| New spec promises HD-TV over existing home wires |
Jun. 12, 2008
An emerging gigabit-speed, triple-wire technology called G.hn could ship in 42 million units by 2013, says ABI Research. Under development by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and promoted by a group called the HomeGrid Alliance, G.hn is billed as an HD IPTV-capable successor to current powerline networking standards.
Its backers hope G.hn can define a single MAC and PHY protocol for transporting multimedia over existing house wiring, be it phone lines, power lines, or coaxial cable. ABI concedes that the market is "crowded," with increasingly higher-bandwidth WiFi technology more popular than ever, and with wired technologies such as HomePlug and MoCA gaining momentum. Yet, according to ABI, none of these technologies can handle the most compelling new application in the home: distributing high-definition IPTV video.
The G.hn specification is being developed by Group 15 of the ITU-T's Telecommunication Standardization Sector. The standard is being promoted by the HomeGrid Forum, an industry group that aims to do for G.hn what the WiFi-Alliance has accomplished for 802.11. That is, to act as a compliance and interoperability authority that will distribute its logo to compliant products. The HomeGrid Forum was founded on Apr. 29th by Infineon Technologies, Intel, Panasonic, and Texas Instruments (TI), and has since added Aware, DS2, Gigle Semiconductor, and Pulse-LINK as promoter members, with Ikanos, Westell, and Sigma Designs signing on as contributors.
The HomeGrid Forum expects the ITU-T to reach a preliminary agreement on the G.hn specification later this year, with a final spec released in 2009. Although final performance specs have yet to be set, the maximum data rate for G.hn is likely to be a theoretical 1Gbps for a "clean" line. According to industry reports, targeted real-world bandwidth is likely to be less than half that for coax, and perhaps 250Mbps for powerline. Yet, the performance is still expected to exceed any of the existing home networking technologies, which range between 100-200Mbps.
Actiontec's HomePlug-compatible adapter
(Click for details) |
HomeGrid is encouraging the ITU to provide some degree of backward compatibility with pre-existant powerline communications (PLC) home networking standards, including HomePlug Powerline Alliance, the current market leader; HD-PLC Alliance; and the newly announced UPA (Universal Powerline Association). In addition, HomeGrid hopes to extend compatibility to non-powerline home broadband technologies including the coax-based MoCA (Multimedia over Coax Alliance), and the coax- and phone-line capable HPNA (HomePNA). Another group working to create coexistence between other PLC standards is CEPCA (Consumer Electronics Powerline Communication Alliance).
G.hn equipment due in 2010
G.hn is likely to be integrated into carrier devices by 2010, according to the ABI Research study entitled "G.hn: will next-generation triple-wire home networking standard hit the digital home trifecta?" The technology will implemented initially in set-top boxes (STBs), residential gateways, and other service-provider CPE (customer premises equipment) hardware.
Stated ABI Research director Michael Wolf, "We see several applications, such as multi-room high-definition video, that would ultimately benefit from the move towards a single MAC/PHY for multiple media in the home."
Availability
More information on the ABI Research study on G.hn should be available here.
Related Stories:
(Click here for further information)
|
|
|
FUEL Database on MontaVista Linux
Whether building a mobile handset, a car navigation system, a package tracking device, or a home entertainment console, developers need capable software systems, including an operating system, development tools, and supporting libraries, to gain maximum benefit from their hardware platform and to meet aggressive time-to-market goals.
Breaking New Ground: The Evolution of Linux Clustering
With a platform comprising a complete Linux distribution, enhanced for clustering, and tailored for HPC, Penguin Computing¿s Scyld Software provides the building blocks for organizations from enterprises to workgroups to deploy, manage, and maintain Linux clusters, regardless of their size.
Data Monitoring with NightStar LX
Unlike ordinary debuggers, NightStar LX doesn¿t leave you stranded in the dark. It¿s more than just a debugger, it¿s a whole suite of integrated diagnostic tools designed for time-critical Linux applications to reduce test time, increase productivity and lower costs. You can debug, monitor, analyze and tune with minimal intrusion, so you see real execution behavior. And that¿s positively illuminating.
Virtualizing Service Provider Networks with Vyatta
This paper highlights Vyatta's unique ability to virtualize networking functions using Vyatta's secure routing software in service provider environments.
High Availability Messaging Solution Using AXIGEN, Heartbeat and DRBD
This white paper discusses a high-availability messaging solution relying on the AXIGEN Mail Server, Heartbeat and DRBD. Solution architecture and implementation, as well as benefits of using AXIGEN for this setup are all presented in detail.
Understanding the Financial Benefits of Open Source
Will open source pay off? Open source is becoming standard within enterprises, often because of cost savings. Find out how much of a financial impact it can have on your organization. Get this methodology and calculator now, compliments of JBoss.
Embedded Hardware and OS Technology Empower PC-Based Platforms
The modern embedded computer is the jack of all trades appearing in many forms.
Data Management for Real-Time Distributed Systems
This paper provides an overview of the network-centric computing model, data distribution services, and distributed data management. It then describes how the SkyBoard integration and synchronization service, coupled with an implementation of the OMG¿s Data Distribution Service (DDS) standard, can be used to create an efficient data distribution, storage, and retrieval system.
7 Advantages of D2D Backup
For decades, tape has been the backup medium of choice. But, now, disk-to-disk (D2D) backup is gaining in favor. Learn why you should make the move in this whitepaper.
|
|
|
|
|
news feed