CES 2012: VIA Demos USB 3.0 Active Optical Cable

VIA showed a surprising level of interest in the Universal Serial Bus interface at the 2012 edition of the Consumer Electronics Show, even inventing a new cabling solution.

VIA has officially announced the VIA Labs VO510 5Gb Optical Transceiver, a USB 3.0 Active Optical Cable (AOC) solutions.

It can send multimedia, and other bandwidth-intensive content, over distances of 100 meters from an USB 3.0 connector.

This is possible while staying within the bounds of the SuperSpeed USB electrical specifications.

Now, USB 3.0 ports can be used for surveillance, zero client applications and even digital signage, among other things.

“We are very grateful to our partners, who worked closely with VIA Labs to bring the USB 3.0 AOC from concept to reality,” says Jiin Lai, chief technical officer, VIA Labs, Inc.

“With the VO510 and our partner's AOC products at mass production readiness, we are looking to expand our coverage of other interconnects such as PCI Express."

The VIA Labs VO510 5Gb Optical Transceiver enables 100-meter (330-foot) distances by using light instead of electronic pulses to send data.

Since light is resistant to EMI (electromagnetic interference), and doesn't radiate any EMI of its own, the cable may become quite important to medical imaging and other fields where EMI is an issue.

"OpTarget works with leading system integrators, distributors, and OEMs in the development and delivery of Smart Digital Signage and Zero Client solutions for commercial, education, and industrial customers,” states Mu Chen, president of OpTarget.

“With the ultra-thin profile and long reach of the new USB 3.0 AOC powered by VIA Labs' Optical Transceiver, we can now offer effective and low-cost solutions based on existing USB devices while providing an improved user experience, increased functionality, and greater system flexibility."

To learn about the other interesting release from VIA (true-speed USB 2.0 through USB 3.0 hubs), one need only go here.