1394 Multimedia Standard, Also Known as FireWire and i.Link, Continues Strong Progress in Computer, Consumer Product Development.

TOKYO and SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 9, 1999--

World PC Expo in Japan Yields New 1394-Enabled PCs, Peripherals,

Cameras

The chairman of the 1394 Trade Association said today PC, peripheral and consumer product development based on the popular IEEE-1394 multimedia standard is accelerating and will explode in the year 2000 with the production release of silicon running at 800 Megabits/second.

James Snider addressed a news conference at the World PC Expo show in Chiba, Japan, citing accelerating development cycles that have yielded new 1394-enabled PCs from companies such as Gateway and Sharp Electronics, along with new hard drives from Fujitsu Computer Products and a new scanner system from Taiwan-based UMAX. New consumer electronics products are also in evidence at the annual PC Expo, such as a new camera from Taiwan-based Procomp.

Snider emphasized that the IEEE-1394 standard, which is marketed under trade names such as FireWire and i.Link, "is gaining ground rapidly now as its speed, bandwidth and overall performance increase.

"The cost of 1394 silicon is moving to under $5 per device while we complete prototype development of 800 megabit/second versions, which we expect to see in production by summer of the year 2000," Snider said. "There is simply no other low-cost solution capable of moving voice, video and data at such speeds so reliably across a wide range of computers, peripherals and consumer electronics systems. The 1394 development cycle is two years ahead of competing standards, and world leaders such as Sony and Apple will be deploying it on almost all of their products soon."

Snider said other standards will not be able to catch up with 1394's price/performance, and are on a `slow development track that will frustrate designers and system integrators. Members of the Trade Association are convinced that manufacturers who've stayed on the sidelines need to begin 1394 product development programs sooner rather than later, or risk being left behind," he said.

As he's noted in recent speeches, Snider reminded the Japanese audience that perceived hurdles to the success of 1394/FireWire/i.Link have been overcome. Solutions include a new patent pooling arrangement, designed to eliminate any potential for patent problems among users of the specification; and the digital copy protect program, which puts in place an anti-piracy mechanism.

The 1394 Trade Association includes more than 170 members from four continents dedicated to development of the IEEE-1394 multimedia standard.

For more information about the 1394 Trade Association members and activities, please visit www.1394ta.org or www.1394showcase.com