Introduction
to IEEE 1394 / FireWire®:
IEEE 1394, an international standard, provides a digital interface
to integrate entertainment, communication, and computing electronics
into consumer multimedia. Originated by Apple Computer as a desktop
LAN and developed by the IEEE 1394 working group, IEEE 1394 is a
hardware and software standard for transporting data at 400 Mbps
and recently extending beyond Gbps. The IEEE 1394 multimedia connection
enables simple, low-cost, high-bandwidth isochronous (real-time)
data interfacing between PCs, peripherals, and a plethora of consumer
electronics products such as camcorders, VCRs, printers, TVs, gaming
consoles, digital cameras, and so on. With IEEE 1394-compatible
products and systems, users can transfer video or still images from
a camera or camcorder to a printer, PC, or TV, with no image degradation.
A number of IEEE 1394 products are now available including digital
camcorders, IEEE 1394 digital video editing equipment, digital VCRs,
digital cameras, digital audio players, 1394 IC's, and a wealth
of other infrastructure products such as connectors, cables, test
equipment, software toolkits, and emulation models.
Introduction
to HAVi:
HAVi (Home Audio Video Interoperability) is a digital Audio/Video
networking initiative that provides a home networking software specification
for seamless interoperability among home entertainment products,
irrespective of their manufacturer.
Eight of the world's leading consumer electronics manufacturers
have actually developed a standard that will bring "plug and
enjoy" convenience and easy interoperability to all your new
digital home devices. IEEE 1394 (i.LINK® or FireWire®) has been
chosen as the interconnection medium because it has more than enough
capacity to simultaneously carry multiple digital audio and video
streams around the house, and provides support for digital copy
protection.
Xilinx Solutions
The Spartan™-II FPGA architecture has enabled a whole new generation
of low-cost high volume solutions. This, combined with a vast portfolio
of soft IP (Intellectual Property) cores allows Spartan-II FPGAs
to provide solutions at a significantly lower cost than ASSPs and
custom ASICs, while offering all of the time-to-market and flexibility
benefits associated with programmable devices. The presentation
provides specific details on how Xilinx solutions enable IEEE 1394/HAVi
based home networking.
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