Developers Focus on 1394-GigE Links Over Cat5 Wiring for Audio-Video Transport

A new study group from the 1394 Trade Association and the IEEE has been formed to develop standards for IEEE 1394b links over up to 100 meters of Category 5 wiring using existing Gigabit Ethernet (1000base T) physical layer technology. The group is considering using standard hub or switch technology to construct a basic hub that connects all endpoints and automatically senses the physical protocol (either Ethernet or IEEE 1394) used by the endpoint device. The hub also bridges the Ethernet and the IEEE 1394 segments so that Internet protocol devices seamlessly perceive each other as connected to the same subnet. For the end user, the objective is to have a single RJ-45 socket labeled as “network” that works for any kind of connection. (For more information, contact Peter Johansson, chair of the 1394 Trade Association’s Architecture Work Group, at PJohansson@ACM.org)