Howstuffworks.com's "- How does a FireWire (IEEE-1394) connection work?"

★ wanayoo — archive 1999 http://www.howstuffworks.com/question371.htm

Sponsored by

Question of the Day

Sponsored by

Teachers: Get essential and trusted internet resources compiled specifically for you!

Q&A Archive
HSW keeps a complete archive of previously answered questions to help you find answers quickly. Please Click Here for a complete list of previously answered questions.
Asking Questions
If you would like to ask a question, you can click here.

Each weekday, Marshall Brain answers questions submitted by the readers of How Stuff Works in the Question of the Day section of HSW. You can also view previously answered questions in the HSW Question Archive. Here is today's question!

Question

I saw the HSW article on USB ports. My computer and video camera have a FireWire connection. How does that work?

Answer

The designers of the Universal Serial Bus (USB) had several particular goals in mind when they created the USB standard:

Low implementation cost, so that USB could be used in cheap peripherals like mice and game controllers

Low cabling cost

Lots of devices on the bus

Good speed characteristics for things like printers

The idea was to create a system that would replace all of the different ports on computers (parallel ports, serial ports, special mouse and keyboard ports, etc.) with a single standard. USB achieved all of these goals very effectively, and there will come a day in the not-too-distant future when computers will have nothing but a set of USB connectors on the back.

FireWire, originally created by Apple and later standardized as IEEE-1394, actually preceded USB and had similar goals. The difference is that IEEE-1394 was originally intended for devices working with lots more data -- things like camcorders, DVD players and digital audio equipment. IEEE-1394 and USB share a number of characteristics and differ in some important ways. Here's a summary:

Like USB, IEEE-1394 is a serial bus that uses twisted-pair wiring to move data around.
However, while USB is limited to 12 megabits per second, IEEE-1394 currently handles up to 400 megabits per second.
USB can handle 127 devices per bus, while IEEE-1394 handles 63.
Both USB and IEEE-1394 support the concept of a isochronous device -- a device that needs a certain amount of bandwidth for streaming data. This mode is perfect for streaming audio and video data.
Both USB and IEEE-1394 allow you to plug and unplug devices at any time.

Most digital video cameras have an IEEE-1394 plug. When you attach a camcorder to a computer using IEEE-1394, the connection is amazing. With the right software the computer and the camera communicate, and the computer can download all of the scenes on the tape automatically and with perfect digital clarity. As prices fall, home video production will become trivial!

Here are several interesting links:

How did you like today's question?

Sponsored Links

Stay connected to what's new at Howstuffworks.com!!! Join the Howstuffworks Newsletter and don't miss a beat!!!
Howstuffworks.com T-shirts are now available!!! Come visit our store at www.hswstore.com to purchase a T-shirt.
Canaca.com WebHosting for Only $22.95 per Month!!! No Set-Up fee and Unlimited Bandwith !!!
Teachervision.com offers a FREE service for educators to create a customized website for your classroom. Get your classroom online today!
Hostindex.com Search the web's LARGEST hosting directory
Free Webmaster Tools E-Zine - Free weekly e-zine that presents hig quality tools, tips, and news for webmasters and web designers. Subscribers have free access to the member area.
Make your own Screen Savers from your favorite images. Download trial version for FREE.
Download webROCKET today and increase your Internet connection speed up to 200%!
Animation Factory - Several thousand FREE Animations, web graphics and clipart items.

Sponsored by

How Stuff Works Power Panel

	Table of Contents A complete list of all HSW articles		About Marshall Brain Information about the creator of HSW
	Search Search for any word or concept in HSW		Citing HSW Information about citing HSW in articles and papers
	Question of the Day Ask questions or browse hundreds in the archive		Books A variety of books for people interested in how stuff works
	HSW Newsletter Sign up to receive the monthly HSW newsletter		Contacting HSW Contact HSW directly with email
	What's New Review newsletters to chart HSW's development		Awards Check out HSW's awards and reviews!
	Disclaimer The disclaimer required by the lawyer		Author Information Learn how you can write for HSW
	HSW Fan Buttons Link to HSW with these snazzy fan buttons!		Suggestions Leave a suggestion in the suggestion box

How Stuff Works (http://www.howstuffworks.com) is a production of
Howstuffworks.com, Inc.
920 Main Campus Drive, Suite 400 - Raleigh, NC 27606
See http://www.howstuffworks.com/contact.htm for contact information