This chapter summarizes PC 98 design requirements for hardware designed under the IEEE 1394 standards. The IEEE 1394 high-speed serial bus complements USB by providing enhanced PC connectivity for a wide range of devices, including consumer audio/video (A/V) components, storage peripherals, other PCs, and portable devices.
IEEE 1394 has been adopted by the consumer-electronics industry and is expected to provide a volume, Plug and Play-compatible expansion interface for the PC. The 100-Mb/s, 200-Mb/s, and 400-Mb/s transfer rates currently specified in IEEE 1394A, and the proposed enhancements to 800 Mb/s and beyond in IEEE 1394B, are well suited to multistreaming I/O requirements.