September 25, 2009 -- The 1394 Trade Association (1394 TA) announced the formation of a new technical working group that will focus on the development and marketing of VersaPHY technology, billed as a 100% compatible extension to IEEE-1394 that can be implemented with existing IEEE-1394 PHY silicon. The association has also set new specifications for baseband coax and singlemode fiber interconnects.
According to the trade association, the VersaPHY specification is designed to simply and cost effectively connect devices to a 1394 network while co-existing with traditional, non-VersaPHY, devices. The working group will develop VersaPHY-based applications and products, with initial focus on the VersaPHY Remote Sensor Profile and automotive camera applications.
For more information about VersaPHY, visit www.quantumparametrics.com
New specifications set for baseband coax, singlemode fiber
Separately, the 1394 TA has also approved a new specification that defines a baseband coax PMD sublayer that supports data rates of S400 (400 Megabit/second) and S800 (800 Megabits/second) over a single coaxial cable in duplex mode. Referred to as the BBC PMD, the interface specifies an IEEE 1394 PMD (Physical Medium Dependent) sublayer that supports baseband operation over either 50 or 75 ohm coaxial cable at distances ranging from approximately 20 meters to over 150 meters, depending on the bit rate and type of coax.
In addition, the trade association has developed a new singlemode fiber standard, specifying an 1394 singlemode fiber PMD sublayer that supports data rates of 800 Megabits/second (S800) or higher on single mode optical fiber over multi-kilometer distances. 1394 TA maintains that singlemode fiber has a much higher bandwidth-distance product and is less expensive than multimode fiber; and, that recent developments in transceiver technology (such as CMOS photonics) have made singlemode transceivers much more cost-effective. 1394 also supports a variety of transmission media, including UTP and multimode glass fiber (MMF).
For details, visit www.1394ta.org/developers/Specifications.html.