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HomePlug Networking Gains Steam

Sony joins the board of directors as the Alliance prepares to finalize its latest standard.

Paul Kallender, IDG News Service

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Sony Electronics has joined the board of directors of the HomePlug Powerline Alliance, a consortium of companies supporting networking standards based on power lines, the alliance announced this week.

HomePlug is a home-networking technology that uses existing electrical power cables to transmit video around the home. For example, it allows the transmission of video content between a HomePlug-equipped set-top box in one room and a television in another room.

The addition of Sony to the board of directors will help the alliance promote its new HomePlug AV specification, the alliance says in a statement. The alliance is finalizing the specification, which will let devices share video content at a maximum bandwidth of 200 megabits per second.

Alternative to Wi-Fi

The new specification is being promoted as an alternative to wireless technologies such as 802.11 for home networking. It is expected to be ratified during the first quarter of 2005 and chips and products should start appearing later this year, according to the alliance's Web site.

The alliance announced the selection of the underlying technology for HomePlug AV specification at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas this January.

Sony has been a participant member of the alliance since 2001, the alliance says.

Companies supporting the alliance include Arkados, Comcast, Conexant Systems, EarthLink, RadioShack, and Sharp.

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