Light Peak Technology ( Intel says Light Peak to Connect Consumer Devices at Record Speed )

HardOCP ^ | Wednesday September 23, 2009 | Steve

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Intel demonstrated a high-speed optical cable technology (will be able next year) that will connect computers, laptops, displays, televisions, SSDs and other consumer devices at 10Gb/s using optical fiber. How fast is 10Gb/s? According to this, you could transfer a full-length Blu-Ray movie in less than 30 seconds.

[antiRepublicrat]

Storage will catch up, it’ll just take a while. I remember when no hard drive could fill the bandwidth of Firewire.

[Terpfen]

And thus why Light Peak is not going to simply show up and take over everything in sight.

Aim elsewhere.

[Sawdring]

Great, I finished my basement with RG5.

[SandwicheGuy]

Light Peak isn't going to eliminate multiple cable standards.... the biggest bottleneck in computing is not transfer speeds ... but rather access time, especially on traditional magnetic platter HDDs.

Maybe you are right but I wouldn't bet on it. This looks to me like an on-ramp to the next level, promising both simplicity and speed. Who could resist? And as for access times, rotating memory's mechanical glory days are over. SSD Solid State Disks are coming on fast. I have seen 2 Terabyte disks, and 128G disks are less than $500... Capacity goes up, price goes down, and speeds increase. I can't wait!

[Terpfen]

Maybe you are right but I wouldn't bet on it.

I would. USB still hasn't fully supplanted serial ports. HDMI hasn't supplanted component on the TV set, nor DVI on the PC, and looks like it's getting locked out of the PC market via DisplayPort. Now you're telling me that Light Peak is going to instantly replace everything? No. It's great technology, but, no.

128G disks are less than $500...

When they hit $30, then we can rejoice.

[SandwicheGuy]

Like I said, you may be right but I would not put money on it. Let’s have this conversation a year from now. The reason I think this way is because of the speed of technology changes. Look at how flash memory replaced CD’s or USB replaced serial... It will be even faster with this technology. And yeah, I know, there are serial cables still in use but most people haven’t ever seen one. That is how fast we move now. By the way, you interested in a box of serial cables, I can make you a good price! lol

[SunkenCiv]

Interesting. An entire BluRay in 10 seconds? Sounds kinda pokey. ;’)

[SunkenCiv]

Whoops, and thanks Ernest!

[Terpfen]

Look at how flash memory replaced CD’s or USB replaced serial...

Are you writing this post from 2020? Flash has not replaced optical media, and USB has not replaced serial. Music still comes on CDs, movies still come on DVD and Blu-Ray. PCs still ship with PS/2 mouse and keyboard ports.

[TXnMA]

My research group and I (at a major manufacturer of process control systems and instruments) did a considerable amount of work -- specifically on powering remote instruments via optical power alone. (To deal with safety consideration in explosive atmospheres...)

While I was able to build microsensors that we successfully powered and sensed optically, we never did deliver any seriously usable power optically to do much of anything else.

Unless Light Peak includes some sizeable copper conductors in its cable, all it will be able to do is to transmit signal-level info...

[Ted]

Lightspeed = fiber = material handling challenges. Fiber can only bend so far before it is damaged.

Wonder how they will avoid damaged cables, etc? The video does not speak to that practical question.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

The movement is causing a lot of debri pile up,...I have a bunch!