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About 1394 Technology
About 1394 Technology
1394 (also known as FireWire or i.LINK) is an international standard
data transfer protocol created by Apple Computer, Inc. and ratified
by the International Standards Organization as IEEE 1394. Like
other data I/O protocols such as SCSI, Fibre Channel, and IDE, 1394
itself knows nothing about video, compression, or editing. It is a
series of standardized commands for moving data from one device
to another.
1394 offers advantages that make it ideal for use with audio and
video devices:
■
It’s fast
It has 100/200/400 Mbps, or 12.5/25/50 MBps data transfer
rates.
■
It’s guaranteed
Both isochronous (guaranteed bandwidth, ensuring full-frame,
full motion video, and CD-quality audio) and asynchronous
data transfers.
■
It’s consumer friendly
Small connectors, hot-pluggable (meaning you can connect
and disconnect DV devices without rebooting a computer),
and no need for terminators or setting device IDs.
■
It’s expandable
Supports up to 62 devices (16 daisy-chained) with a 4.5m
flexible cable between devices over a total length of up to 72m
or 240 feet.
