TI Unveils Industry's First 1394b High Performance Serial Bus Devices

 Higher Speeds and Extended Distances Open New Applications for the 1394 High
                  Performance Serial Bus (Firewire, i.Link)

    SAN JOSE, Calif., Aug. 27 INTEL DEVELOPER FORUM -- Two new
devices from Texas Instruments (TI) Incorporated forming the first
devices compliant with the latest version of the IEEE 1394b specification are
being demonstrated this week at the Intel Developers Forum in San Jose, CA
(Booth #623).  The first instantiation of IEEE 1394b not only doubles the
speed of the previous generation of IEEE 1394 devices to 800 megabits-per-
second (Mbps), it also increases distances up to 100 meters.  These enhanced
features allow designers of PCs, mass storage, consumer electronics and
automotive applications to increase the functionality of designs while
simplifying architecture and reducing costs.  (See
http://www.ti.com/sc/msp6743u ).

    "Previously, 1394 could only be connected via copper cabling which was
limited to 4.5 meters.  As the capabilities of 1394b become a reality and
designers start to work with it, new markets and applications will emerge for
this versatile and powerful interface," said Randy Trost, Worldwide PC
Connectivity Market Manager for TI.  "The higher speeds and extended distances
are supported over media such as household telecommunications wiring and fiber
optic cables.  This makes 1394b a great choice for linking personal computers
with cameras, set-top boxes, DVDs, gaming platforms and other exciting
applications."

    TI's demonstration at IDF will feature two computers transmitting fully
1394b compatible, 800Mbps packets using 1394b cables from Molex, Inc.  A 1394b
Data Analyzer from Yokogawa Corporation will be connected to the two computers
to validate 1394b data transmission.  TI will also showcase the devices'
ability to be fully backward compatible with the existing IEEE 1394a-2000
standard.

    "Intel applauds Texas Instruments' leadership in bringing IEEE 1394b
silicon solutions to market," said David Fair, Intel's Extended PC
Technologies Initiative Manager.  "1394b has many compelling advantages over
its predecessors in terms of cost of implementation, ease of integration with
low-voltage CMOS, electrical isolation, power management, long distance and
speed.  With TI's architecture, these benefits and PC-connectivity are
achieved while retaining backward compatibility with the rapidly growing base
of 1394a-2000 digital consumer electronics devices."

    The new TI solutions include a device for managing the 1394 physical layer
(PHY) and a chip for handling 1394's protocols (link layer).  TI is sampling
the new physical (PHY) and link layer 1394b devices to selected customers and
software companies, pending final approval of the 1394b specification.

    "With the announcement of 1394b, Texas Instruments once again proves their
leadership in the ability to develop and bring to market ultra high-speed bus
technology that continues to improve PC connectivity for consumers," said
Scott Fierstein, technical evangelist of Windows Hardware Platform Strategy at
Microsoft Corp.  "Microsoft commends Texas Instruments on their innovative
efforts that push the bounds of connectivity, speed and storage to enable new
consumer scenarios, such as AV home networking, allowing consumers to get the
most out of their PC."

    The 1394b link layer device is compatible with the Open Host Controller
Interface 1.1 (OHCI) standard, ensuring compatibility with PC and Macintosh
host systems that conform to OHCI.  The OHCI standard supports features for
higher-speed asynchronous and isochronous data transmissions and advanced
power management techniques.  The new 1394b PHY chip is a three-port,
bilingual device that is backward compatible with 1394a devices, supporting
the data strobe encoding scheme of IEEE 1394a-2000, and the 8B/10B encoding
scheme for 1394b.  The device is compatible with the PCI Power Management
1.1 specification, enabling active power management by the Windows operating
system, and integrated intelligent power management, which allows the device
to automatically conserve power for power-sensitive applications like portable
computers and handheld devices.

    Availability

    The new 1394b devices are expected to be available in volume production
quantities during the second half of 2002.

    Texas Instruments Incorporated is the world leader in digital signal
processing and analog technologies, the semiconductor engines of the Internet
age.  The company's businesses also include sensors and controls, and
educational and productivity solutions.  TI is headquartered in Dallas, Texas,
and has manufacturing or sales operations in more than 25 countries.