The Office Comes Home or How Home Networking Stocks

Will Make You Richer in the Year 2000

• 1394 Trade Association (1394TA) and the IEEE 1394 (FireWire)
  This specification for a high-bandwidth bus, that can transfer data at rates of 100-400 Mbps, is particularly suited for interconnecting PCs, peripherals and audio/video equipment. IEEE 1394. A serial protocol that runs at speeds ranging from 100 to 400 megabits per second, depending upon the implementation. Devices that are prime candidates for IEEE 1394 include digital camcorders and VCRs, digital audio amplifiers, and video teleconferencing. IEEE Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, pronounced "I-triple-E." Founded in 1963, IEEE is an organization composed of engineers, scientists, and students. IEEE is best known for developing standards for the computer and electronics industry. IEEE 1394 A serial protocol that runs at speeds ranging from 100 to 400 megabits per second, depending upon the implementation. Devices that are prime candidates for IEEE 1394 include digital camcorders and VCRs, digital audio amplifiers, and video teleconferencing.1394 is the IEEE standard version of Apple’s firewire technology.

• Consumer Electronics Manufacturing Association (CEMA)
  The Consumer Electronics Manufacturers Association, a sector of the Electronic Industries Alliance, represents more than 500 U.S. manufacturers of consumer audio, video, accessories, mobile electronics, communication, information and multimedia products. CEMA sponsors and manages the International Consumer Electronics Shows. CEMA Tech Home Rating www.techhome.org

• Home API Working Group (Home API)
  A standard application programming interface (API) that would allow developers to write home control programs around a single Microsoft Windows-based platform. The API is expected to be finalized this year, with compliant products available in 2000. API Application programming interface. A set of routines, protocols, and tools for building software applications. A good API makes it easier to develop a program by providing all the building blocks. A programmer puts the blocks together. HAPI Home API. An industry initiative in which Microsoft participates that focuses on device control. HAPI is a very high-level API that applications can use to control consumer electronics and home control devices on a network. See http://www.hapi.org /misc/cpyright.htm/misc/cpyright.htm.

• Home Audio Video interface (HAVi)
  A Sony initiative, the Home Audio Video interface (HAVi) is an application-layer API for 1394 networks, and supports proprietary languages such as as the AV/C command language.

• HomeRecording Rights Coalition
• Interactive Digital Software Association (IDSA)
• Jini
• Open Service Gateway Initiative (OSGi) A group of 13 computer, phone and electric utility companies are promoting this Java-based standard, the Open Service Gateway, to provide a two-way link between service providers and households.

• The Infrared Data Association (IrDA)
• Universal Plug and Play (UPnP ) is an open standard technology for transparently connecting appliances, PCs, and services by extending Plug and Play to support networks and peer-to-peer discovery and configuration.. UPnP defines protocols and interfaces for automatic discovery and description of devices on a Microsoft Windows-based network, with the goal of "zero-configuration" peripheral connectivity.At Winter CES 99, Microsoft joined with 28 industry partners to announce the UPnP initiative. At WinHEC 99, the UPnP industry partners announce the UPnP Forum for development and implementation of UPnP technologies. http://www.upnp.org/
  
• Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA)
  The Video Electronic Standards Association is a group developing a standard for high-speed whole-house digital (baseband) wired network, using a long-distance 100 Mbps IEEE version of 1394 as the digital backbone, and IP for Internetworking.