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FireWire to Reach 3.2 Gigabit/s Speeds

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Apr 12, 2001
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The 1394 Trade Association announced a new S3200 specification that will deliver speeds up to 3.2 gigabits per second over FireWire. This represents a four-fold improvement over the existing FireWire 800 specification found in current Macs.

The new specification builds on the existing 1394b standard by using the same cables and connectors that are already deployed in existing FireWire 800 products. S3200 is expected to be ratified by early February.
"The S3200 standard will sustain the position of IEEE 1394 as the absolute performance leader in multi-purpose I/O ports for consumer applications in computer and CE devices," said James Snider, executive director, 1394 Trade Association. "There is a very clear migration path from 800 Megabits/second to 3.2 Gigabits/second, with no need for modifications to the standard and no requirement for new cables or connectors."
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The increased bandwidth would permit S3200 to transmit uncompressed high definition signals over long distances at a lower cost than HDMI.

Article Link
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2007/12/17/firewire-to-reach-3-2-gigabit-s-speeds/
Nice to see FW catching up with SATA. Great that it sounds like it is backwards compatible with existing FW800 devices. Nice one!
 
ya, so while the connectors and cables are the same, you're going to need new Macs hardware to drive the FW3200 (?) devices.

arn
 
This would have been a much bigger deal two or three years ago (the HDMI vs Firewire part), now it just seems like a little too late.

All that is needed is to get Intel on board with using this new FW speed in their mainboards. It would get adopted a whole lot faster that way.
 
If the cables are the same, and the data being sent isn't compressed in any way, then how did they get it to be 4x better? Did they just improve the controller or something?
 
I really hope Apple puts this in all their new Macs and pushes the technology in a big way. FireWire is vastly superior to USB for data-intense devices, and it's time Apple started pushing superior technologies again like they used to.
 
I'd like to see this on all new mac's in 2008 and iPods as they get newer models. This would make it quite snappy to load up a 160GB Classic!

I know, this technology is really aimed at the high end professional video needs....
 
CaptainHaddock said:
I really hope Apple puts this in all their new Macs and pushes the technology in a big way. FireWire is vastly superior to USB for data-intense devices, and it's time Apple started pushing superior technologies again like they used to.
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More to the point. How long before we see the QUINT from Lacie?
 
Abstract said:
If the cables are the same, and the data being sent isn't compressed in any way, then how did they get it to be 4x better? Did they just improve the controller or something?
Click to expand...

Well, yeah- if you think about it, the speed of something (be it data, electricity, or whatever) going through a cable is determined by cable size and the frequency of the signal (this is an oversimplification). You up the frequency, and you have more stuff coming down the pipes.
 
FireWire Standerd

Will this be a firmware update since it used the same ports and connectors that we currently have.:apple:
 
Could this be in the next Mac Pro? or would it need more time for development/testing?


---edit---

Sorry, didn't fully understand the news – so old machines could transmit at faster speeds with OS patch?
 
irishgrizzly said:
Could this be in the next Mac Pro? or would it need more time for development/testing?
Click to expand...

Seeing as this has been ratified which is a long process I am sure all major companies who actually want to use it will have had their hands on it for a long time for testing procedures.

Still unclear, to me anyway, if it needs a new computer to support it or if it will come via a software update.
 
arn said:
ya, so while the connectors and cables are the same, you're going to need new Macs hardware to drive the FW3200 (?) devices.

arn
Click to expand...

well.. what would you rather? they totally changed the connections, at least by running it this way you can upgrade and have the speed or not upgrade and still have the peripherals.
 
twoodcc said:
yeah it does a little, except a whole lot faster :p
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yeah, I've always found USB's theoritical limits to be exactly that, purely theoretical. I've been about to get over 80MB/sec out of a firewire 800 drive whose theoretical maximum would be 100MB/sec. USB 2.0 whose limit is allegedly 50MB/sec I can barely squeeze 20 MB/sec out of.
 
Glad to see FW keeping pace with USB to some extent.

Doesn't look like FW3200 will match USB3's 4.8Gbps, but then, I've always found USB's speeds to be great in theory but lackluster in practice. For large transfers (100GB+), I've found USB2's speeds to be pretty underwhelming in comparison to "old" FW400.

I'm also still plodding along just fine with FW400 (no Intel Mac yet), so any positive FW news is just a novelty for me. By the time FW3200 appears, I'll probably only just have bought my first FW800-capable machine.
 
A total pipedream but I'd love this on a 160gb iPod. My 80gb takes an age to fill up over a USB2 connection.

Come back Firewire. Come back to the 'pods.
 
This is great. HDMI is great for home theater stuff now, but FW3200 would be a vastly superior connection format because it is not limited to TVs and receivers, etc. It could serve as a connection for the new breed of uncompressed HD cameras (RED ONE, anyone?), ultrafast external (and mobile) RAIDs, and a bunch of other stuff. All while still being compatible with our little normal externals and cameras. Thumbs up.
 
Sounds great! I guess they made some right decisions in FW800 development, now they can just raise the clock speed and get more juice with same cables.
 
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