HomeGrid Forum and G.hn standard gain momentum

At the CES 2010 expo, HomeGrid Forum - the global, non-profit trade group promoting the United Nations' International Telecommunication Union's (ITU-T) G.hn standardisation efforts - teamed with member company DS2 to demonstrate how it can solve the bandwidth problem created by the ongoing evolution of interactive and IP-based video.

At the show, HomeGrid showed the first G.hn semiconductors capable of delivering the performance and quality of service necessary for high-definition video and videoconferencing. These prototypes showed more than 3x improvement for application-level performance over coaxial cable, phone lines and power lines, surpassing numbers posted by existing first-generation technologies.

“After seeing the demo, it’s clear the technology has made substantial progress over last year with respect to standard development,” said Kurt Scherf, Vice President and Principal Analyst with Parks Associates. “The demonstration showed dramatic performance over all three media: power line, phone line and coaxial cable and reflects the potential it has to provide flexibility in delivering broadband, IPTV and other advanced services. I would expect a significant impact on the market with products expected to emerge in 2010.”

The G.hn standard is designed to deliver a unified technology for the wired home network that addresses key issues of service providers, electronics manufacturers and consumers. Through one worldwide standard, G.hn will unify the networking of content and devices over any of these wires. With it, service providers will be able to deploy new offerings including IPTV more cost effectively. Consumer electronics manufacturers will be able to provide powerful devices for connecting all types of entertainment, home automation and security products throughout the house. Smart grid devices such as smart electricity meters, heating and air-conditioning systems, electrical appliances and lighting systems will also benefit from the reliability, security and low power consumption provided by the G.hn standard.

The technology was recently recognised by Electronic Design for its efforts to consolidate the various fragmented home networking standards into one common worldwide format, and Embedded Computing Design awarded it the ‘Deep Green Editor's Choice’ award for its ability to efficiently connect homes using existing wires.