Panasonic Shows Power Line Network for HDTV

Matsushita Electric Industrial (Panasonic) has developed a high-speed home power line IP networking technology capable of high-definition video transmission. The network enables the distribution of broadband connectivity to every room in a house via existing home power lines using an adapter about the size of an audiocassette tape. The device connects a broadband Internet link, such as ADSL or optical fiber, to the existing power lines in the home.


The system uses OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) and Wavelet technology to reduce the noise caused by the interference down to one-fifth of typical noise levels. This creates a proprietary interference-resistant and ultra-high-speed modulation-demodulation method without use of additional filter circuitry. Panasonic also developed a new TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access) specification which implements efficient data transfer while accommodating varying transfer speed requirements. The company said these techniques enable it transmit data over home powerlines at rates of up to 190 Mbps.


The technology will be part of the HomePlug Powerline Alliance's next generation HomePlug AV specification for audio, video and data networking. If the specification is approved by summer, Matsushita plans to have adapters for both consumer and office ready by the end of 2004. The company will also sell its chip to other OEMs. http://www.panasonic.co.jp/global/top.html