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Netgear's MoCA coax-ethernet adapter kit now available, explained with bizarre cartoon

Netgear's coaxial-hijacking adapter kit MCAB1001 MoCA is now available. The pair of devices, which turns your cable outlets into a home networking solution with transfer speeds up to 270 Mbps, is retailing on the company's online shop for a penny under $190, and if you'd like to watch an infomercial on how it works, chock full of oddly-chosen metaphors and trippy visuals, we've got the perfect read link for you just below.

Read - Product page
Read - "MoCA in a Nutshell" video

Gennum's Aviia enables 1080p surveillance over coax


These days, it's just not enough to have a grainy, low quality loop of a crook robbing a convenience store. No one understands this better than Gennum, who has just introduced a new audio / video interface for professional and industrial applications (such as advanced video security and surveillance systems) that will enable 1080p transmissions over existing coaxial cables up to 100 meters long. The main selling point is this technology's ability to work over existing coax infrastructures, giving CCTV networks the ability to capture and distribute content at high resolutions without upgrading to CAT5 or the like. Big Brother just found a way to keep a much, much clearer eye on you -- better watch your steps, bub.

Netgear's Coax-Ethernet Adapter up for pre-order


Netgear quietly introduced us to its MCAB1001 MoCA Coax-Ethernet adapter (among other things) at CES this year, but the curiously useful device has just now set itself up for pre-ordering. Put simply, this is the device to get for those who both loathe wireless (and all those inexplicable dropouts) and can't pony up the courage / fundage / willpower to wire their home with Ethernet. By enabling users to extend Ethernet signals over existing in-wall coax cabling, you can easily pass along web content, Blu-ray / DVD material or practically any other digital signal over the coax network that's (hopefully) already established within your domicile's walls. Yeah, $229.99 is a bit pricey, but go price out a house full of Ethernet and then reevaluate.

[Thanks, Matt]

Broadcom produces MoCA-integrated SoC for HD STBs


Ready to sling recorded content around your home via the coaxial wiring in your home? Broadcom is. The outfit has just introduced the industry's first MoCA-integrated SoC solution for use in high-def set-top-boxes and gateway applications, which would theoretically "transform a subscriber's existing coax cable infrastructure into a whole-home media distribution network." If you still can't piece together the potential here, we're talking whole-home digital media distribution over one's existing coax network, and DLNA support is thrown in too. Who knows when your cable company will decide to adopt an STB with this within, but tomorrow would be good.

VUDU certifies MoCA Ethernet-to-coax bridge for HD streaming


Hard to say how much of an impact this will have -- after all, VUDU's already expressed its love for wire-free applications -- but the aforesaid movie set-top-box company has certified MoCA as a wired home networking solution for HD streaming. We get the impression that users looking to pipe VUDU content through their existing in-wall coaxial network can just pickup a MoCA Ethernet-to-Coax bridge, but as always, YMMV.

DLNA gives thumbs-up to MoCA standard for new guidelines


You know that DLNA support that your media streamer has, which currently only supports WiFi and Ethernet as approved LAN standards? Yeah? Well MoCA is about to join in. Yep, the Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) has given the green light to the Multimedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA) technology standard for "incorporation into the next version of its Networked Interoperability Guidelines," which should be out in early 2009. The guidelines will aim to "unite various consumer electronics, personal computer and mobile device technologies into a cohesive home networking environment," and being that MoCA is an open initiative intended to distribute multimedia over a home's existing coaxial network, it's a wonder the two haven't linked up earlier. Who says coax is dying?

HANA Entertainment Box looks to pass along HD content over coax

Coaxial cabling has long since been viewed as a premiere option for passing along high-def content within the home. After all, in most places it's already neatly installed within the walls. The High-Definition Audio-Video Network Alliance (HANA) has announced its intentions to release a HANA Entertainment Box reference design based on the new (UWB-based) 1394 Over Coax standard; products based on said design will enable consumers to "download HD content from any broadband connection or HD cable set-top-box and watch it in any room in their home with a coax jack and a remote control." HANA is hoping to have the reference design and initial prototypes out the door in Q4, though we wouldn't hold our breath.

Federal court ratifies Pulse~LINK UWB patents in Tzero case


At long last, it seems the legal spat between Pulse~LINK and Tzero has come to an end. Federal courts have ratified the former company's patents in a UWB-over-coax patent infringement case against Tzero, affirming that Tzero will now have to pay licensing fees to use Pulse~LINK's technology. In the settlement, it was noted that Tzero had "suspended development of products that were the subject of the legal action," and if it chose to re-introduce any of those wares, it would first cut a check to Pulse~LINK. Time to hug it out? Nah, we thought not.

Ethereal's HDMI/COAX extends 1440p up to 300-feet

Ethereal HDMI/COAX converterHDMI has taken over in the living room, but custom installers still keep component video in their bag of tricks, especially for long runs (HDMI repeaters notwithstanding). There's plenty of bandwidth in coaxial, and longer runs are possible -- witness the Ethereal HDMI/COAX box that converts your HDMI input to signal on 4-conductor coax, and then carries the signal up to 300-feet downstream to an identical box that stuff all the bits back into HDMI. These HDMI-over-coax solutions are just the thing if you've already got coax running through your walls, you don't want to introduce any unnecessary digital-to-analog conversions into your data chain, and you've put your source components far away from their destination. No word on pricing, but you should be able to get your mitts on these in about 4 months.

Gefen, Pulse~LINK team up for HDMI Over Coax Extender

Quite frankly, we're being bombarded with ways to pass HDMI around the house -- and we absolutely love it. This go 'round, we've got Gefen teaming up with Pulse~LINK -- which is also partnering with Westinghouse on a wireless HDTV -- to create the HDMI Over Coax Extender. While details are still scant, the two firms are claiming that the aforementioned device will finally enable consumers to stream HDMI sources over in-house coax, nixing the need to run all new wires throughout your abode. As expected, the duo will be showcasing the technology at CES, and it will reportedly be capable of delivering "high quality, visually lossless video along with multi-channel digital audio" simultaneously. Hopefully we'll get an actual look at the April-bound unit when next week rolls around.

Tributaries coax / Toslink converter

Tributaries coax/Toslink converterWouldn't you know it -- just as we bemoan the lack of a coaxial digital output on the Toshiba HD-A30, a device to address that gripe comes along. Tributaries has introduced its AC100 coax/Toslink converter to keep the digital audio bits flowing over either format for times when you either get caught short on cabling or (worse yet) you've run out of appropriate inputs/outputs. Operation of the 2-inch square box is easy enough: plug in the wall-wart, plug in your cables and set the switch for conversion direction. The unit will pass along PCM, Dolby Digital and DTS; so if you're relying on coax or Toslink for audio (no DD+, TrueHD, DTS-HD or DTS-MA) you're covered. The MSRP of $50 is worth the price of a headache saved, if you ask us. While you can get no-name boxes that do the same thing for less, we're hoping the installer market the AC100 is meant for will get treated to higher quality components.

Tzero's WiMedia-based ZeroWire uses UWB for HD streaming

While Tzero has been at the forefront of ultra wideband technology for some time, the firm is upping the stakes even higher with its WiMedia-based TZC7200 ZeroWire chipset. The UWB semiconductor solution was designed to deliver "real-time high-definition video" either wirelessly or over cabling, and can even open new doors for "distributing entertainment content throughout the entire home using existing coax." Reportedly, this device can pipe multiple streams of HD video through your average cable network at the tune of 480Mbps, and it boasts application integration including IP, UDP, TCP/IP, multicast, and unicast. Notably, ZeroWire is "comprised of both a Radio Frequency IC (RFIC) as well as a baseband and media access control system-on-chip," and while the chipset is listed is being available immediately, you'll need to contact Tzero yourself to fetch the pricing details.




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