HomePlug AV Enhances Consumers’ HDTV Experience and Expands Total Available Market for Flat Panel TV OEMs
CES, Las Vegas – January 06, 2005 – Intellon Corporation, the world leader in powerline communications, today announced that Intellon and Sharp Corporation have developed a demonstration showing the use of HomePlug AV technology and Sharp’s high quality AV transmission technologies to distribute high-definition (HD) content from a Personal Video Recorder (PVR) to Sharp’s popular Aquos LCD television over the powerlines within a home. The demonstration will take place in the HomePlug Powerline Alliance booth at the International Consumer Electronics Show (Booth No. 26422).
The demonstration shows how HomePlug AV will enhance the consumers’ entertainment experience by enabling whole-house distribution of content without the need to install additional recorders or run new wires. By enabling the convergence of flat panel TVs with other digital entertainment devices, HomePlug AV presents an excellent opportunity for flat panel TV OEMs to expand their total available market.
As the price for flat panel TVs continues to decrease, the growth of this market will undoubtedly increase. According to Strategy Analytics, Inc., a global research and consulting firm, demand will reach 37 million units by 2008. Flat panel TVs play a critical role in the ideal digital home. However, today’s consumers are limited in the location of their entertainment centers due to the fact that today flat screen panel TVs must be connected directly to the content source, such as a PVR set-top box, a PC or a cable set-top, in order to receive the content.
“Today consumers demand more HD content to be distributed around the home, but the necessary connectivity is complicated due to configuration limitations,” said Deepak Ayyagari, principal scientist, Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc. “With its ease of use and the ubiquity of power outlets in the home, HomePlug AV makes LCD TVs a more attractive investment for digital home entertainment, because consumers can now easily connect their TVs with any number of digital platforms in the home. Our joint demonstration with Intellon shows the industry how HomePlug AV will change the way multimedia is being distributed around the home.”
“Our demonstration with Sharp highlights the ability of HomePlug AV to easily and reliably connect multiple digital entertainment devices,” said Charlie Harris, Chairman and CEO of Intellon. “HomePlug AV will play an essential role in the digital home, making it possible for consumers to connect any digital device, including flat panel TVs, HD PVRs, cable/satellite set-top boxes, and PCs, by simply plugging them into a convenient wall outlet. This connectivity will translate to market growth for OEMs that take advantage of HomePlug AV.”
HomePlug AV was developed through a competitive process that tested powerline technologies submitted by companies from across the globe. After laboratory tests and field trials, the HomePlug Alliance combined the best technologies into a single specification. Sharp, Intellon and Conexant, along with Arkados, are the main technology contributors to the HomePlug AV specification, which is being finalized now by the HomePlug Alliance. The CES demonstration by Intellon and Sharp is based on a prototype of the HomePlug AV specification.
Building on the proven performance of HomePlug 1.0, HomePlug AV will deliver a number of benefits, including:
- 200-Mbps class networking, enough to carry multiple HDTV programs around a house
- An advanced Physical Layer that offers near-capacity throughput performance and exceptional coverage for robust communications over noisy power line channels
- A high-efficiency MAC layer that incorporates both scheduled access (TDMA) with Quality of Service (QoS) guarantees, and contention access (CSMA). Features that are a must for the demands of multi-media content delivery include guaranteed bandwidth reservation, tight control of latency and jitter, and high reliability.
- Advanced Network Management functions and facilities capable of supporting plug-and-play, user and service provider set-up and configuration
- Co-existence modes enabling multi-network operation, hidden node service, Broadband over Powerline (BPL) co-existence and backwards compatibility with HomePlug 1.0
