Industry Creates HomeGrid(TM) Forum to Develop Technology for Enjoying Multimedia Anywhere in the Home

BEAVERTON, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Infineon Technologies, Intel Corporation, Panasonic and Texas Instruments today announced the creation of HomeGrid Forum, which aims to promote and influence a single, next-generation worldwide standard for networking digital content, such as movies, music and pictures, over home wiring.

The forum will be a companion to ITU-T G.hn working group, supporting the interests of service providers, consumer electronics manufacturers, PC OEMs and other networking companies to create a single MAC and PHY protocol for transporting multimedia across a home's existing wiring to include coaxial cable, power lines and phone lines. HomeGrid Forum is contributing next-generation technology requirements to ITU-T G.hn, quickly developing consensus around one worldwide standard. ITU-T is the standardization sector providing global telecommunication standards in the International Telecommunication Union.

"HomeGrid Forum was created to support the development of a single standard for transmitting multimedia over coax, power and phone lines," said Matthew Theall, president of HomeGrid Forum. "The forum will promote HomeGrid-certified products and ensure interoperability."

"A single, unified technology for multimedia networks over power lines, coaxial cable, and phone lines has the potential to enable a simple, easy-to-use means of networking devices together in the home," said Kurt Scherf, analyst with market analyst firm Parks Associates. "We believe today's announcement is an important step towards eliminating fragmentation in the industry, and achieving the vision of a networked home."

Three work groups have been established - an ITU-T G.hn contribution work group, a compliance and interoperability work group to ensure that any product with a HomeGrid logo will work reliably in customers' homes, and a marketing work group to promote HomeGrid-certified products worldwide.

"EchoStar is eager to see HomeGrid Forum accomplish its goals. One standard to transfer HD video over a home's cable or power lines will make installations much easier for service providers," explained Michael Hawkey, vice president of sales, EchoStar.

HomeGrid Forum has 11 founding members. Infineon, Intel, Panasonic and Texas Instruments will serve on the board of directors. Aware Inc. (Nasdaq:AWRE), DS2, Gigle Semiconductor and Pulse-LINK will serve as promoters; and Ikanos Communications, Inc., Sigma Designs and Westell will serve as contributors.

HomeGrid Forum is recruiting additional members from leading silicon providers, service providers, CE companies, PC companies and others. To join, please visit www.HomeGridForum.org/join.

About Infineon

Infineon Technologies AG, Neubiberg, Germany, offers semiconductor and system solutions addressing three central challenges to modern society: energy efficiency, communications, and security. In the 2007 fiscal year (ending September), the company reported sales of Euro 7.7 billion (including Qimonda sales of Euro 3.6 billion) with approximately 43,000 employees worldwide (including approximately 13,500 Qimonda employees). With a global presence, Infineon operates through its subsidiaries in the U.S. from Milpitas, Calif., in the Asia-Pacific region from Singapore, and in Japan from Tokyo. Infineon is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and on the New York Stock Exchange (ticker symbol: IFX).

About Intel

Intel, the world leader in silicon innovation, develops technologies, products and initiatives to continually advance how people work and live. Additional information about Intel is available at www.intel.com/pressroom and blogs.intel.com.

About Panasonic

Best known for its Panasonic brand name, Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. is a worldwide leader in the development and manufacture of electronic products for a wide range of consumer, business, and industrial needs. Based in Osaka, Japan, the company recorded consolidated net sales of US$77.19 billion for the year ended March 31, 2007. The company's shares are listed on the Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and New York (NYSE:MC) stock exchanges. For more information on the company and the Panasonic brand, visit the company's Web site at http://panasonic.net/.

About Texas Instruments

Texas Instruments (NYSE:TXN) helps customers solve problems and develop new electronics that make the world smarter, healthier, safer, greener and more fun. A global semiconductor company, TI innovates through manufacturing, design and sales operations in more than 25 countries. For more information, go to http://www.ti.com.

    EDITORS NOTE: Quote sheet follows release

    HOMEGRID FORUM QUOTE SHEET

"HomeGrid will enable a true standardized approach for sharing multimedia in the wired home worldwide," said Christian Wolff, senior vice president and general manager of Broadband Access, Infineon Technologies AG. "HomeGrid products will allow consumers to 'plug-and-play' various consumer products without worrying about interoperability and interface issues that they currently face. The standard promoted by HomeGrid and developed by ITU-T can enable a true digital home."

"One of the industry's greatest opportunities is to define a next-generation home networking technology that can run on any wire, in any home, anywhere in the world," said Brendan Traw, chief technology officer of Intel's Digital Home Group. "The growing number of products being networked in the home means that the technologies need to be compatible. With HomeGrid Forum, manufacturers and service providers will have a standard method to use house wiring to connect their products."

"Texas Instruments is dedicated to helping its customers develop innovative products and services to connect people across the globe," said Dennis Rauschmayer, Texas Instruments Digital Connected Home general manager. "We support the goal of HomeGrid Forum to establish a single wired home networking standard that satisfies the need for unified connectivity of multimedia such as video, music and file management within the home."

Intel and the Intel logo are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the United States and other countries.

-- Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.

Source: Intel Corporation

Released Apr 29, 2008 • 8:00 AM EDT