[mythtv-users] Firewire no longer required on HD STBs

[Ivan Kowalenko]

On Jun 29, 2010, at 11.49, Justin Johnson wrote:

> The FCC grainted a waiver to STB manufacturers allowing them to remove the firewire ports from their STBs, so long as they include similar functionality through an IP-based interface.
> http://hd.engadget.com/2010/06/27/fcc-waives-1394-requirement-in-lieu-of-an-ip-interface/
> The way I read it is that current STBs will not have their firewire ports disabled, but future boxes are not required to include them, so long as an ethernet port and the requisite software interface is included. The waiver was granted on the basis that the inclusion of a firewire port not only increases production costs, but also prevents innovation.

I'd love to see the logic of how it "prevents innovation" by requiring an industry standardized output.

> Interesting to see that the FCC seems to think that firewire is a dying standard. Along with Apple's decision to not include firewire in their latest products, could it be that firewire will go the way of the serial port?

I doubt it. I see Firewire going more of the way of SCSI: used in industrial/professional capacity. Apple and DOS/Windows/etc makers stopped including SCSI as the standard hard disk access architecture on their personal computers because PATA was cheaper, and delivered adequate performance for the user. USB is slowly replacing Firewire in a similar capacity, but in the professional environment, FireWire is still indispensable. It's still on professional video cameras, a surprising number of professional digital audio boards, and high capacity, high-speed hard disks. Granted, in a lot of applications, such as professional/prosumer tapeless HD video, are offering USB as an option, a majority have Firewire as well.

> --Justin Johnson