power-line networking: the next generation

Looks like Powerline is going to be better way to distribute Multimedia around the home than Wi-Fi. See excerpts from recent news article below.

The long-awaited HomePlug AV specification for superfast networking through conventional electrical wiring in homes and small offices has been ratified, paving the way for products as early as next spring.

Technically speaking, Gaw says, HomePlug AV "offers a real alternative" to other networking technologies--such as coaxial cables used for cable TV, Wi-Fi, and ethernet--that are lining up to serve the still-nascent market for networks that can distribute multimedia in the home.

And HomePlug AV isn't too late to the party, Gaw says. While Wi-Fi has more or less triumphed as the networking technology for Internet sharing, "when it comes to more advanced applications, like sending video or audio over a home network, it's still very early in the game."

Melder, however, argues that HomePlug AV has significant advantages over its competitors, and that Wi-Fi's current dominance in home networking will crumble once people realize its limitations for multimedia, most notably its issues with moving media streams smoothly.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/pcworld/122267;_ylt=Ag05eanYdK5B0fC6d6gLvhTDr7sF;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl