HANA Teams With CABA, Plans Release Of 2.0 Spec

By Joseph Palenchar -- TWICE, 10/10/2007

Beaverton, Ore. — The High-Definition Audio-Video Network Alliance (HANA) has teamed up with the Continental Automated Buildings Association (CABA) to promote the planned 2.0 version of its technology for distributing high-definition video throughout the home.

HANA plans to release version 2.0 guidelines later this month.

“HANA and CABA plan to promote a whole-home solution for moving HD content throughout the home,” a spokeswoman told TWICE. “Initially, the two organizations will work to educate each other’s members about each organization’s technology. HANA will provide regular updates to CABA members via articles and a HANA newsletter.”

The two groups are also “in early discussions to explore a pilot program that will showcase the HANA technology” and how it distributes HD video throughout the home, she added.

HANA is an alliance of content owners, service providers, CE and IT manufacturers, and software developers. CABA is a North American association that promotes technologies for automating homes and other types of buildings. Its goals include the encouragement of industry-wide interoperability standards.

HANA technology was designed initially as a single-cable way of interconnecting components in a home A/V system and coordinating the operation of those components. The first HANA-enabled A/V products began appearing this year using IEEE 1394 cable connections. HANA, however, also wants to promote version 2.0 of its technology for use with long-range IEEE 1394b or other types of cables, including coax, to enable room-to-room A/V distribution. Although HANA doesn’t restrict its technology to 1394, “it’s the only network that provides the speed and the quality of service that we need for HANA's applications,” the spokeswoman noted.

As a home-network technology, HANA will enable the viewing, pausing and recording of five or more HD channels simultaneously without compromising quality of service; viewing, pausing and recording HD anywhere in the home with just one set-top box; sharing personal content from PCs to A/V devices while keeping protected content secure; controlling all A/V devices and access content with a single remote per room; and adding any device to the home network with just one cable.

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