Panasonic comes clean on 'HD-PLC' Patents and Technologies

Panasonic setup HP-PLC as a faux industry alliance to promote their proprietary technology as "open". Unlike HomePlug AV with at least three companies with HPAV chips, Panasonic has always kept the crown jewels to themselves: until now.

Panasonic is starting to license HD-PLC patents and technologies. Seems you license everything, including software and chip IP.

It seems to HAN Fan that Panasonic had no choice now HD-PLC is the sister PHY to HPAV in the IEEE 1901 standard--which, unlike HP-PLC, truly open. This is good news for all home network lovers.

Two additional interesting titbits of information from the press release;

• Panasonic says  HD-PLC has  more than 85% in the Japanese PLC market.
  This can be compared with HomePlug AV which has about the same percentage in the rest-of-the-world.
  
• Panasonic estimates that at least 50 million sets of HD-PLC products will be sold in the world by 2015.
  HAN Fan thinks thinks it would be great to have PLC in all TVs by 2015.

Powerline networking going mainstream

It seems that powerline networking is slowly becoming mainstream and not just for technical people.

The Lifehacker website, while a little geeky, is a practical blog that features tips, shortcuts, and downloads that help you get things done smarter and more efficiently. They have a nice "how-to" article on extending a wireless network with an old router and a pair of powerline adapters. Most of it is how to upgrade/configuration the routre, the simple bit is the powerline adaptors (plug them in).

Round-up of HAN Videos from CES 2010

Lots of videos from CES 2010 about Home Networking technologies.

HD-PLCs video includes the demo, but not much of a booth tour.



Their 2009 video is much shorted and certainly more sweeter.



HomePlug's CES video is a bit over produced (but when you have tons of members, you can adored it) and happily the video is half as long's as HD-PLC's, but has no show girls.



IOGEAR Wireless HD USB Audio Video was short, but only a tour of the booth.




DS2/HomeGrid had a nice (i.e. short) demo of their G.hn prototype. Not sure why the fans were so noisy or why nothing was plugged into the power-strip.