Digital Harmony Unveils 1394 Technology Roadmap With New Products, Partners And Licensees First 1394-Compliant Home Theater Demonstrates Progress and Promise of New Connection Standard
Digital Harmony Technologies, L.L.C., a Seattle-based company dedicated to making Digital Harmonyô software and technology available to a broad spectrum of consumer electronic manufacturers, moved a significant step closer toward enabling widespread 1394-compliant (FireWireÆ) products as it demonstrated the worldís first multi-manufacturer 1394-compliant home theatre at this yearís Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The demonstration was made possible by a network of nearly two dozen Digital Harmony licensees and project partners, all of whom are actively pursuing the ""compelling connectivity"" made possible by 1394 technology and Digital Harmonyís interoperability technology. The licensees and partners cooperated in developing the first 1394 Technology Pavilion ever to exhibit at CES. Digital Harmony sponsored the Pavilion at the invitation of the Consumer Electronics Manufacturers Association. Its centerpiece was an elaborate home entertainment system consisting of audio, video and computer devices from nearly 20 manufacturers simplified through the use of a single cable connection running between each of the components and Digital Harmonyís interoperability technology in each device. Digital Harmonyís home theatre also demonstrated - for the first time - the ability of a 1394-compliant system to carry DolbyÆ Digital and DTSÆ Digital Surround. In order to provide manufacturers a complete 1394 implementation, Digital Harmony outlined a four-part roadmap for the development of 1394-compliant products, the first of which are expected to appear later this year and early next year. Key steps in the roadmap include: - The Digital Harmony Protocol Suite. Free and open to all, this family of open industry protocols and Digital Harmony system level protocols, when used together, makes interoperability possible between digital home entertainment products. - Digital Harmony Object Code. Available to licensees, this RISC-based software enables implementation of the Digital Harmony Protocol Suite. - Digital Harmony-certified integrated circuits. Certified to run Digital Harmony Object code, intelligent 1394 ""system-on-a-chip"" processors will be available from leading semiconductor companies. - The Digital Harmony Product Certification Test Program. Digital Harmony offers a manufacturer-neutral process that assures manufacturers of compatibility with open standards and between their own and each otherís products, regardless of who makes them. Any product that complies with the Digital Harmony Protocol Suite can be tested and verified by a certified test facility and given the right to carry the Digital Harmony logo, which assures consumers that it will operate intelligently and reliably with all other certified products. Further details about Digital Harmony technology can be found on its website at www.digitalharmony.com or contact Stan Pinkwas at 718 788 7777. Digital Harmony Licensees and Partners AMX Boston Acoustics California Audio Labs Crystal Semiconductor Denon/Nippon Columbia Harman International Meridian Audio Monster Cable SiCore Systems Whitejay International