According to a post by company founder Jim Jannard in the RED User forums, production on the camera modules -- which were first previewed at the National Association of Broadcasters show in April 2008 -- has been further delayed. Jannard, who has just returned from a brief medical leave, notes that the company is simultaneously fighting problems on two fronts. He cites an "incredible announcement" made by RED's manufacturing partner, without directly identifying the company involved. While Jannard himself hasn't confirmed this, it's believed to be a reference to Foxconn Technology Group, which has faced a highly publicized spate of employee suicides this year. Foxconn is widely rumored to be making plans to close certain of its Shenzhen factories, with production relocated to Northern China, India, and various other locations.

Alongside seeking a new manufacturing partner, Jannard has also revealed that RED is scrambling to track down a firmware bug that he describes as a "big problem" for the company. He states that RED has assigned over twenty employees to tracking down the problem, which has already delayed production by two months. The issue must be resolved, and several other hardware changes made, before production can begin. RED hasn't yet provided any estimation of when these various issues might be resolved, and production of Epic or Scarlet modules could begin.

More details can be found in the RED User forums.