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IDB Forum Debuts IDB-C / IDB-1394 Vehicle Demo at Convergence 2000 in Detroit, Oct. 16-18; Digital Harmony, Rand McNally, Strategis Bring Digital Media to Mack Truck

10 October 2000

IDB Forum Debuts IDB-C / IDB-1394 Vehicle Demo at Convergence 2000 in Detroit, Oct. 16-18; Digital Harmony, Rand McNally, Strategis Bring Digital Media to Mack Truck

    PITTSBURGH--Oct. 10, 2000--A group of innovative companies from the IDB Forum will present the first demonstration of networked low and high-speed multimedia consumer electronics products working together in a commercial vehicle at this year's Convergence 2000 Conference in Detroit, October 16-18.
    The IDB Forum will bring digital media to the vehicle using an integrated IDB network to enable connection of PDAs, phones, CD/DVDs and other consumer products in cars, trucks, and other vehicles. The host vehicle for this initial demonstration is the new VISION from Mack Trucks, an innovative new truck design that is technologically equipped for the 21st century.
    For this initial demonstration, IDB Forum member Digital Harmony Technologies, Inc. has provided IEEE1394-based DHIVA(TM) interface modules which enable standards-based control and streaming of media formats such as MP3, CD and DVD in vehicles. The company has worked with the IDB Forum and AMI-C in adding a DHIVA interface to all media devices in the automotive entertainment network. This implementation of the 1394 standard lets vehicles easily accept new 1394-enabled consumer devices such as portable MP3 players, hard drives, and DVD players as they become available, according to Greg Bartlett, Digital Harmony's president.
    Panasonic, a pioneering developer of IDB-C, contributed a CD changer to the demonstration. Equipped with DHIVA, it will be in the VISION, communicating through a `gateway' built by Digital Harmony and Strategis Technologies using prototype IDB-C to IDB-1394 technology. Strategis also provided the vehicle integration and software for IDB-C, including their IDB Protocol Converter (IPC) technology that allows any serial device to talk "IDB".
    Rand McNally Inc., another participant in the demo, has created the dashboard PDA hardware and custom software required to show that an IDB-equipped vehicle can take advantage of information stored in handheld devices such as the PALM(TM) Vx. The company is providing hardware designed to illustrate IDB's "plug-and-work" capability for in-vehicle use, including mounting hardware for docking or undocking a Palm from the IDB cradle.
    With the Rand McNally software, a user can control a CD player in a vehicle trunk or change radio stations. Calls to a cell phone come from the PALM(TM) names and phone numbers from its address book. Incoming calls from the cell will use caller id to complete a lookup in the Palm address book and the name and number will be sent to the vehicle head unit for display.
    "This initial multimedia demo on the VISION has brought together an impressive group of hardware and software leaders that have provided resources, products and expertise," said Arlan Stehney, executive director of the IDB Forum. Digital Harmony has created the first `Home Theater on Wheels' in the VISION's sleeping compartment, including a CD and MP3 audio library, a 200-DVD movie library. It is played in surround sound through Harman/Kardon and Boston Acoustics audio equipment, and entirely controlled from a Planar touchpanel running the Digital Harmony Composer(TM) graphical interface.
    Stehney added, "Mack has taken the lead in bringing this technology to commercial vehicles, Motorola has provided cellular technology, AMP, Delphi, and Molex have teamed to provide cable assemblies and connectors, and OnStar provided the embedded emergency call unit. This exciting demonstration has been made possible by these contributions, and by the hard work of IDB Forum members."
    The IDB Forum and 1394 Trade Association have jointly developed a complete physical layer specification for the IDB-1394 multimedia backbone that will provide consumers with 1394-equipped embedded devices and let them connect portable consumer electronics products -- such as CD players, DVDs, games or computers -- in their vehicles. The document, announced last month, establishes the basic architecture, plastic fiber and copper connection specs. The two organizations continue to work together to develop the specification and to introduce consumer and commercial applications for the multimedia network.

    About the IDB Forum

    The IDB Forum actively promotes the global integration of IDB networking into the automotive, consumer electronics, automotive electronics, computer, retail and computer markets, with more than 70 international member companies. For more information, please visit http://www.idbforum.org or call 724/942-3636.