Firewire speed to jump to 3.2Gbit/ sec

Posted:
in Future Apple Hardware edited January 2014
Quote:

DECEMBER 13, 2007 -- The 1394 Trade Association has announced a new specification to quadruple the speed of FireWire (search for FireWire) to reach 3.2 Gbits/sec.



The new electrical specification, known as S3200, builds upon the IEEE 1394b standard and is designed to preserve all the advantages of FireWire while offering a major boost in performance. The new speed will use the cables and connectors already deployed for FireWire 800 products -- which, as the name implies, support 800-Mbit/sec transmission. (There is also a specification for 1.6-Gbit/sec transmission; no products designed to this higher-speed standard have reached the market yet, according to Richard Davies, who performs media relations for the association.)



Maybe a side announcement by Apple @ Macworld?





Here is the full story.





http://lw.pennnet.com/display_articl...c/?dcmp=LWDENL

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 15
    Fantastic News! Especially for HD-Video.
  • Reply 2 of 15
    hmurchisonhmurchison Posts: 12,419member
    Quote:

    The new speed will use the cables and connectors already deployed for FireWire 800 products



    Niiiiiice. I had ASSuMEd that we'd have yet another cable/connector revision with 3.2Gb Firewire. I wonder what other goodies are in there!
  • Reply 3 of 15
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by hmurchison View Post


    Niiiiiice. I had ASSuMEd that we'd have yet another cable/connector revision with 3.2Gb Firewire. I wonder what other goodies are in there!



    I'm very glad they pulled it off.
  • Reply 4 of 15
    I remember the roadmaps from the mid nineties where Firewire was supposed to hit 3200Mbps on 4/6pin years ago.



    Still, a good thing, but the connector is the weakpoint. I would rather see plans for Firewire over CAT5, or even co-ax. Firewire's strength is it's low-latency multipoint-to-multipoint MAC: so far nothing has come along that's at all like it.
  • Reply 5 of 15
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Splinemodel View Post


    I remember the roadmaps from the mid nineties where Firewire was supposed to hit 3200Mbps on 4/6pin years ago.



    Still, a good thing, but the connector is the weakpoint. I would rather see plans for Firewire over CAT5, or even co-ax. Firewire's strength is it's low-latency multipoint-to-multipoint MAC: so far nothing has come along that's at all like it.



    Source: http://www.1394ta.org/Press/2007Pres...er/12.12.a.htm



    Quote:

    No Compromises to 1394’s Features



    The S3200 specification brings FireWire to this new performance level without compromising existing features. For example, FireWire provides much more electrical power than any other interface, freeing users from inconvenient AC power adapters. FireWire products built using S3200 will directly connect to every previously released FireWire product. Alternative cable options are available to carry FireWire over long distances - 100 meters or more - even at high speeds.



    Also, FireWire’s peer-to-peer architecture allows products to operate with a computer - or without one. This superior combination of features is not found in any other technology, which explains why over one billion FireWire ports have been shipped to date, on products as diverse as computers, cameras, televisions, hard drives, and musical instruments. IEEE 1394 also is deployed in vital applications in state-of-the-art aircraft and polar orbiting satellites.



    This meets both the massive products currently using the existing connector interface and room for alternative connector interfaces for upcoming products to choose.
  • Reply 6 of 15
    Woot... finally get to one-up the people who put mac users down for not having e-Sata
  • Reply 7 of 15
    apple will need to move the firewire chip to the pci-e bus to make full use of the speed.
  • Reply 8 of 15
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Joe_the_dragon View Post


    apple will need to move the firewire chip to the pci-e bus to make full use of the speed.



    They have already done it for the iMac, link.



    The current Santa Rosa chipset has 6 PCIe lanes, 965, and Apple uses 2 or 3 or them in the MB/MBP motherboards, that means some are free. Upcoming chipsets (Montevina) will have more PCIe lanes.



    I am not worry for the the next generation Mac Pro in terms of available PCIe lanes.



    I suspect the Mac Pro will get this pretty soon and the iMac/MBP (if not MB/mini) will get it with the Montevina update.
  • Reply 9 of 15
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by bobmarksdale View Post


    Woot... finally get to one-up the people who put mac users down for not having e-Sata



    Morons. eSATA is a one trick pony. I don't really mind not having it as long as I have the option to add it if I need it. Firewire allows me to handle storage and AV along with networking and power. It's a no brainer which is more sophisticated.
  • Reply 10 of 15
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mdriftmeyer View Post


    Source: http://www.1394ta.org/Press/2007Pres...er/12.12.a.htm







    This meets both the massive products currently using the existing connector interface and room for alternative connector interfaces for upcoming products to choose.



    I think where I was actually going is different. This uses the 1394b connector. Almost no products use this connector. Almost everything that has firewire has the 4/6 pin connector, which incidentally means firewire 400, 1394a, whatever.
  • Reply 11 of 15
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Splinemodel View Post


    I think where I was actually going is different. This uses the 1394b connector. Almost no products use this connector. Almost everything that has firewire has the 4/6 pin connector, which incidentally means firewire 400, 1394a, whatever.



    So? just use a 9pin-to-6pin or 9pin-to-4pin cable for backwards compatibility. Most likely Apple would keep a 6pin port alongside the 9pin port as seen on current iMacs.
  • Reply 12 of 15
    Awesome news! Down with USB! Honestly, I know USB has its place, but...FireWire is so much cooler!
  • Reply 13 of 15
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mrtotes View Post


    So? just use a 9pin-to-6pin or 9pin-to-4pin cable for backwards compatibility. Most likely Apple would keep a 6pin port alongside the 9pin port as seen on current iMacs.



    The problem there is, though, that it would dumb it back down to FireWire 400, much like a 9-6 cable does now.



    I imagine that Apple, being a big FireWire proponent, will push harder for 9-pin connectors after FireWire 3600 is released. I imagine they will try to phase out FW400, demote FW800 to the low-end connector that FW400 is now, and put FW3600 as the new high-speed connector.
  • Reply 14 of 15
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by marzetta7 View Post


    Awesome news! Down with USB! Honestly, I know USB has its place, but...FireWire is so much cooler!



    you still need USB for keyboards, mouses, printers and others.
  • Reply 15 of 15
    FW would actually be nicer for printer, scanners, that sort of thing. It would certainly make the cabling easier.
Sign In or Register to comment.