EXHIBIT 5.1


                                                        January 13, 2000


Board of Directors
FOCUS Enhancements, Inc.
600 Research Drive
Wilmington, Massachusetts 01887




Re:    Registration Statement on Form S-3 of 3,163,333 shares of Common Stock,
       par value $0.01 per share


Gentlemen:

         In connection with the  registration  under the Securities Act of 1933,
as amended (the "Act"), by FOCUS Enhancements, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the
"Company"),  of 3,163,333 shares (the "Registered  Shares") of its Common Stock,
par value $.01 per share ("Common Stock"), all of which Registered Shares are to
be  offered  for the  accounts  of  selling  stockholders  of the  Company,  the
following  opinion  is  furnished  to you to be filed  with the  Securities  and
Exchange   Commission  (the  "Commission")  as  Exhibit  5.1  to  the  Company's
registration  statement on Form S-3 (the  "Registration  Statement")  under the
Act.

         To the extent that certain of the  Registered  Shares have not yet been
issued,  I assume that at the time of the  issuance of such  Registered  Shares,
there will exist, under the Company's  Certificate of Incorporation,  as amended
(the  "Certificate"),  the requisite number of authorized shares of Common Stock
for such issuance which are unissued,  or held as treasury  shares,  and are not
otherwise reserved for issuance.

         I am General  Counsel and  Secretary of the Company and I have examined
originals or copies,  certified or otherwise  identified to my satisfaction,  of
the Registration  Statement,  the Certificate and the By-laws of the Company and
such other  corporate  records,  certificates  and  statements  of officers  and
accountants of the Company and of public officials and other documents as I have
considered  necessary or appropriate in order to furnish the opinion hereinafter
set forth.

         This opinion is limited to federal law, the laws of the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts and the Delaware General Corporation Law, and I express no opinion
with respect to the law of any other jurisdiction.

         Based upon and subject to the  foregoing,  I hereby advise you that, in
my  opinion,  (i) those  Registered  Shares that have been issued as of the date
hereof were duly  authorized and have been validly issued and are fully paid and
nonassessable and (ii)



                                      -2-

those Registered  Shares that may be issued after the date hereof shall be, upon
such  issuance,  duly  authorized and validly issued and shall be fully paid and
nonassessable.

         I hereby  consent  to the  filing of this  opinion as an exhibit to the
Registration  Statement.  In giving this  consent,  I do not hereby admit that I
come within the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of
the Act or the rules and regulations of the Commission  promulgated  thereunder.
This  opinion  may not be  referred  to or used for any other  purpose or in any
other context or otherwise  relied upon by any other person or entity without my
express written consent.


                                      Respectfully,



                                      /s/ Christopher P. Ricci
                                      Christopher P. Ricci
                                      Senior Vice President and General Counsel