AVT Accessories
IEEE1394b - The next step
More bandwidth
1394b increases the bandwidth from the current 400 Mbit/s to 800 Mbit/s. And this is only the beginning. Further bandwidth increases for the 1394b standard of 1.6 Gbit/s to 3.2 Gbit/s are foreseen - eight times as much as what 1394a revolutionized data communication with today.
Longer distances
1394b makes data transfers within networks over 100 m possible. Transfers via high-performance, industrial CAT5 cables and fibre optic cables such as Glass Optical Fibre (GOF) let networks work more efficiently.
Compatible with 1394a
1394b hardly replaces 1394a - which makes the investment in the Firewire™ standard secure. IEEE1394b is backward compatible - all devices fitted with this new technology can communicate with 1394a devices without any restrictions. Alternately, the a-standard integrates the b-standard withoutany conflicts.
New plugs and connections
To ensure that further development of Firewire™ technology stays transparent, new connections and plugs were developed. A 1394b end device will typically have a “beta” as well as a “bilingual” connection. Whereas the “beta” connection is concerned purely with 1394b signals, a “bilingual” connection offers the transfer of 1394a and 1394b signals. The connectors conceptualised for this compatibility offer the following combinations:
- bilingual, 4-pin 1394a cables which are usually used by commercial devices such as camcorders.
- bilingual, 6-pin cables 1394a cables which are usually used in all other end devices such as DTV's, DVD-Player’s and set top boxes.
- Beta-to-beta connection cables purely for the connection of 1394b end devices.
