DS2 Intros 400Mbps Powerline Data Transfer Technology

Powerline communications seem to be getting increasingly popular nowadays, due to the fact that they allow users to interconnect various devices directly through the mains, without being forced to install costly (and unaesthetic) cables. And as a proof of just how fast things are evolving in this field, DS2, one of the most important names on this particular market, has announced that it has developed a technology that will allow next generation powerline products to operate at a peak data rate of 400Mbps, twice as much as the current technologies.

According to the company, its new powerline technology is targeting especially next generation multimedia applications, including multi-room IPTV and HDTV networked entertainment services, since networked PVRs (personal video recorders) and multiple video streams will require bandwidth sufficient to support 5 or more simultaneous video streams. And the company's decision seems to be backed up by certain market studies, including a recent one from the Diffusion Group on "Bandwidth Challenges to the Digital Home" (2007), which confirmed that the need for bandwidth sufficient to deliver at least 3 HDTV and 2 SDTV streams to the home is foreseen as early as 2009.

Speaking about the new technology developed by his company, Jose Calero, CTO at DS2 stated: "Increased bandwidth requirements for multimedia networking applications is one of the key requirements that suppliers to the home networking, networked entertainment and last-mile BPL markets are looking for from future technology specifications. We are well on the way to developing our 3rd generation technology to ensure that suppliers will have the products available to meet the demand for multimedia applications in the future. These results are very exciting and demonstrate that we will be able to achieve the rates required to sustain the multimedia applications of the future over powerline or coax".

Although the new 400 Mbps technology seems quite promising, users will have to wait a while longer before their can get their hands on devices that actually incorporate it, because they'll be arriving at some point in 2009.

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