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VIA Labs USB 3.0 Active Optical Cable Solution Demonstrated at CES 2012

btarunr

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VIA Labs, Inc., a leading supplier of USB 3.0 integrated chip controllers, announced the VIA Labs VO510 5-Gigabit Optical Transceiver which was showcased at CES 2012. The VIA Labs V0510 Optical Transceiver is used in USB 3.0 Active Optical Cables (AOC) which enables rapid data transfers and high-definition multimedia across distances of over 100 meters. Developed in collaboration with FOCI, PCL, OpTarget and UMEC, USB 3.0 AOC solutions offer exciting new possibilities in the use of USB 3.0 technology.

"This USB 3.0 AOC was designed to be fully compliant with SuperSpeed USB electrical specifications," said Dr. Janpu Hou, Vice President of FOCI. "We are very pleased to be a partner on this collaboration team. This partnership will accelerate the deployment of breakthrough USB 3.0 technologies and enable new applications for all USB 3.0 developers." As a partner of FOCI, Dr. Thomas Liu, President of PCL said "As the world leading optical transceiver ODM/CM company, PCL Technologies is excited to build and demonstrate the optical USB 3.0 cable in collaboration with VIA Labs and Foci. With the USB 3.0 AOCs providing higher data rates across much longer distances, we will enable usage scenarios in Digital Signage, Surveillance, and Zero Client applications."



"OpTarget works with leading system integrators, distributors, and OEMs in the development and delivery of Smart Digital Signage and Zero Client solutions for commercial, education, and industrial customers. With the ultra-thin profile and long reach of the new USB 3.0 AOC powered by VIA Labs' Optical Transceiver, we can now offer effective and low-cost solutions based on existing USB devices while providing an improved user experience, increased functionality, and greater system flexibility" said Mu Chen, President of OpTarget.

"The UMEC Thumb ONE USB 3.0 AOC can extend gigabit-speed USB 3.0 transmission distance up to 100m (330ft) with optical fibers. Since optical fibers carry light instead of electric impulses, they are highly resistant to electromagnetic interference and they do not radiate any of their own, making the USB 3.0 AOC an excellent solution for applications in Medical Imaging Equipment, Broadcast TV, and others where high-tolerance to interference is desirable" said K.T. Chao, Vice President of UMEC.

"We are very grateful to our partners, who worked closely with VIA Labs to bring the USB 3.0 AOC from concept to reality," said Jiin Lai, Chief Technical Officer, VIA Labs, Inc. "With the VO510 and our partner's AOC products at mass production readiness, we are looking to expand our coverage of other interconnects such as PCI Express."

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btarunr

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Thin clients over 5 Gbps USB 3.0 instead of Ethernet is mighty impressive.
 
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Thin clients over 5 Gbps USB 3.0 instead of Ethernet is mighty impressive.

I was thinking what's so special here... and you answered it. Bandwith over fiberoptic can be a lot higher with other protocols thought, right?
 

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I was thinking what's so special here... and you answered it. Bandwith over fiberoptic can be a lot higher with other protocols thought, right?

But OFC and 10 Gbps Ethernet are expensive.
 

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Sounds expensive and if they're basically setting up terminals for one machine, I think they should be creating a new standard that doesn't piggy back on USB. It needs to have infrastructure like TPC/IP, not USB. USB will run out of bandwidth fast.
 
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Sounds expensive and if they're basically setting up terminals for one machine, I think they should be creating a new standard that doesn't piggy back on USB. It needs to have infrastructure like TPC/IP, not USB. USB will run out of bandwidth fast.

The product is the cable itself, with an optical transciever built-in. The thin clients are just an example of it's use, any USB device should be able to be used* (I don't know if there are power lines in these cables, might need a powered hub on the other end for flash drives, etc).

Besides, performance should be fine given the situation: Four Multipoint users per USB 3.0 controller vs each user on 1Gb Ethernet and a switch. Seems like it would scale too - Use a couple RocketU 4-port USB 3.0 PCIe adapters and everyone has their own 5Gb link to the host.

Of course, gotta wait for the reviews and prices to make a judgement on it.
 
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