Four Times Faster FireWire

The 1394 Trade Association, a worldwide organization dedicated to both the advancement and enhancement of the IEEE 1394 audio video standard, have announced a new specification to quadruple the speed of FireWire to reach 3.2 gigabits per second! According to the Association’s press release, the new specification, which will be known as S3200, builds upon the IEEE 1394b standard, preserving all the advantages of FireWire while offering a major and unprecedented boost in performance. Yet this new speed uses the cables and connectors already deployed for FireWire 800 products, making the transition forward easy and convenient for 1394 product vendors and their customers. Because the 1394 arbitration, data, and service protocols were not modified for S3200, silicon and software vendors can deploy the faster speed FireWire quickly and with confidence that it will deliver its full potential performance. The S3200 specification is expected to be ratified by early February.