HomeplugAv
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Sharp's HN-VA40S HomePlug AV 4-port Ethernet HUB: HD streaming over electrical wiring
High definition video streaming over power jacks? We say bring it Sharp, if you can. Meet the HN-VA40S pair, a HomePlug AV 1.1 PowerLine Computing (PLC) solution with the promise of an effective 85Mbps (200Mbps theoretical) across your home's electrical outlets -- ample bandwidth and QoS to stream HD video throughout the home. The ¥17,000 (about $137) HN-VA10 adapter feeds whatever data you bung down its Ethernet jack to the 4-port, ¥13,000 (about $105) HN-VA40 Ethernet hub plugged into any outlet up to 150-meters away. Better yet, save a few bills and buy the set for about ¥24,000 (about $194) when these ship August 24th in Japan. Don't be shy now; you can connect up to 16 units to the same network although we'd suggest waiting for a review before dropping that much dough.[Via Impress]
Linksys announces HomePlug AV PowerLine adapter
Linksys announced the PowerLine AV Ethernet Kit, its first HomePlug AV release. The bundle includes two PLE200 PowerLine AV Ethernet adapters and companion cables, and allows data to flow around your house as fast as 100Mbps (as in Ethernet, theoretically enough to support HD streams). Currently a HomePlug AV network will support up to 16 devices, and can "combat electrical noise generated by appliances, electronic [products] and halogen lights." A quick refresher for those unfamiliar with the concept, PowerLine allows you to create a home network via electrical outlets rather than running CAT-5 cables up and down the stairs. You plug any internet ready device into one adapter, and connect the other adapter to your router, plug both adapters into a wall socket, and like magic you've got internets. It is backwards compatible with PowerLine 1.0 (a sigh of relief for early adopters) and the kit and additional adapters are available now for your enjoyment.[Via Crave]
XAVi announces DS2 200Mbps Powerline HD lineup
XAVi of Taiwan just announced their new product lineup exploiting the DS2 200Mbps Powerline HD chipsets shown as a reference design to the right. Just like Netgear's hardware, XAVi promises the ability to stream high-definition video to any room of the house via your existing electrical wiring -- something promised by first generation HomePlug devices but never quite achieved. XAVi says they'll begin shipping their XP302A and XP302H wall adapters starting this month with their XP302D -- a power supply integrated with the DS2 chipset -- shipping later in the summer. It's not clear from the press release but we assume that some magical combination of the devices will allow simultaneous access to high-definition TV streams, internet access, and voice over IP services when the XP302D is mounted or plugged into XAVi's lineup of xDSL and cable customer premise equipment. We'll just have to hold on for a bit to see where XAVi is taking us with all this.
