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Contents
 What is IEEE 1394?
1394 is the IEEE designation for a new, high-performance serial
bus designed to fill the need for high-speed digital communications
between electronic devices. This standard defines both a physical
layer and a cable-connected virtual bus. The interface standard
defines transmission method, media, and protocol.
The primary application of the cable version is I/O
connectivity at the back panel of personal computers or directly between
consumer devices using a low-cost, scalable, high-speed serial interface.
The IEEE 1394 standard also provides new services—such
as live connect/disconnect capability for external devices
which, in the future, will include disk drives, printers, and hand-held
peripherals (for example, scanners and cameras). Presently, IEEE
1394 is available on a range of audio/video devices, as
well as high-end digital still cameras made by Kodak.
How does IEEE 1394 Work?
IEEE 1394 is a high-speed serial bus particularly adept at carrying
digital video such as the images captured in a digital camera. In
many ways, IEEE 1394 is like an advanced high-speed version of the
PC-based Universal Serial Bus (USB). However, unlike USB, IEEE 1394
is a true peer-to-peer interface—a PC is not required to
connect between various peripherals. This means that a printer or
hard drive could be connected directly to other devices, such as
a digital camera.
Why use IEEE 1394?
The need for IEEE 1394, and other next-generation network topologies
and protocols, is driven by the rapidly growing need for mass information
transfer. Parallel high-speed communications—such as SCSI—are
not suited to long distances and do not support live connect/disconnect,
making reconfiguration a time-consuming task. Other factors driving
next-generation protocols such as IEEE 1394 include the need for
reliability, durability, and universal interconnection.
Currently, connecting a new device to a computer using the SCSI
architecture requires the user to reboot the system. This method
is time-consuming and lends itself to faulty connections as a result
of the constraints associated with the SCSI bus.
What are the benefits of IEEE 1394?
Compatible Connectors
Without an in-out or up-down direction, the connectors at each
end of the cable are generally the same, making no difference which
socket is used on a particular device. Additionally, the connectors
are asymmetrical and come in 6 versus 4 connector varieties.
Plug-and-Play
Due to its ability to instantly reconfigure systems after peripheral
installation, plug-and-play is the industry standard that has grown
from an option to a demand by end users.
Shared Memory
IEEE 1394 is based on a shared-memory model, which allows devices
to directly access locations in memory as needed instead of having
to wait for information to flow by in a stream. This is similar
to instantly accessing a particular track on a compact disc instead
of having to wind a tape to a specific location.
Single Connection
Because all of the digital signals for a particular piece of
equipment can be carried on the same IEEE 1394 cable, only one connection
is required for any unit, alleviating the burden of supporting multiple
cables within one system.
Smaller Connector than SCSI
As computers strive to become more compact, IEEE 1394's
smaller connector serves as another proof point of its anticipated
widespread adoption.
Speed
Since IEEE 1394 is faster than USB, it will accentuate the time
and cost savings associated with streaming digital images.
Conclusion
The serial-bus IEEE 1394 has the bandwidth capacity to displace
most other peripheral connection communication methods in use today—including
Centronix parallel, RS232, SCSI, and APPLE Desktop Bus—and
consolidate them into a unified, high-performance serial bus. The
serial bus's memory space addressing is a perfect fit for "slotless" systems
such as Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs). Finally, the "hot
plugging," power sourcing, and dynamic reconfiguration
abilities make IEEE 1394 a user-friendly environment. The features
of IEEE 1394 make plugging into a computer expansion system as easy
as plugging into AC power, providing communications on demand without
having to shut down and reconfigure each time an I/O device
is added or removed.
Issues Surrounding IEEE 1394
Market-Driven Effects
From a hardware perspective, there is no "must-have" device
currently driving computer manufacturers to include IEEE 1394 ports.
With a chicken-and-egg scenario, IEEE 1394 is anticipated to help
usher in a new brand of peripherals. Additionally, a new PC standard
known as a "device bay" will be introduced in
1999, which will allow users to add or remove devices to and from
their PCs without opening the PC chassis. This, in addition to the
availability of IEEE 1394-based hard disk devices, will rapidly
increase the presence of IEEE 1394 in the marketplace in late 1999.
Vendor-Driven Support
With its operating system lacking support, users have to write
their own low-level device drivers that only work with one specific
add-in card on the PC. This, in turn, increases development and
support costs, and therefore, fuels reluctance to IEEE 1394 support.
IEEE 1394 and KODAK PROFESSIONAL DCS Digital Cameras
KODAK PROFESSIONAL DCS Digital Cameras support the IEEE 1394
interface on APPLE MACINTOSH and PC platforms. This is possible
through a fully integrated kit, which includes:
Kodak and Kodak Professional are trademarks of Eastman
Kodak Company.
TIB4130Technical Information Bulletins provide information of limited or specific application. Responsibility for judging the applicability
of the information for a specific use rests with the end user.
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