DeviceGuru

The 1394 Trade Association has adopted a new standard for in-home networking of high definition (HD) multimedia content over coax. “1394 Over Coax” combines Ultra Wideband (UWB) communications technology with 1394 protocols, and supports data rates up to 800 megabits/second.

The group claims its new “no new wires” standard represents “the industry’s fastest whole-home network … featuring protected high-definition and multimedia content,” and that it is compatible with “all 1394 and IP-enabled devices over coax wiring.”

1394 Over Coax also serves as the basis of a new in-home networking standard from the High-Definition Audio-Video Network Alliance (HANA), a consortium of device makers, content providers, and service providers. HANA says it is focused on “providing consumers with a proven and simple way to bring HD to life throughout their home. Through a single connection, easy to use interface and a single remote, HANA solutions enable the sharing of HD content across A/V devices.”

1394 Over Coax is supported by a new chipset from silicon vendor Pulse~Link. The chipset supports the standard’s MAC and PHY layers, and is claimed to provide qualilty of service (QoS) and data rate performances that have “never before [been] achieved over existing in-home coax cabling.”

Bill Rose, marketing work group chair for the 1394 Trade Association, claims that “By combining the CWave MAC/PHY performance with the digital rights protection inherent in 1394, and designing it to coexist with all of the services already using the coax wiring in today’s homes, [the Assocation has] created the ideal solution for networking high-definition entertainment devices.”

Further details are available in a whitepaper entitled “Home Entertainment Networks and Flying Cars” (PDF download). The paper provides an in-depth look at the new 1394 specification that addresses these issues with a sophisticated, cost-effective, and secure solution.