News

1394 Trade Association Celebrates 10th Anniversary - FireWire's Now Serves Consumer Electronics 'Clusters' and the Home Entertainment Network (30/7/2004)

The 1394 Trade Association today celebrated its 10th anniversary, marking FireWire's successful growth from its first uses in camcorders to its exciting role in HDTVs and as the enabling technology for home entertainment networks.

IEEE 1394, known commercially as FireWire and as i.LINK, has become the world's optimal audio-video standard, now able to deliver 800 Megabits/second bandwidth over distances as long as 100 meters, with dedicated bandwidth and guaranteed quality of service that no other technology can match. As of mid-2004, FireWire had been designed into more than 1,600 products and 150 million electronics devices worldwide.

"In an industry notable for its rapid change, overnight product cycles, and global growth, the 1394 Trade Association has remained a vital, energetic advocate for the optimal audio-video connection technology, FireWire," said James Snider, executive director. "The association has played a central role in the major industry trends of the past decade, including the convergence of the PC with consumer electronics systems and the advent of the home entertainment network. We also are making important contributions to new wireless multimedia technologies, new in-vehicle entertainment networks, and next-generation industrial and military systems. Our active working groups continue to create an impressive portfolio of specifications and protocols that move 1394 forward into new, expanding applications."

Snider added that HDTV manufacturers are moving quickly to implement 1394 in their new models, as they prepare for the conversion to digital broadcasting mandated by the Federal Communications Commission. Additionally, FireWire has become a fixture in all new notebook PC models, as well as next generation hard disk drives, set top boxes, and DVD systems. "In Japan now, the standard is as commonplace as a cell phone," Snider said, "and North America, Europe and Asia are on the same road map."

Founded in the summer of 1994 to enhance and support the IEEE 1394 technology, the Trade Association has grown from the original two dozen members to a global trade organization. All the leading computer, consumer electronics, networking and automotive products suppliers worldwide are active in the TA's working groups including the Automotive, Cable/Connector, Networking, Wireless, Audio-Visual, and others.

IEEE 1394 technology first appeared in camcorders from Sony Corporation in 1995 and quickly moved into PCs, hard drives and other peripherals, and new generations of consumer electronics products. It is now installed in HDTVs, DVD players, and digital tuners to notebook and desktop computers, hard disk drives, high end printers and digital cameras. FireWire has also been implemented in robots, wafer inspection equipment, vision systems, the U.S. Space Shuttle, the Joint Strike Fighter Jet, and similar industrial and military systems.

The Trade Association also has established strong liaison programs with leading electronics industry groups worldwide, including the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), Custom Electronics Installers Association (CEDIA), WiMedia (Wireless Multimedia), the IDB Forum, which develops standards for in-vehicle networking, and others.

The group supports a rigorous compliance and interoperability program designed to ensure that 1394-equipped products operate interactively and deliver the optimal user experience. Companies with new 1394-enabled products can now test them at 1394 TA "plugfests" or through various self-test and third party testing programs established by the Trade Association.

www.1394ta.org