As an emerging technology FireWire™ is now widely supported on many high performance computers and state of the art multimedia systems. FireWire™ is one of the fastest peripheral standards ever developed, which makes it great for use with multimedia peripherals such as video camcorders and other high-speed devices like the latest hard disk drives and printers.

This site is intended to showcase some of the latest developments in FireWire™ technology. Please take the time to browse around and see what high speed communications can do for you.

The standard is available for purchase at http://standards.ieee.org/catalog/index.html.

The connector specifications are located in the IEEE 1394-1995 standard. This document contains both cable as well as connector mechanical drawings.

Q: What is 1394/FireWire?

A: IEEE-1394/FireWire/iLink is the name of a high speed high speed serial input/output (I/O) technology for connecting peripherals to a computer. Originally developed by Apple Computer. FireWire is now an official industry standard (IEEE 1394). Sony has implemented a version of FireWire called iLink.

FireWire is one of the fastest peripheral standards ever developed, which makes it great for use with multimedia peripherals such as video camcorders and other high-speed devices like the latest hard disk drives, printers, scanners, CDRW, and more.

This serial bus standard defines supported data rates of 100, 200 and 400 Mbps across the cable medium defined in the current standard.

1394/FireWire provides realtime I/O and live connect/disconnect capability (hot-swapping) for external devices including disk drives, printers and hand-held peripherals such as scanners and digital still image and video cameras.

1394/FireWire device networks are extremely flexible and easy to manage. Cable length is limited to 4.5 meters, but using by hubs and repeaters a user can link up to 16 cables and 63 devices. A chain of FireWire devices can be networked in a "tree-like" fashion, and is not limited to a linear structure as with SCSI devices. 1394/FireWire allows peer-to-peer device communication, enabling devices to communicate without using system memory or the CPU. 1394/FireWire is plug-and-play and hot swappable. The compact 6-wire cable is less cumbersome than SCSI cables and can supply up to 60 watts of power, allowing low-consumption devices to operate without a separate power cord.

maybe more than you want to know.....

The IEEE 1394 multimedia connection enables simple, low-cost, high-bandwidth isochronous (real-time) data interfacing between computers, peripherals, and consumer electronics products such as camcorders, VCRs, printers, PCs, TVs, and degital cameras.  With IEEE 1394-compatible products and systems, users can transfer video or still images from a camera or camcorder to a printer, PC, or television, with no image degradation.

1394-1995 is an IEEE designation for a high performance serial bus. This serial bus defines both a backplane (for example, VME, FB+) physical layer and a point-to-point cable-connected virtual bus. The backplane version operates at 12.5, 25 or 50 Mbits/sec, whereas the cable version supports data rates of 100, 200 and 400 Mbits/ sec across the cable medium supported in the current standard. Both versions are totally compatible at the link layer and above.  The interface standard defines transmission method, media and protocol.

The primary application of the cable version is the integration of I/O connectivity at the back panel of personal computers using a low-cost, scalable, high-speed serial interface.   The 1394 standard also provides new services such as realtime I/O and live connect/disconnect capability for external devices including disk drives, printers and hand-held peripherals such as scanners and cameras.

The need for 1394 and other next-generation network topologies and protocols is driven by the rapidly growing need for mass information transfer. Typical LANs and WANs simply cannot provide cost-effective connection capabilities nor do they easily support guaranteed bandwidth for "mission critical" applications. Additionally, parallel high-speed communications such as SCSI are not suited to long distances and do not support live connect/disconnect, making reconfiguration time-consuming. Other factors driving next generation protocols such as 1394 include the need for reliability, durability and universal interconnection.

The 1394 standard is a transaction-based packet technology for cable- or backplane-based environments. Both chassis and peripheral devices can use this technology. The 1394 serial bus is organized as if it were memory space interconnected between devices, or as if devices resided in slots on the main backplane. Device addressing is 64 bits wide, partitioned as 10 bits for network Ids, 6 bits for node Ids and 48 bits for memory addresses. The result is the capability to address 1023 networks of 63 nodes, each with 281 terabytes of memory.  Memory-based addressing, rather than channel addressing, views resources as registers or memory that can be accessed with processor-to-memory transactions. Each bus entity is termed a "node," to be individually addressed, reset and identified. Multiple nodes may physically reside in a single module, and multiple ports may reside in a single node.  

Some key features of the 1394 topology are multi-master capabilities, live connect/disconnect (hot plugging) capability. venderless cabling connectors on interconnect cabling and dynamic node address allocation as nodes are added to the serial chain. Another feature is that transmission speed is scalable from approximately 100 Mbps to 400 Mbps.

Each node also acts as a repeater, allowing nodes to be chained together to form a tree topology. Due to the high speed of 1394, the distance between each node or hop should not exceed 4.5m and the maximum number of hops in a chain is 16, for a total maximumend-to-end distance of 72m. Cable distance between each node is limited primarily by signal attenuation. An inexpensive cable with 28-gauge signal pairs can be up to 4.5 meters long. 

The most widely separated nodes must have 16 or fewer cable hops between them. This gives an end-to-end distance of 72 to 224 meters.

The only restriction on the cable topologies is that a maximum of 63 nodes can be connected in a simple no-loops tree with a 00 span of 16 or fewer hops. The cable environment uses a X three-pair shielded cable and a miniature connector to carry transmit/receive data as well as to source or sink power (between 8 and 40 Vdc at no more than 1.5 A). A unique feature of the 1394 cable version is the distribution of power through the cable for operation of the transceiver's repeating functions even if the node power is off.

The cable-based physical interface uses DC-level line states for signaling during initialization and arbitration. The backplane environment uses dominate mode addresses for arbitration and does not have the initialization requirements of the cable environment because the topology does not contain repeaters. The physical addresses may be set by the slot position within the chassis. Due to the differences, a backplane-to-cable bridge is required to connect these two environments. Because of the commonality of the link and other layers, this bridge is quite simple, needing only to core and reclock the packets.

The signals transmitted on both the cable and backplane environments are NRZ with Data-Strobe (DS) encoding. DS encoding allows only one of the two signal lines to change each data bit period, essentially doubling the jitter tolerance with very little additional circuitry overhead in the hardware. DS encoding is licensed from SGS-Thomson/INMOS and is used in other serial interfaces such as P1355 Protocol

Both asynchronous and isochronous data transfers are supported. The asynchronous format transfers data and transaction layer information to an explicit address. The isochronous format broadcasts data based on channel numbers rather than specific addressing.  Isochronous packets are issued on the average of each 125 in support of time-sensitive applications.  Providing both asynchronous and isochronous formats on the same interface allows both non-real-time critical applications-such as printers, STGTs and scanners-and real-time critical applications-such as video and audio-to operate on the same bus.

The tree topology is resolved during a sequence of events triggered each time a new node is added or removed from the network. This sequence starts with a bus reset phase, where all previous information about a topology is cleared. The tree ID sequence determines the actual tree structure. During the tree ID process, each node is assigned an address and a root node is dynamically assigned, or it is possible to force a particular node to become the root.   After the tree is formed, a self-ID phase allows each node on the network to identify itself to all other nodes. After all of the information has been gathered on each node, the bus goes into an idle state waiting for the beginning of the standard arbitration process.

An additional feature is the ability of transactions at different speeds to occur on a single device medium (for example, some devices can communicate at 100 Mbps while others communicate at 200 Mbps and 400 Mbps). Use of multispeed transactions on a single 1394 serial bus requires consideration of each node's maximum capabilities when laying out the connections to ensure that the path between two higher-speed nodes is not blocked by a device with base-rate abilities.

Conclusion
The 1394-1995 serial-bus has the bandwidth capacity to displace most other peripheral connection communication methods in use today, including Centronix parallel, RS232, SCSI and Apple's Desktop Bus, and consolidate them into a unified high-performance serial bus. As the technology is developed and deployed, new interfaces such as direct connect video I/O can  find a home where the physical limitations of today's interconnect prevent wide deployment.  The serial bus' memory space addressing is a perfect fit for "slotless" systems such as PDAs. Finally, the "hot plugging," power sourcing and dynamic reconfiguration abilities make 1394 a userfriendly environment. The features of 1394 will allow plugging in a computer expansion system as easily as plugging into AC power, providing communications on demand without having to shutdown and reconfigure each time an I/O device is added or removed.

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Q2: What are the current implications and benefits for 1394/FireWire?

A: The 1394/FireWire standard is a technology applicable to both host computers and peripheral devices. It has the bandwith capacity to make obsolete most other peripheral connection and communication protocols currently in use including established high performance standards like SCSI. The ease of use of 1394/FireWire - configuring these devices is as simple as plugging them in - makes this technology extremely user-friendly, and there is little doubt it will ultimately be more widely implemented than any other high performance protocol in development at this time. 1394/FireWire is broadly supported in most new desktop and portable computers, major operating systems and scores of available storage devices, peripherals and electronic devices.

• Real-time data transfer for multimedia applications 100, 200, & 400Mbits/s data rates today; 800 Mbits/s and multi-Gbits/s upgrade path

• Live connection/disconnection without data loss or interruption

• Automatic configuration supporting "plug and play"

• Free form network tool allowing mixing branches and daisy-chains

• No separate line terminators required

• Guaranteed bandwidth assignments for real-time applications

• Common connectors for different devices and applications

• Compliant with IEEE 1394 High Performance Serial Bus standard

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Q3: What is the maximum transmission rate

A: 1394/FireWire is defined to support 100, 200, and 400mbps data throughput rates. These speeds were defined up front so that future speed enhancements can be quickly implemented. There is a movement to expand the standard to include 800 and multi-Gigabit speed improvements in 1394B.

A 400Mbps chipset will support 400 Mbps, 200 Mbps, and 100Mbps.  Similiarly a 200 Mbps chipset will support communication with itself and other nodes at 200 and 100 Mbps, but not 400Mbps. Finally a chipset designed to only 100 Mbps will not be able to receive or transmit 200 Mbps or 400Mbps packets. 1394 is designed to allow different rate nodes on a single bus, so there is no requirement to have every node capable of operation at all speeds. If you add a new node, the topology will reconfigure itself to incorporate the new node at its maximum capable speed.

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Q: What is the purpose of a hub?

A: The maximum theoretical number of devices that can be attached to the FireWire chain is sixty-three. A hub simply provides additional FireWire ports thus allowing to connect your multiple devices in differing numbers on different chains of devices (meaning you also can unplug one device without disconnecting others on a different port of the hub). In the case of the FirewireDirect hubs, they also act as a repeater.

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Q: What is the purpose of a repeater?

A: A repeater simply amplifies the signal allowing it to travel farther.

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Q: Are drivers required to make a hubs or repeaters work?

A: No, hubs and repeaters do not require drivers. Simply plug and play.

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Q: What is the maximum length a FireWire cable can be?

A: The maximum length a FireWire cable can be is 10 meters (approx. 32 feet). It is also important to remember that a 10 meter cable can only be used when connecting hub/repeater to hub/repeater. The maximum cable length when connecting device to device is 4.5 meters (approx. 15 feet)

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A. Applications that benefit from IEEE 1394 include nonlinear (digital) video presentation and editing, desktop and commercial publishing, document imaging, home multimedia, and personal computing.  The low overhead, high data rates of 1394, the ability to mix real-time and asynchronous data on a single connection, and the ability to mix low speed and high speed devices on the same network provides a truly universal connection for almost any consumer, computer, or peripheral application.

IEEE-1394 revolutionizes video on desktop computers. In addition to being easy to use, IEEE-1394 lets you create broadcast-quality video at consumer prices for the first time ever. This is due in large part to a new generation of digital video (DV ) camcorders that include IEEE-1394 ports.  This class of products is well established and have been shipping since 1995. These cameras now start as low as $850, yet because they use digital technology, they produce clean, crisp video that makes older analog formats pale in comparison. And because they capture video as digital data, you can bring that video directly into your computer over a IEEE-1394 connection as a perfect digital copy, with no conversion losses.  Combine those benefits with powerful yet easy-to-use video editing software such as Apple™s new Final Cut Pro and iMovie, and you have a true paradigm shift in multimedia. The last time two powerful technologies came together like this, Apple launched the desktop publishing industry.  Now we're transforming desktop video production.

Another area that has been greatly impacted by the presence of FireWire are storage devices. Now users can purchase a FireWire enclosure, add an inexpensive IDE/EIDE drive mechanism, and have a low-cost, high-speed storage solution.

Among the features in the current standard and supported in most 1394/FireWire devices:

• Hot swapping without data loss or corruption
• No terminator or device IDs required, as with SCSI
• Automatic configuration of devices upon start up, or "plug and play"
• Real-time data transfer for multimedia applications at 100, 200, and 400Mbits/s data rates
• Flexible free form networking allowing allowing branches and daisy-chains and a mixture of both.
• Common connectors for different devices
• Scalable transfer rate, meaning 100, 200, and 400 megabits per second nodes can all be supported in the same network.

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A: Anyone experienced with both USB and 1394/FireWire probably considers the latter a complement to USB, rather than a replacement. It offers much higher speeds and isochronous and asynchonous video/audio/data transfer. USB is easy to use, and works well for computer peripherals requiring less speed, such as keyboards and trackballs. 1394/FireWire is just as easy to use but works at a much higher speed, ideal for mass storage and dozens of other applications. Many new desktop and portable PC's and Macintosh computers offer both ports.

IEEE-1394 is like Universal Serial Bus (USB) in many ways, and the two technologies coexist on Pentium systems. While USB is great for lower-speed input devices such as keyboards, mice, and joysticks, IEEE-1394 is aimed at higher-speed multimedia peripherals such as video camcorders, music synthesizers, and hard disks. Both I/O technologies offer incredible convenience through their hot plugå capability, eliminating any need to turn off or restart the computer when attaching a new peripheral. For additional ease of use, they also feature automatic configuration, no device IDs or terminators, and simple-to-use cables.  USB can support up to 127 devices per computer, and IEEE-1394 up to 63 devices. Both technologies provide their own bus power, enabling peripherals to be even simpler. And both technologies are cross-platform industry standards.

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Daisy Chain

A networking scheme where, for example, device A is wired to device B, device B is wired to device C, etc. In a SCSI chain, the last device is normally wired to a terminator. With 1394/FireWire there are no device IDs or terminators, as with SCSI, and up to 63 devices can be linked.

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A: The strong multimedia orientation, self-configurability, peer-topeer connectivity and high performance of 1394 have encouraged new, innovative product concepts soon to be released or in development now.  With the advent this year of native IEEE 1394 support in Microsoft Windows operating systems, Macinstosh support, consumer electronics support, and a number of new applications for 1394, it will be a bright and fast future...

Daisy Chain

A networking scheme where, for example, device A is wired to device B, device B is wired to device C, etc. In a SCSI chain, the last device is normally wired to a terminator. With 1394/FireWire there are no device IDs or terminators, as with SCSI, and up to 63 devices can be linked.

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"Digital video" is mostly an all-encompassing term meaning video being viewed or manipulated in the digital domain (i.e. on a computer), or sometimes simply video stored in a digital tape format.  The video may have originally been analog source material digitized into a computer, or it may have been stored directly to a digital tape format.  Most people choosing to discuss "digital video" do so to discuss editing that material using a computer, i.e. non-linear editing (NLE).  Of course, there is frequently some confusion about the term when used generically.  Traditionally, digital tape formats were only available at the professional level (D-1, Digital Betacam, etc.), but now that some digital tape formats (DV) have emerged on the consumer scene, there is even more confusion about the generic term 'digital video."

DV (and it's related DVCAM and DVCPRO) is a relatively new digital tape format.   it was developed by a consortium of 10 companies as a 'consumer" digital video format.  There are now over 60 companies in the DVC consortium, including Sony, Panasonic, JVC, Philips, and other similar names you've heard before.

DV (also called "mini-DV" in its smallest tape form) was originally known as DVC (Digital Video Cassette).  It uses a 1/4 inch (6.35mm) metal evaporate tape to record very high quality digital video.   The video is sampled at the same rate as D-1, D-5, or Digital Betacam video, although the color information is only half the D-1 rate: 4:1:1 in 525-line (NTSC), and 4:2:0 in 625-line (PAL) formats.  DV images are compressed with a but superior technique to motion-JPEG, allowing for higher-quality 5:1 compression.  DV video information is a constant data-rate of about 36 Mbps (or 3.6 Mbps).

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