FireWire set for shift into consumer electronics

Texas Instruments has shipped more than 300 million 1394 devices to more than 3500 customers, and is expecting greater demand from the consumer electronics segment.

Texas Instruments has now shipped more than 300 million 1394 devices to more than 3500 customers.

Although 1394 is established in PC markets, TI expects shipments to accelerate in the consumer electronics (CE) market as well, particularly in the set top box, digital video camera, digital video recorder and digital television segments.

The adoption within the CE space is driven by the technology's ability to transport multiple streams of high definition (HD) content simply, seamlessly and securely within the living room entertainment cluster and throughout the home.

According to In-Stat, the average home will soon have three TVs, with at least one being high definition television (HDTV).

HD content and corresponding HD streams will face increased demands and require more than 200Mbit/s bandwidth to support multiple audio, video and data streams.

A popular networking approach uses 1394 over the existing Cat5 or coaxial cable already found in the home.

This enables these high bandwidth applications to operate with one cable, one remote, and no new wires.

Using TI's 1394 solutions to support the network, devices can be controlled by one remote through on-screen menus which eliminates the need for multiple wires or remotes throughout the home.

"1394 has enjoyed tremendous growth in the PC and PC peripheral markets in recent years".

"Market penetration is 13% of all desktop PC and 55% of all notebook PCs in 2006", says Brian O'Rourke with In-Stat.

"Annual growth will accelerate by 25% in the CE space, driven by increasing penetration of 1394 in digital televisions and DVD recorders".

"A proven leader in established 1394 markets, TI is well positioned to help drive this technology into new applications".

With the largest 1394b portfolio in the industry, TI makes home networking easy for design engineers, applications providers and consumers.

TI's market-leading 1394b portfolio includes the TSB83AA22A PHY and link layer device, the TSB41BA3and TSB81BA3 PHY devices.

TI's chipsets enable high-speed audio, video and data connections (up to 400Mbit/s) across longer cable lengths (up to 100m), using a variety of cable media (STP, Cat5, POF, GOF) for home networking applications.

In an effort to demonstrate its leadership in the CE connectivity market, TI actively participates as board members in industry-standard bodies such as the 1394 Trade Association and the High-Definition Audio-Video Network Alliance (HANA), a cross-industry organisation comprised of content providers, service providers, CE manufacturers, and software and silicon providers.

Through its work with these industry organisations, TI helps ensure device interoperability and a clearer vision of the roadmap of the future.

"TI's leadership in 1394 technology enables users to simply plug in devices to set up their home network - quickly and securely".

"By using the cross-industry standard HANA 1394-enabled node, all devices can be added seamlessly to the HD network", says Sheau Ng, a Vice President at NBC Universal, a founding member of HANA.

"TI's silicon products enable the delivery of a reliable, content protected, easy to use, guaranteed quality of service network that each part of the value chain - from content providers to consumers - demands".

Not only does TI lead in 1394 devices, but it retains the industry's largest portfolio of interface solutions and provides the right products to solve design problems in customers' applications.

TI sees continued demand for interface in every region and in every leading market.

The company continues to develop diverse, leading-edge, high-performance products to meet demand, and empower customers to differentiate their products and win in their markets.

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