News - Intel announces super-fast optical cable interface

[HEXUS]

?Light Peak,? is a new CE interface being unveiled at IDF today. Its aim is to eliminate the limitations associated with copper and which could potentially reach 100Gbit/s over 100 metres

Read more.

[Funkstar]

It's a great idea, but can they also leave us with USB as well?

Why?

Well I don't want to have batteries in my cabled mouse or keyboard. I also can't charge my phone over an optical connection, but I can with USB. 5v and 500mA+ is pretty much a standard for loads of things now.

[Lanky123]

I see no reason why you couldn't have a powered version of Light Peak. Just have a copper cable to carry power and the optical for the signal, all housed in the same plastic sheath. The cable could still be as long as needed within reason since the copper wouldn't actually be carrying a signal.

[ChuvelxD]

It's a great idea, but can they also leave us with USB as well?

Why?

Well I don't want to have batteries in my cabled mouse or keyboard. I also can't charge my phone over an optical connection, but I can with USB. 5v and 500mA+ is pretty much a standard for loads of things now.

Let them devolop the technology before you doubt it will ya?

[PatK]

Wow, I didn't know USB 3 was only limited to 3 meter cable lengths. That kinda puts a damper on it being used for any sort of high definition video transfer over anything but the shortest distances.

This Optical Cable sounds good, but with USB 3 devices still probably a couple of years off from becoming mainstream, I doubt we'd see it any time soon, even if they did get it out of the door as early as 2010. I also wonder if the "low cost" still wouldn't be more than ordinary copper cables..

[MSIC]

Sounds like a great idea, but i'd only buy Monster optical cable with extra shielding.

[Will404]

Sounds like a great idea, but i'd only buy Monster optical cable with extra shielding.

They had better have a gold plated version of this too. Would not like to loose any of the signal through a standard OPTICAL connection

[laywill]

I would like to make an observation:

1. Audio carried using optical SPIDIF has one of the highest audio qualities becasue you can shove data down those optical fibres at a very high density.
2. If man can run optical cables across the Atlantic to carry the Internet, then surely a cable long enough to connect my printer can be arranged
3. One does not require SPIDIF cables to eb excessively shielded, so i see no reason why a USB type replacement could not be made using optical fibres, with a 5Volt copper line running with it.

Overall, I think it is a step in the right direction which cannot happen soon enough.

[scaryjim]

... i see no reason why a USB type replacement could not be made using optical fibres, with a 5Volt copper line running with it ...

Possibly, but that would kind of defeat the object of this being a "one interface fits all" solution... unless we can make every peripherial run off a 5v supply and do away with the need for supplementary power cables as well (now that would be progress)

Frankly, speaking as someone who grew up in the 80s, connecting everything in my house using fibre optics would be *cool*, but no more than I'd expect. I grew up being told how fibre optics were this amazing unlimited technology that was going to replace everything and was so much better than copper cables, and 25 years later I live close to the centre of a large city and don't even have fibre optic connections to my *street*, let alone my house. So in that respect I can't help thinking this has to be a good thing.

On the other hand, the concept of every single peripheral device in the world using a proprietary Intel-designed connection leaves me cold. And let's be honest, Intel are not going likely to give this bit of IP away free gratis, are they...

[Funkstar]

I see no reason why you couldn't have a powered version of Light Peak. Just have a copper cable to carry power and the optical for the signal, all housed in the same plastic sheath. The cable could still be as long as needed within reason since the copper wouldn't actually be carrying a signal.

Adding power would limit the cable length to about 30-40 meters due to DC power loss.

Although I like the idea of a single cable, I think the closest we will get a a single cable system. There you have optional power rails in the cable, perhaps even 12v as well as 5v.

I agree with scaryjim though, it would be cool

[aidanjt]

Sounds like a great idea, but i'd only buy Monster optical cable with extra shielding.

Just make sure it's tripped shielded, otherwise the picture will suck!!!!11!1

[burberryjam]

On the one hand I love all these new ideas being thrown around, as it means my bargain bucket deals get cheaper. But then again, at some point im going to want that new shiny thing and i'll have to either wait a decade or haemmorage some cash to get it...
But I like this idea. Not too sure how many non-industrial benefits you would get from a 100m wire tho.

[Funkstar]

Not too sure how many non-industrial benefits you would get from a 100m wire tho.

At least with a 100m limit, in the home environment you don't have to worry about the length of the cable at all. Like with Ethernet. I'm never going to hit 100m in my house, so the length of cable is never a concern. USB's 5m is a pain in the neck at times, especially when you have a printer some way from the PC and want the cable snaked round the room neatly. I had to get a powered USB extension (draws power from the USB port) to get a printer hooked up to my bosses PC without the cable being in the way.

[Syllopsium]

At least with a 100m limit, in the home environment you don't have to worry about the length of the cable at all. Like with Ethernet. I'm never going to hit 100m in my house, so the length of cable is never a concern. USB's 5m is a pain in the neck at times, especially when you have a printer some way from the PC and want the cable snaked round the room neatly. I had to get a powered USB extension (draws power from the USB port) to get a printer hooked up to my bosses PC without the cable being in the way.

You're not using the appropriate solution there, though. If your printer needs to run over long distances use Ethernet or wireless. Hell, if speed isn't that important and you can live with up to 2Mb, parallel cables will run at up to 10m. 5m is frankly a huge distance for a low cost, very fast serial bus. Even SAS is limited to 8m. If you want more than 5m you can daisy chain hubs or use powered USB extensions (basically a passive hub and a cable, combined) as you say.

Technically USB 2 and 3 don't have a cable length limit, as such, but they do have timing requirements that equate to 5m/3m cables unless fancy trickery is pulled.

PK

[Funkstar]

You're not using the appropriate solution there, though. If your printer needs to run over long distances use Ethernet or wireless. Hell, if speed isn't that important and you can live with up to 2Mb, parallel cables will run at up to 10m. 5m is frankly a huge distance for a low cost, very fast serial bus. Even SAS is limited to 8m. If you want more than 5m you can daisy chain hubs or use powered USB extensions (basically a passive hub and a cable, combined) as you say.

Technically USB 2 and 3 don't have a cable length limit, as such, but they do have timing requirements that equate to 5m/3m cables unless fancy trickery is pulled.

PK

It was the easiest, cheapest, and most convenient solution at the time. Effectively the powered extensions are just a powered hub with only one port at the end.