IEEE 1394, commonly referred to as “FireWire” and “i.LINK,” is a high-speed audio/video transport interface standard featuring speeds up to 400 Mbps. FireWire provides a flexible topology that simply and easily connects devices in the home entertainment network. Every device, or node, works much like a repeater, moving the signal along to the next node in the cluster.

The latest version of 1394 is 1394b which has doubled the data transfer rate of the 1394a to 800 Mbps. Even more significantly, it delivers the ability to move audio and video 100 meters, enabling virtually limitless connections among consumer electronic and PC products. Additionally, 1394b has extended the choice of cabling options for connecting 1394 devices in the home network. Audio and video now can travel through plastic optical fiber, glass optical fiber, Cat5 cable, and copper cable.