FireWire to quadruple in speed in 2008

 

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By Barry Collins

Posted on 17 Dec 2007 at 08:57

A new specification will quadruple the speed of Firewire connections to 3.2Gb/sec next year.

The new S3200 specification will use the existing FireWire connections and cables, helping to maintain backwards compatibility with existing products.

The 1394 Trade Association claims the new standard will make no difference to the power provided by FireWire ports, which is often enough to fuel devices such as external hard disks. USB 2 drives, by contrast, often can't drain enough power to work without an external power supply. The Trade Association adds that the S3200 specification will "make FireWire so fast that users will see no advantage from eSATA".

The Trade Association also claims that FireWire has huge advantages over its USB rival in home electronics, claiming it is the only "seperable interface" capable of recording HD content at full quality, with built-in copy protection measures.

"The S3200 standard will sustain the position of IEEE 1394 as the absolute performance leader in multi-purpose I/O ports for consumer applications in computer and CE devices," claims James Snider, executive director of the 1394 Trade Association. "There is a very clear migration path from 800Mb/sec to 3.2Gb/sec, with no need for modifications to the standard and no requirement for new cables or connectors."

The new standard is expected to be ratified by early February.