New, Faster Wired Home Network For HDTV

Jan. 7 -- While most of the buzz at CES surrounding home entertainment networking will come from the wireless sector, such as Broadcom's soon-to-be-announced 125 Mbps 802.11g router technology, a new group promising high-definition television (HDTV) over coax is stirring new interest in wires.

The Multimedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA), which was announced on Monday, will develop and certify products that use in-home coaxial cables to network home entertainment devices.

According to MoCA, the coax approach provides more security than wireless communication since the signal will be constrained to a cable. The group claims the service will be capable of 270 Mbps throughput which is five times higher than speeds possible over the wireless 802.11g standard.

It also claims the service will support DVD and HDTV networking around the home.

"MoCA is an important step in delivering a home network that can securely connect the most advanced entertainment, wireless and computer devices in the home without the need for new wiring or connections," said Ladd Wardani, President of MoCA in a written statement. "The companies founding MoCA represent the commitment of industry leaders at each key level of the value chain to simultaneously distribute high quality digital video and broadband data throughout the home."

The founders of the new alliance include Cisco Systems, Comcast, EchoStar, Entropic Communications, Matsushita Electric (Panasonic), Motorola, RadioShack Corporation, and Toshiba.

According to a press release from MoCA, the key products will be those that use in-home coax without the need for new connections, wiring, point of entry devices or truck rolls. The first MoCA enabled products will reportedly be released within the next year.