ATA 6 - FireWire 800 enters audio / data mainstream

The 800Mbps capability of the FireWire 800 (IEEE 1394B) serial bus has been demonstrated for the first time by Oxford Semiconductor at the MacWorld 2003 exhibition in San Francisco. Storage and audio applications running on the Jaguar operating system used the OXUF922 programmable ATA6 (IDE) / FireWire bridge chip to provide high-speed data streaming and high quality audio features.

James Foster, Oxford Semiconductor's Chief Operating Officer commented, "The news clearly shows how the potential of FireWire 800 is being harnessed to achieve significant performance improvements. Here we see true multi-channel FireWire audio, backed by Jaguar's in-built driver support, overcoming the limitations of USB in audio applications."

Capable of delivering thirty times more power than USB, FireWire 800 can produce a far greater volume and higher quality audio output as a result. Removing the need for AC powered speaker configurations, FireWire's peer-to-peer topology also greatly simplifies speaker cabling.

Combining an 800Mbps IEEE 1394B Link layer and Phy controller with a 480Mbps USB 2.0 Phy, the OXUF922 programmable bridge chip was launched in 2002 as a follow-up to Oxford's popular OXFW911, ATA6 (IDE) / IEEE 1394 bridge chip, integrated into an estimated 50% of all external storage devices.