FireWire Upgrade To Trump eSATA?

By Greg McNevin

December 18, 2007: According to the 1394 Trade Association, data transfer speeds for FireWire are set to more than quadruple thanks to the new S32 specification announced last week.

Expected to be ratified in February, the new specification will lift transfer rates to 3.2 gigabits per second, and do it using existing FireWire 800 hardware such as cables and connectors.

Also known as iLink, the new and improved FireWire specification looks like it could give the increasingly popular eSATA connectivity standard a run for its money, particularly considering FireWire can power devices in the same manner than USB does.

FireWire 800 already features 90 MB/s of sustained data throughput, according to the association FireWire 3200 could deliver nearly 390 MB/s of usable bandwidth, or enough to drive full HDTV signals over long distances at up to 50 fps.

“The S3200 standard will sustain the position of IEEE 1394 as the absolute performance leader in multipurpose I/O ports for consumer applications in computer and CE devices," said 1394 Trade Association's executive director, James Snider. “There is a very clear migration path from 800Mbps to 3.2Gbps, with no need for modifications to the standard and no requirement for new cables or connectors.”

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