IEEE 1394 is a new, very fast external bus standard that supports data transfer rates of up to 400 Mbps, thatÆs 400 million bits per second! Whew! Products supporting the 1394 standard go under different names, depending on the company. Apple, which originally developed the technology, uses the trademarked name FireWire. Other companies use other names, such as I-link and Lynx, to describe their 1394 products.
A single 1394 port can connect up to 63 external devices. In addition to its high speed, 1394 also supports isochronous data -- delivering data at a guaranteed rate. This makes it ideal for devices that need to transfer high levels of data in real-time, such as video devices.
1394 is similar to USB in many ways. A single 1394 bus can connect up to 63 external devices and then interconnect up to 1023 buses to support a very large network of devices. It supports hot plugging, power to devices, and common connectors. The real difference is the speed. 1394 supports continuous data transfers of up to 400 Million bits per second, useful for devices such as digital camcorders, cameras and videodisc players.
