30, 2014 and  $401,000 for the year ended September 30, 2015.
 
6.  Accrued Expenses –Fees

The Company uses software and technology purchased or licensed from third parties in certain of the Company’s products.  The Company enters into agreements for these technologies, and incurs a fee for each product sold that includes the technology. The Company recognizes and estimates the amount of fees owed to third parties based on products sold that include software and technology purchased or licensed from these third parties.  The Company uses all available applicable information in determining these estimates and thus the accrued amounts are subject to change as new information is made available to the Company.  In the third quarter of fiscal 2010, the Company reduced its accrued expense fees by approximately $2,200,000 due to changes in estimates and settlements.  In the fourth quarter of fiscal 2010 the Company corrected an error associated with prior periods. This correction resulted in a reduction to accrued expense fees of approximately $382,000 and a corresponding decrease to cost of sales. The Company did not deem this adjustment to be material to any prior period based on both qualitative and quantitative factors.

For fiscal 2010 there was $1,705,067 in fees were charged to cost of sales net of any changes in estimates reflected in the current year,  and $2,711,271 in fees were paid to various third parties.   For fiscal 2009 $2,694,648 in fees were charged to cost of sales and $2,545,587 in fees were paid to various third parties.   As of September 30, 2010 and September 30, 2009 the amount of Accrued expense fees amounted to $4,955,540 and $5,935,606, respectively.

 
F-15

 

7.  Accrued Expenses

Accrued expenses are for costs incurred for goods and services which are based on estimates, charged as incurred to operations as period costs and for which no invoice has been rendered.   Included in accrued expenses are accruals for product costs of $6,511,733 and $4,995,109 as of September 30, 2010 and 2009, respectively;  accruals for sales costs relating to a sales rebate program  of $1,274,150 and  $1,104,992  as of  September 30, 2010 and 2009, respectively; accruals  for  freight and duty expenses of  $1,311,577 and $1,020,432  as of  September 30, 2010 and 2009, respectively;  accruals for  compensation costs of $291,789 and $343,325 as of  September 30, 2010 and 2009, respectively;  accruals for  warranty repair costs of  $276,520 and $283,507 as of  September 30, 2010 and 2009, respectively  and  accruals for advertising and marketing costs of $316,396 and $294,942  as of  September 30, 2010 and 2009, respectively.    

8. Income Taxes

The Company’s income tax provision consists of the following:

   
Years ended September 30,
 
   
2010
   
2009
 
Current tax  expense:
           
State income taxes
  $ 40,000       40,000  
Foreign income taxes
    165,022       137,050  
Total current tax  expense
    205,022       177,050  
Deferred tax expense (benefit)
               
Federal
    236,432       (147,184 )
State
    27,815       (17,316 )
Total deferred tax  expense (benefit)
    264,247       (164,500 )
Total tax  provision
  $ 469,269     $ 12,550  

Components of deferred taxes are as follows:

   
Years ended September 30,
 
   
2010
   
2009
 
Net operating loss domestic
  $ 317,759     $ 388,989  
 Net operating loss foreign
    475,693       475,693  
 Sales reserve
    426,630       328,119  
 Inventory obsolescence
    582,908       705,932  
 Allowance for bad debts
    145,834       312,824  
 Vacation accrual
    24,588       24,588  
 Warranty reserve
    9,158       9,158  
 263 A inventory capitalization
    121,086       115,650  
 Depreciation
    32,732       14,822  
 Goodwill
    94,336       114,856  
 AMT credit
    177,704       170,247  
 R&D credit
    396,174       407,971  
 Subtotal
    2,804,602       3,068,849  
 Valuation allowance
    (883,664 )     (883,664 )
 Net deferred tax assets
  $ 1,920,938     $ 2,185,185  

 In evaluating the future realization of our deferred tax asset and the corresponding valuation allowance as of September 30, 2010, we took into consideration:
 
 
·
the  Company’s domestic operations had  taxable income  for  four out of the  last  five   fiscal years
 
·
including royalties paid to the Company’s domestic operations  by the Company’s European subsidiary,   the Company anticipates  taxable income for its domestic operations  for  fiscal 2011
 
·
the Company’s history  of  utilization of  prior  domestic net operating losses
 
After evaluating the circumstances listed above, it was the Company’s opinion that its net deferred tax asset net of $1,920,938 is realizable as of September 30, 2010.

 
F-16

 

As of September 30, 2010 the Company had $836,208 in unrestricted domestic net operating losses.  As of September 30, 2010 the Company had tax credit carry forwards for research and development expenses totaling $396,174 (which expires between 2010 and 2014) which have a full valuation allowance recorded against them.  Our net deferred tax asset is primarily attributable to our Hauppauge Computer Works Inc. domestic operations and consists of primarily of timing differences.   In addition there are foreign net operating losses which have a full valuation allowance recorded against them.

No provision has been made for income taxes on substantially all of the undistributed earnings of the Company’s foreign subsidiaries of approximately $5,982,202 at September 30, 2010 as the Company intends to indefinitely reinvest such earnings.

The difference between the actual income tax provision (benefit) and the tax provision computed by applying the Federal statutory income tax rate of 34% to the income before income tax is attributable to the following:
 
   
Years ended September 30,
 
   
2010
   
2009
 
Income tax  expense at federal statutory rate
  $ (468,279 )   $ (2,424,360 )
Change in estimate of prior year income taxes
    (8,231 )     (178,025 )
Permanent differences-life insurance
    1,700       1,700  
Permanent differences-compensation expense
    147,945       183,153  
Permanent differences-other
    1,700       1,190  
State income taxes, net of federal benefit
    54,215       9,084  
Foreign  earnings taxed at rates other than the federal statutory rate
    751,276       2,430,294  
Other
    (11,057 )     (10,486 )
Taxes (benefit) on income (loss)
  $ 469,269     $ 12,550  

The Company’s Luxembourg corporation functions as the entity which services the Company’s European customers. The Company has separate domestic and foreign tax entities, with the Luxembourg entity paying a royalty fee to the Company’s domestic operation for use of the Hauppauge name.

Including royalty fees charged to the Company’s European subsidiary, the Company’s domestic operation incurred pretax income of $346,984 and $406,646 for the years ended September 30, 2010 and 2009.   The Company’s international operations had pretax net loss including royalty fees of $ 1,724,275 and $7,537,116 for the years ended September 30, 2010 and 2009.

9. Stockholders’ Equity

a.  Treasury Stock

The Company’s Board of Directors approved a stock repurchase program which allows for the repurchase of 1,200,000 shares under the plan.  As of  September 30, 2010, the Company  held 760,479  treasury shares purchased for $2,405,548 at an average purchase price of approximately $3.16 per share

b. Stock Compensation Plans

On December 14, 1995, the Board of Directors authorized the adoption of the 1996 Non-Qualified Stock Option Plan (the "1996 Non-Qualified Plan") which was approved by the Company’s stockholders on March 5, 1996.  The 1996 Non-Qualified Plan authorizes the grant of 500,000 shares of Common Stock, subject to adjustment as provided in the plan. The plan expired on March 5, 2006 and no more options can be issued under this plan.  This plan does not qualify for treatment as an incentive stock option plan under the Internal Revenue  Code.  As of September 30, 2010 and 2009,  138,000 and 181,400  options ranging in prices from $1.08  to $4.13 were outstanding under the 1996 Non-Qualified Plan.

 
F-17

 

On December 17, 1997, the Company’s Board of Directors adopted and authorized a new incentive stock option plan (“1997 ISO”) pursuant to section 422A of the Internal Revenue Code.   This plan was approved by the Company’s stockholders at the Company’s  March 12, 1998 annual stockholders’ meeting. The 1997 ISO plan as adopted authorizes the grant of up to 700,000 shares of Common Stock, subject to adjustment as provided in the plan. This plan terminated on December 16, 2007 and no further options can be issued under this plan.  As of September 30, 2010 and 2009, 154,267 and 168,360 options were outstanding with exercise price of $1.08 as of September 30, 2010 and from $1.08 to $ 8.75 as of September 30, 2009.

The Company’s Board of Directors, on May 9, 2000, adopted the 2000 Performance and Equity Incentive Plan (the “2000 Plan”). This plan was approved by the stockholders at the Company’s July 18, 2000 annual stockholders’ meeting. The purpose of the 2000 Plan is to attract, retain and motivate key employees, directors and non-employee consultants.

The 2000 Plan as adopted reserves 500,000 shares of Common Stock to be issued pursuant to stock options grants or other awards, subject to adjustment for any merger, reorganization, consolidation, recapitalization, stock dividend, stock split or any other changes in corporate structure affecting the Common Stock. This plan is to be administered by the Board of Directors. Grants of awards to non-employee directors require the approval of the Board of Directors.

The 2000 plan allows the granting of options as either incentive stock options or non-qualified options. Non-employee directors and non-employee consultants may only be granted Non-Qualified Stock Options.  Incentive stock options are priced at the market value at the time of grant and shall be exercisable no more than ten years after the date of the grant. Incentive stock options granted to employees who own 10% or more of the Company’s combined voting power cannot be granted at less than 110% of the market value at the time of grant. Non-qualified options shall be granted at a price determined by the Board of Directors, or a committee thereof, and shall be exercisable no more than 10 years and one month after the grant. The aggregate fair market value of shares subject to an incentive stock option granted to an optionee in any calendar year shall not exceed $100,000.  As of September 30, 2010 and 2009, 154,267 and 188,867 options were outstanding from this plan ranging in prices from $1.05 to $1.375 as of September 30, 201 0 and $1.05 to $ 5.78 as of September 30, 2009.

The Company’s Board of Directors on May 16, 2003 adopted the 2003 Performance and Equity Incentive Plan
 (the “2003 Plan”). This plan was approved by the stockholders at the Company’s September 22, 2003 annual stockholders’ meeting. The purpose of the 2003 Plan is to provide equity ownership opportunities and performance based incentives to attract and retain the services of key employees, Directors and non-employee consultants of the Company and to motivate such individuals to put forth maximum efforts on behalf of the Company.

The 2003 Plan as adopted reserves up to 500,000 shares of Common Stock to be issued pursuant to stock options grants or other awards, subject to adjustment for any merger, reorganization, consolidation,  recapitalization, stock dividend, stock split or any other changes in corporate structure affecting the Common  Stock.  All of the Common Stock which may be awarded under the 2003 Plan may be subject to delivery  through Incentive Stock Option Plans. The 2003 Plan will be administered by the Board of Directors or a Committee thereof composed of two or more members who are non-employee Directors (the “Committee”).  Grants of awards under the 2003 Plan to non-employee Directors require the approval of the Board of Directors. On September 5, 2006 the Company’s Board of Directors approved an amendment which increased the number  of shares of Common Stock  authorized and reserved for issuance under the plan by an additional 1,000,000 shares. The amendment was approved by the Company’s stockholders at the Company’s  October 17, 2006 Annual Stockholders Meeting.

The Board or the Committee may amend, suspend or discontinue the 2003 Plan or any portion thereof at any time, but no amendment, suspension or discontinuation shall be made which would impair the right of any holder without the holder’s consent.  Subject to the foregoing, the Board or the Committee has the authority to amend the 2003 Plan to take into account changes in law and tax and accounting rules, as well as other developments.  The Board or the Committee may institute loan programs to assist participants in financing the  exercise of options through full recourse interest bearing notes not to exceed the cash consideration plus all applicable taxes in connection with the acquisition of shares.

 
F-18

 

This plan allows the granting of options as either incentive stock options or non-qualified options. Non-employee directors and non-employee consultants may only be granted Non-Qualified Stock Options. Incentive stock options are priced at the market value at the time of grant and shall be exercisable no more than ten years after the date of the grant. Incentive stock options granted to employees who own 10% or more of the Company’s combined voting power cannot be granted at less than 110% of the market value at the time of grant. Non-qualified options shall be granted at a price determined by the Board of Directors and shall be exercisable no more than 10 years and one month after the grant. The aggregate fair market value of shares subject to an incentive stock option granted to an optionee in any calendar year shall not exceed $100,000. Any fair value at the time of grant that exceeds $100,000 in any calendar year will not be deemed as incentive stock options. As of September 30, 2010 and 2009, 1,115,750 and 951,500 were outstanding from this plan ranging in prices from $0.95 to $7.45 as of September 30, 2010 and $1.24 to $ 7.45 as of September 30, 2009.

The Board or the Committee may grant options with a reload feature. A reload feature shall only apply when the option price is paid by delivery of Common Stock held by the optionee for at least 12 months. The agreement for options containing the reload feature shall provide that the option holder shall receive, contemporaneously with the payment of the option price in Common Stock, a reload stock option to purchase the number of Common Stock equal to the number of Common Stock used to exercise the option, and, to the extent authorized by the Board or the Committee, the number of Common Stock used to satisfy any tax withholding requirement incident to the underlying Stock Option. The exercise price of the reload options shall be equal to the fair market value of the Common Stock on the date of grant of the reload option and each reload option shall be fully exercisable six months from the effective date of the grant of such reload option. The term of the reload option shall be equal to the remaining term of the option which gave rise to the reload option. No additional reload options shall be granted to optionees when Stock Options are exercised following the termination of the optionee’s employment. Subject to the foregoing, the terms of the 2003 Plan applicable to the option shall be equally applicable to the reload option.

Stock Appreciation Rights may be granted in conjunction with all or part of any stock option granted under the 2003 Plan or independent of a stock option grant. Stock Appreciation Rights shall be subject to such terms and conditions as shall be determined by the Board or the Committee. Upon the exercise of a Stock Appreciation Right, a holder shall be entitled to receive an amount in cash, Common Stock, or both, equal in value to the excess of the fair market value over the option exercise price per Common Stock. Shares of Restricted Stock may also be issued either alone or in addition to other amounts granted under the 2003 Plan. The Board or the Committee shall determine the officers, key employees and non-employee consultants to whom and the time or times at which grants of Restricted Stock will be made, the number of shares to be awarded, the time or times within which such awards may be subject to forfeiture and any other terms and conditions of the awards. Long term performance awards may be awarded either alone or in addition to other awards granted under the 2003 Plan. The Board or the Committee shall determine the nature, length, and starting date of the performance period which shall generally be at least two years. The maximum award for any individual with respect to any one year of any applicable performance period shall be 100,000 shares of Common Stock.

Upon a Change in Control as defined in the 2003 Plan, but only to the extent determined by the Board or the Committee, stock options, stock appreciation rights and long term performance awards (the “Award”) will vest, provided that no award granted to an employee of the Company shall vest or be exercisable unless the employee’s employment is terminated within 24 months from the date of the Change in Control, (as defined in the 2003 Plan) unless the employee is terminated for Cause, as defined in the 2003 Plan or if the employee resigns his employment without Good Reason, as defined in the 2003 Plan. Otherwise, the Award shall not vest and be exercisable upon a Change in Control, unless otherwise determined. The employee shall have 30 days from after his employment is terminated due to a Change in Control to exercise all unexercised Awards. However, in the event of the death or disability of the employee, all unexercised Awards must be exercised within twelve (12) months after the death or disability of the employee.

The Company’s Board of Directors on May 9, 2000 adopted the Employee Stock Purchase Plan. This plan was approved by the Company’s stockholders’ at the Company’s July 18, 2000 annual stockholders’ meeting. This plan is intended to provide the Company’s full- time employees an opportunity to purchase an ownership interest in the Company through the purchase of Common Stock. The Company had reserved 100,000 shares of Common Stock for issuance under the plan. This plan is to be administered by the Board of Directors. Employees who have completed six months of employment and who work more than 20 hours per week for more than five months in the year are eligible to participate in the plan. The employee may elect to payroll deductions up to 10% per pay period. The purchase price shall either be the lower of 85% of the closing price on the offering commencement date or the offering termination date. No employee will be granted an option to purchase shares of Common Stock if such employee would own shares or holds options to purchase shares which would cause the employee to own more than 5% of the combined voting power of all classes of stock. Non-employees are not eligible to participate. The plan’s initial termination date was December 31, 2003. The maximum number of shares that may be issued in any quarterly offering is 10,000, plus un-issued shares from prior offerings whether offered or not. At the Company’s September 6, 2002 stockholders’ meeting, the Company’s stockholders’ approved an increase in shares reserved under this plan to 180,000, and extended the plan termination date to December 31, 2004. At the Company’s September 27, 2004 stockholders’ meeting the Company’s stockholders’ approved an increase in shares reserved under this plan to 260,000, and extended the plan termination date to December 31, 2006. On May 25, 2006 the Company’s Board of Directors approved a third amendment to the plan increasing the number of shares available to 420,000 and extending the expiration date of the plan to December 31, 2010. The amendment was approved by the Company’s stockholders’ at the Company’s October 17, 2006 annual stockholders’ meeting. As of September 30, 2010 and 2009, 218,896 and 204,289 shares of Common Stock were purchased under this plan.

 
F-19

 

A summary of the of the Company’s fixed options plans as of September 30, 2010 and 2009  and changes during the years ending those dates is presented below:
                         
Weighted
     
         
Weighted
         
Weighted
 
average
     
         
Average
         
Average
 
contracted
 
Aggregate
 
         
Exercise
   
Non
   
Exercise
 
term
 
intrinsic
 
   
ISO
   
Price
   
Qualified
   
Price
 
(years)
 
value
 
                                 
Balance at September 30, 2008
    1,580,769     $ 3.99       186,975     $ 3.53          
Granted
    95,000       1.24       -       -          
Forfeited
    (334,775 )     3.85       (5,575 )     1.08          
Balance at September 30, 2009
    1,340,994     $ 3.77       181,400     $ 3.64          
Granted
    195,250       0.55       0       0.00          
Forfeited
    (206,177 )     4.19       (43,400 )     4.67          
Exercised
    (13,625 )     1.27       0       1.08          
Balance at September 30, 2010
    1,316,442     $ 3.32       138,000     $ 3.31  
6.53
 
-
 
Options exercisable at September 30, 2010
    863,942     $ 3.91       138,000     $ 3.31  
5.68
 
-
 

The aggregate intrinsic value of options exercised during the year ended September 30, 2010 was approximately $22,000.  There were no options exercised during fiscal 2009.

c. Stockholders’ Rights Agreements

On July 19, 2001, the Company’s Board of Directors adopted a stockholder rights plan, as set forth in the Rights Agreement, dated as of July 20, 2001 (the "Rights Agreement") between the Company and North American Transfer Company as Rights Agent. Pursuant to the Rights Agreement, one Right was issued for each share of Common Stock of the Company outstanding as of August 5, 2001. Each of the Rights entitles the registered holder to purchase from the Company one share of Common Stock at a price of $11.00 per share, subject to adjustment. The Rights generally will not become exercisable unless and until, among other things, any person acquires 10% to 12% or more of the outstanding Common Stock or makes a tender offer to acquire 10% or more of the outstanding Common Stock. The 10% threshold will not be applicable to institutional investors who stay below a 20% ownership level and who report their ownership on a Schedule 13G under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. In addition, stockholders of more than 10% of the Common Stock as of July 19, 2001 were grandfathered at their then current level plus 1% unless they later fall below the 10% threshold. The Rights are redeemable under certain circumstances at $0.001 per Right and will expire, unless earlier redeemed or extended, on July 19, 2011.
 
10. Significant Customer Information

For fiscal 2010 there was no one customer that accounted for over 10% of our net sales. For fiscal 2009, the Company had one customer, D&H Distributing, that accounted for  approximately 12% of our net sales.

11.  Related  Party Transactions

The Company occupies a facility located in Hauppauge, New York for its executive offices and for the testing, storage and shipping of its products. Hauppauge Computer Works, Inc., (“HCW”) leases the premises (the “1990 Lease”), from Ladokk Realty Co., a real estate partnership which is principally owned by Kenneth Plotkin, the Company’s President, Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer and a stockholder of the Company, Dorothy Plotkin, the wife of Kenneth Plotkin and a stockholder of the Company and Laura Aupperle, the widow of Kenneth Aupperle, a founder and former President of the Company. The Company is obligated to pay real estate taxes and operating costs of maintaining the premises subject to the 1990 Lease.

 
F-20

 

The Lease ends on August 31, 2011 and calls for base  rent in the first year of the term of $300,000, payable monthly in the amount of $25,000. Rent is subject to an annual increase of 3% over the term. The execution of the Lease Amendment was approved by our Board of Directors, following the recommendation of our Audit Committee. HCW is obligated to pay for utilities, repairs to the Premises, and taxes during the term.

12.  Litigation

In the normal course of business the Company is party to various claims and/or litigation.  To the best of its knowledge management believes that there is currently no material litigation which, considered in the aggregate would have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial position and results of operations.

13.  Acquisition of PCTV Assets from Avid Technology, Inc.

Effective December 24, 2008, pursuant to an Asset Purchase Agreement, dated as of October 25, 2008, as amended by that certain Amendment No. 1 to the Asset Purchase Agreement (the “Amendment”) (together with the Amendment, the “Asset Purchase Agreement”), PCTV Systems, Sarl, a Luxembourg company (“Buyer”) and  the Company’s  wholly-owned subsidiary,  acquired certain assets and properties (the “Acquired Assets”) of Avid Technology, Inc. (“Avid”), a Delaware corporation, Pinnacle Systems, Inc., a California corporation (“Pinnacle”), Avid Technology GmbH, a limited liability company organized under the laws of Germany, Avid Development GmbH, a limited liability company organized under the laws of Germany, and Avid Technology International BV (collectively, the “Sellers”).  The Acquired Assets were used by the Sellers in the business of, among other things, the development, manufacture and sale of personal devices containing a television tuner for receiving over-the-air, satellite and/or cable television signals that are used in conjunction with personal computers for personal television viewing.   The potential increase in the Company’s customer base, the potential absorption of the PCTV operations into the existing Hauppauge infrastructure with minimal incremental costs plus the acquisition of the seller’s technology, reference designs and product line were among the attributes that were considered in the Company’s decision to complete the acquisition.

The purchase price consisted of $2,238,000 payable in cash; $2,500,000 payable pursuant to Promissory Note, dated December 24, 2008, made payable by the Buyer to Avid (the “Note”) and the assumption of certain liabilities.  The principal amount due pursuant to the Note  was payable in 12 equal monthly installments of $208,333. The first such payment was due and paid on January 24, 2009 and the last payment was made on December 23, 2009.   Interest on the outstanding principal amount of the Note was payable at a rate equal to (i) from December 24, 2008 until the Maturity Date (as defined in the Note), five percent (5%), (ii) from and after the Maturity Date, or during the continuance of an Event of Default (as defined in the Note), at seven percent (7%).

The $4,738,000 paid to the seller, Avid Technology, Inc., consisted of $2,238,000 paid at the closing and $2,500,000 paid pursuant to a note payable.  As of   September 30, 2009, the note payable to Avid Technologies Inc. was $625,045. The note was paid in full on December 24, 2009.  The interest paid on the note was $3,968 and $62,557 for twelve months ended September 30, 2010 and 2009.

The  purchase price and the allocation of the purchase price is presented below.

Purchase Price Paid
     
Cash paid to seller
  $ 4,738,000  
Warranty liability assumed
    262,000  
Direct acquisition costs paid
    486,578  
Total purchase price
  $ 5,486,578  
         
Allocation of Purchase Price
       
Identifiable intangible assets
  $ 5,262,229  
Fixed assets
    224,349  
Total allocation of purchase price
  $ 5,486,578  

 
F-21

 

The values allocated to identifiable intangible assets in the acquisition are expected to be deductible for income tax purposes.  Because the acquisition was completed on December 24, 2008, results from the operations of the PCTV business effectively started on January 1, 2009.

The following unaudited pro forma results assume the acquisition occurred on October 1, 2008.  The pro forma results do not purport to represent what the Company’s results of operations actually would have been if the transactions set forth above had occurred on the date indicated or what the Company’s results of operations will be in future periods.  The financial results for the periods prior to the acquisition were based on internal financial statements as provided by the Sellers. 
 
   
Twelve months
 
   
ended
 
   
Sept 30,
 
Pro forma statements:
 
2009
 
Revenue
  $ 70,367,528  
Net  loss
  $ (7,841,031 )
Net  loss per share:
       
Basic and Diluted net loss per share
  $ (0.78 )

In connection with the transactions contemplated by the Asset Purchase Agreement, the Buyer, Hauppauge Digital Europe Sarl (“HDES”), and Hauppauge Computer Works, Inc. (“HCW”), each a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company (collectively, the “Subsidiaries”) and the Sellers entered into a Transition Services Agreement, dated December 24, 2008 (the “TSA”), pursuant to which, among other things, the parties agreed to provide each other with certain services relating to infrastructure and systems, order processing and related matters and systems transition and related matters (the “Services”), as set forth in detail in the TSA.  The fees for such Services are set forth in the TSA. The Transition Services Agreement was terminated as of April 30, 2009.

Further, Avid and  Avid Technology International BV (collectively, the “Consignor”), and HCW and HDES (collectively, the “Consignee”) entered into an Inventory and Product Return Agreement, dated December 24, 2008 (the “Inventory Agreement”).  Pursuant to the terms of the Inventory Agreement, the Consignor is obligated to deliver the Consigned Inventory (as defined in the Inventory Agreement) to the Consignee and the Consignee is obligated to, as applicable, fill orders from products held as Consigned Inventory before filling any such orders with products or inventory other than the Consigned Inventory.  Upon the sale of Consigned Inventory by the Consignee, the Consignee has agreed to pay the Consignor for such Consigned Inventory as follows: (i) if Consignee sells Consigned Inventory for a price equal to or greater than Consignor’s Cost (as defined in the Inventory Agreement) for such Consigned Inventory, then Consignee has agreed to pay Consignor an amount equal to one hundred percent (100%) of the Consignor Cost for such Consigned Inventory; or (ii) if Consignee sells Consigned Inventory for a price less than the Consignor Cost for such Consigned Inventory, then Consignee has agreed to pay Consignor an amount equal to eighty percent (80%) of the sales price for such Consigned Inventory.  The Inventory Agreement expired on June 24, 2010.

In connection with the transactions contemplated by the Asset Purchase Agreement, Avid, Pinnacle and the Buyer also entered into an Intellectual Property License Agreement, dated December 24, 2008 (the “IP Agreement”).  Pursuant to the terms of the IP Agreement, Avid and Pinnacle have granted the Buyer certain irrevocable, personal, non-exclusive, worldwide, fully paid, royalty-free and non-transferable licenses to certain copyrights and other intellectual property rights owned by Avid, Pinnacle and their respective subsidiaries, subject to certain termination provisions as set forth in the IP Agreement.

14.  Commitments and Contingencies

The Company occupies space from both a related party and non related parties.  Rent expense to related parties and non related third parties totaled approximately $726,000 and $730,000  for the years ended September 30, 2010 and 2009  respectively. The Company pays the real estate taxes and it is responsible for normal building maintenance.

 
F-22

 

Minimum annual lease payments to related parties and unrelated third parties are as follows:

Years Ended September 30,
    
 
 
2011
  $ 725,810  
2012
    242,030  
2013
    117,876  
2014
    58,938  
Total
  $ 1,144,654  

15.  Fair Value Measurements

ASC Topic 820, “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures”, establishes a framework for measuring fair value, and expands the related disclosure requirements. The ASC indicates, among other things, that a fair value measurement assumes a transaction to sell an asset or transfer a liability occurs in the principal market for the asset or liability or, in the absence of a principal market, the most advantageous market for the asset or liability. The Company also adopted the provisions of ASC 820-10 with respect to its non-financial assets and liabilities during the first quarter of fiscal 2010.  In order to increase consistency and comparability in fair value measurements, ASC 820-10 establishes a hierarchy for observable and unobservable inputs used to measure fair value into three broad Levels, which are described below:

• Level 1: Quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets that are accessible at the measurement date for assets or liabilities. The fair value hierarchy gives the highest priority to Level 1 inputs.
• Level 2: Observable prices that are based on inputs not quoted on active markets, but corroborated by market data.
• Level 3: Unobservable inputs are used when little or no market data is available. The fair value hierarchy gives the lowest priority to Level 3 inputs.

In determining fair value, the Company utilizes valuation techniques that maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs to the extent possible as well as considers counterparty credit risk in its assessment of fair value.

As of September 30, 2010 and 2009 the Company had no open contracts outstanding.

Additionally, on a nonrecurring basis, the Company uses fair value measures when analyzing asset impairment.  Long-lived assets and certain identifiable intangible assets are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. If it is determined such indicators are present and the review indicates that the assets will not be fully recoverable, based on undiscounted estimated cash flows over the remaining amortization periods, their carrying values are reduced to estimated fair value. Measurements based on undiscounted cash flows are considered to be Level 3 inputs.
 
The carrying amount of cash, accounts receivables and accounts payables and other short-term financial instruments approximate their fair value due to their short-term nature.

 
F-23

 

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

HAUPPAUGE DIGITAL INC.
   
By:
  /s/ Kenneth Plotkin
   Date: December 29, 2010
          KENNETH PLOTKIN
          President, Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and Chief
          Operating Officer (Principal Executive Officer)
   
By:
  /s/ Gerald Tucciarone
   Date: December 29, 2010
          GERALD TUCCIARONE
          Treasurer, Chief Financial Officer and Secretary (Principal Financial
          And Accounting Officer)

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

By:
  /s/ Kenneth Plotkin
  Date: December 29, 2010
          KENNETH PLOTKIN
          President, Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and Chief
          Operating Officer (Principal Executive Officer) and Director
     
By:
  /s/ Gerald Tucciarone
  Date: December 29, 2010
          GERALD TUCCIARONE
          Treasurer, Chief Financial Officer and Secretary (Principal Financial
          And Accounting Officer)
     
By:
  /s/Seymour G. Siegel
  Date: December 29, 2010
          SEYMOUR G. SIEGEL
          Director
     
By:
  /s/ Bernard Herman
  Date: December 29, 2010
          BERNARD HERMAN
          Director
     
By:
  /s/ Christopher G. Payan
  Date: December 29, 2010
          CHRISTOPHER G. PAYAN
          Director