New Technical Backgrounder Compares Benefits of 1394-Automotive With Ethernet AVB for Automotive Networking Systems

SAN FRANCISCO--The 1394 Trade Association today issued a new technical background report identifying the benefits of the 1394-Automotive standard for new vehicle networking systems.

The new technical article compares the advantages of products based on the 1394-Automotive standard with a proposed Ethernet AVB specification. It reviews 1394-Automotive's flexibility, scalability, physical layer performance, and high-level protocols, which enable a cost-efficient, compact, and lightweight automotive network for rear seat entertainment, vehicle safety, and other applications.

"The 1394 technology has been proven for years in consumer AV, PC and military applications, and we have defined the AV/C Digital Interface Command Set that enables audio and video products from different manufacturers to interoperate efficiently in the automotive network," said Max Bassler, chairman of the 1394 Trade Association. "The standard meets the automakers' requirements for cost-efficiency, high bandwidth, reliability, longevity and light weight. The flexibility of 1394 to bridge and connect with other legacy automotive point-to-point systems is a significant benefit. Both entertainment and driver assist systems work seamlessly over 1394. Years of development remain ahead for an Ethernet-based automotive network technology," said Bassler. "1394-Automotive is here now, with proven device, cabling and protocol technology."

The backgrounder also details the reasons why any future Ethernet AVB device for the vehicle will look very different than a standard Ethernet device, despite Ethernet's success in many networking applications. There is currently no high-level command and control protocol for plug-and-play connectivity, and Ethernet has not been deployed in such a capacity.

The 1394 Trade Association is a worldwide organization dedicated to the advancement of the IEEE 1394 (FireWire) standard. The 1394TA recently celebrated its 15th year of promoting 1394 and its one billionth 1394 port shipped. FireWire is used today in mass-market computer, entertainment, and professional products, and in a wide range of specialty applications such as music, defense, aerospace, industrial, and robotics products. For more information, visit www.1394ta.org