Sigma Designs has announced that it is the first company to deliver MIMO (multiple input, multiple output) over powerline communications chipsets. Adding MIMO functionality will deliver up to twice the performance of existing power line solutions when used in conjunction with the new ITU standard, G.hn, claims the company. MIMO can use all three wires, phase, neutral and ground, in a power outlet to improve power line performance. As a result, more channels of communications can be opened for higher throughput, robust performance and immunity to noise. The company claims that the MIMO technology enables the chipsets to work better with surge protectors and across multiple phases for mass deployment. It will allow chipsets to deliver multiple HD video streams to over 99% of the power outlets worldwide and to simplify the installation process and reduce costs. The last two are cited as impediments to IPTV deployment. The company believes that MIMO technology will promote IPTV deployment faster than the 30% predicted by the industry by making the G.hn powerline communication a standard networking technology embedded into consumer electronics devices, gateways and set top boxes. The technology complies with the G.hn recommendations ratified in June 2010. G.hn will deliver up to 1Gbit/s of data communications and is expected to deliver up to 800Mbut/s of effective throughput.
