News

Pulse~LINK Unveils Gigabit UWB Chipset (3/5/2006)

CWave(TM) Debut Enables Unprecedented Whole-Home Multimedia Connectivity

Pulse~LINK, Inc. announces the launch of its complete CWave(TM) UWB solution for unprecedented whole-home distribution of HDTV content, high quality multi-channel audio and high-speed data across in-home coax and wireless networks. The CWave(TM) chipset will be unveiled at CONNECTIONS: The Digital Home Conference and Showcase (Booth #413), May 2-4 at the Santa Clara Convention Center, with demonstrations of the technology's superior performance and versatility.

CWave(TM) provides a foundation for whole-home networking with up to Gigabit data rates and guaranteed quality of service. Coax, wireless, and even power line communications are all supported simultaneously from the same chipset radio. Benefits and applications include the ability to eliminate the "rat's nest" of wiring behind today's home entertainment centers, as well as the ability to connect devices such as Set-top boxes, DVD players, Personal Video Recorders, Home Theater Systems, TVs, PCs and more throughout the entire home. The ability to support multiple simultaneous HDTV streams from room to room with "Trick-play" (for pause, fast-forward and fast-rewind capabilities) can require hundreds of Megabits of throughput and has not been achieved by any other coax or wireless networking technology.

The CWave(TM) signal traverses existing RF splitters, coexists with all legacy CATV, Satellite and other signals already carried on the coax, and requires no changes to existing in-home coax cable wiring. Whole-home multimedia networks can be enabled without incurring the heavy costs and trouble of installing new wiring. By bridging its wireless and wired communications technologies, CWave(TM) enables high data rate transmissions to be distributed throughout the home via coax then wirelessly connects peripheral devices in each room.

"The competitive dynamics of the television service provider market serve as a significant driver to next-generation set-top media servers, which will penetrate an estimated 20 million U.S. households by the end of 2010," said Kurt Scherf, vice president and principal analyst at Parks Associates. "Pulse~LINK's focus on next-generation connectivity applications Ð including the simultaneous streaming of multiple HDTV programs, high quality multi-channel audio and high-speed data across a common platform for wireless and wired connectivity Ð is enabling this vision of distributed entertainment in the home."

The CWave(TM) PL3100 chipset is a complete solution comprising all RF, Analog, Baseband and MAC functions. It consists of three microchips, the PL3130 Baseband & MAC in 0.13micron CMOS, the PL3120 RFIC front end in 0.18micron SiGe, and the PL3110 UWB LNA in 0.18micron SiGe. The PL3130 Baseband and MAC features an IEEE 802.15.3 MAC and CWave(TM) Gigabit performance Baseband. The PL3120 RFIC front-end comprises the transmitter and receiver functions. The PL3110 LNA is an optional low-noise UWB amplifier that connects to the antenna for extended range and enhanced performance. The 802.15.3MAC supports both isochronous and asynchronous functionality with a fully deterministic Quality of Service and additional support for multiple overlapping piconets.

The CWave(TM) demonstration at CONNECTIONS(TM) highlights several breakthroughs in performance and connectivity. The demonstration shows the simultaneous, bi-directional distribution of HDTV content using CWave(TM) over more than 200 feet of coax, including two RF splitters. Using Smartbits(r) as a third-party throughput measurement tool, more than 400Mbps application layer throughput is validated at this distance. At one end of the coax connection, the same CWave(TM) radio used in the coax demonstration wirelessly bridges the HDTV signal to a 50" plasma TV, showcasing the use of a single CWave(TM) radio simultaneously supporting both wired and wireless communications.

"CWave(TM) is an extremely powerful and entirely different use of UWB communications technology," states Bruce Watkins, Pulse~LINK President and COO. "While the predominant UWB industry focus has been on short-range wireless USB cable replacements and Bluetooth enhancements, CWave(TM) has been optimized from the ground up for the distribution of multimedia content throughout the home using both wireless and wired media. We are pleased to launch the first UWB chipset to enable whole-home connectivity solutions for High Definition, multimedia-centric consumer electronics appliances."

"This unveiling marks a proud moment for Pulse~LINK," states John Santhoff, Pulse~LINK Founder/CTO and EE Times' 2005 Innovator of the Year. "CWave(TM) represents the culmination of our uncompromising vision to develop the highest performance solution available. CWave(TM) delivers 1 Gbps wirelessly, over coax cable and in-home power lines for the first multimedia network capable of true whole-home coverage with end-to-end Quality-of-Service. It is a true testament to the skills, passion and deep personal commitment of our entire team."

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