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Sorting out FireWire standards |
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Friday, 28 November 2008 |
In the computer industry, FireWire is known by several different names. First, the name FireWire refers to the trademark owned by Apple Computer, the inventors of the technology. Second, Sony Corporation uses the name i.Link on its multimedia products when it refers to a digital media port. And, finally, it's officially known as IEEE 1394, because it's the 1394th standard published by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE). The IEEE 1394 standard defines three FireWire revision levels, as described here:
1394-1995. Defined data transfer rates of 100 Mbps, 200 Mbps, and 400 Mbps over a serial bus.
1394a. Added specifications for performance optimization and power management on the bus; commonly referred to as FireWire 400 to differentiate it from FireWire 800.
1394b. Defined the architectural specifications to support data transfers up to 3200 Mbps; commonly referred to as FireWire 800 today because 800 Mbps is the current data transfer limit.
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