THE WHATIS.COM WORD-OF-THE-DAY July 2, 2001 HAVi ______________ TODAY'S SPONSOR: Postmaster Direct GET THE INFO YOU WANT TODAY What do YOU want in your e-mailbox? How about FREE info and offers about computers, networking, wireless devices, finance and lots more? Choose the topics that interest you, and you'll get the e-mail you want. Visit http://whatis.techtarget.com/postmasterDirect/ _____________ QUIZ #8: Database Basics What do you call a database that has billions of table rows? Take this week's quiz about how data is organized and discover the mysterious world of database management. We're betting you know more than you think you do! http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,289893,sid9_gci750695,00.html _____________ TODAY'S WORD: HAVi See our definition with hyperlinks at http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,289893,sid9_gci748239,00.html HAVi is a standard, developed by several leading electronics and computer manufacturers, that allows a number of different home-entertainment and communication devices to operate from a single controller device such as your TV set. The specification uses IEEE 1394 (FireWire or i.LINK) as the interconnection medium. With a HAVi-based system, users of home appliances will be able to add new devices without going through complicated installation processes or wading through arcane instruction manuals or help files. Personal computers may be part of a HAVi-based home system, but it will not be necessary for such a system to function. Here are some examples of how a HAVi system might work: ¸You are watching a show on television, and a phone call comes in. You have programmed the television set to automatically mute, so you can carry on the phone conversation without distraction. If you wish, you can carry on the conversation in video-phone mode, and use the television screen as the display. ¸Someone rings the buzzer at your front door. You walk over to a wall-based video intercom unit that is playing the five o'clock television news. The screen is switched to a video camera located over the front door so you can see who is there. The audio switches from the television show to a two-way link with the front door. ¸You are watching an educational television show, and a scientist uses a word that you do not recognize. You speak the word into a microphone, and an Internet-based dictionary, complete with speech recognition, looks the word up and displays the meaning(s) in the corner of the screen or announces the definition(s) in a synthesized voice. The HAVi specification will be easy to upgrade. As is the case with popular Web browsers today, updates will be available for downloading from the Internet. You might even program the system to automatically download the updates as they become available. HAVi will be operational across devices from all participating manufacturers. Users will be able to choose their own favorite hardware brands. The video disk recorder (VDR), television set, telephone, home video intercom system, computer (if wanted), and telephone set (with or without video) might all be manufactured by different companies, but they will function seamlessly in the HAVi-based network. When a new device, such as a printer/scanner/fax machine, is installed, the system will configure itself to accommodate it. Somewhat similar standards for interconnecting devices include Home API (HAPI), Jini, Open Services Gateway Initiative (OSGi), Universal PlugnPlay, and Vesa Home Network. HAVi and Vesa are specifically aimed at the home entertainment environment. The other standards are aimed at remote interconnection and make use of Internet protocols. RELATED TERMS: IEEE 1394 http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,289893,sid9_gci748584,00.html FireWire http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,289893,sid9_gci212126,00.html i.LINK http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,289893,sid9_gci749630,00.html Jini http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,289893,sid9_gci212422,00.html ___________________ S E L E C T E D L I N K S [1] The Havi Organization provides a brief introduction. http://www.havi.org/about/index.html [2] The Computer and Information Sciences Department at Ohio State University provides an online slide lecture about HAVi. http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/siefast/group/presentations/havi-kumar-2001/havi_files/frame.htm _______________________ TECHTARGET FEATURE Win2000 Network Infrastructure: Configuring Network Protocols FREE TRAINING COURSE! This course introduces you to some commonly used network protocols. You will learn to install and configure TCP/IP, NWLink, and Network Binding. 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