IEEE1394¹ has been incorporated into an increasing number of digital AV equipment and computer peripherals. Sony Corporation established the easy-to-recognize "i.LINK" name and logo for IEEE1394 in April 1997 to further promote and raise awareness of the standard among customers in general. To date, the company has concluded licensing agreements for the i.LINK trademark with the following 16 companies:

• Japan:
  AMP (Japan), Ltd., Archtech Corporation, Canopus Corporation, Hitachi, Ltd., Matsushita Electrical Industrial Corporation, Sharp Corporation and Victor Company of Japan, Limited
• USA:
  Adaptec Inc., Digital Processing Systems, Maxtor Corporation, Molex Inc. and Pinnacle Systems Inc.
• Europe:
  Computer and Motion GmbH, Electronic-Design GmbH, Fast Multimedia AG and MS MacroSystem Computer GmbH

The IEEE1394 is a high-speed digital serial interface suitable for transmitting and receiving audio and video signals. A transmission speed of up to 400Mbps is possible under the currently agreed upon specifications. IEEE1394 has been regarded as the most suitable interface for interconnecting digital AV equipment and personal computers. Sony has been selling products equipped with the IEEE1394 interface, such as digital video cameras and still picture capture boards, worldwide since 1995.

Moreover, the Digital Audio-Visual Council (DAVIC)² has adopted the IEEE1394 interface as the data input/output port for home networking set-top boxes, and other organizations including Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB)³ and Electronic Industries Association (EIA)⁴ have adopted it as the digital interface for broadcast receivers.

Once household networks using the IEEE1394 interface become a reality, users will be able to interconnect multiple AV equipment, allowing to transfer, process and store the digital data at high speed and without any degradation in quality. This will lead to expanded opportunities for utilizing all types of digital data including images, sounds, animation, and documents.

As a member of the 1394 Trade Association, Sony Corporation has worked extensively to promote IEEE1394 in the marketplace. It plans to begin selling AV products and computer peripherals equipped with the IEEE1394 interface and bearing the i.LINK name and logo.

Sony Corporation will continue its activities to further raise public recognition of the interface using the i.LINK name and logo.

• (1)The IEEE1394 refers to a digital interface standard (High performance Serial Bus) established by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE). The most recent technical specifications approved in December 1995 is called IEEE1394-1995. A number of companies, including Sony, have already incorporated it into digital AV electronics products; it is believed to be the most suitable digital interface for households of the future.
• (2)DAVIC (Digital Audio-Visual Industry Council) is a non-profit organization established in August 1994. DAVIC works for the standardization of digital applications and services. It boasts more than 200 participating companies from around the world.
• (3)DVB (Digital Video Broadcasting) is an organization which promotes standards for digital TV broadcasting. A predominantly European organization, DVB boasts over 200 affiliates.
• (4)EIA (Electronic Industries Association) is an industry association made up of a large number of American electronics and electrical equipment manufacturers.