Entropic to sample MoCA 2.0 chips by June

SAN JOSE, Calif. – Entropic Communications, Inc. announced it sample before June its first chip sets to support version 2.0 of the Multimedia over Coax Association home standard. The chips will support data rates up to a Gbit/second using a turbo mode with channel bonding.

The MoCA 2.0 spec provides a base capability of up to 400 Mbits/s and was officially ratified in June. Entropic helped pioneer the MoCA technology, however, it said it does not expect to have the version 2.0 chips in full production until early 2012.

Carriers such as cable and satellite TV providers have started adopting MoCA for providing multi-room digital video recording features on their set-top boxes. They have been calling for at least two years for technology that can handle data rates up to a Gbit/s.

Backers of competing technologies have been working to respond to the demand. The first chips supporting the new ITU G.hn standard for wired home nets has a mode supporting Gbit/s and the HomePlug Powerline Alliance is working on an AV2 spec that aims at similar data rates.

Entropic faces competition, mainly from Broadcom which has been supporting MoCA 1.1 in its set-top box chip sets for at least a year. Broadcom typically does not announce chips until they are shipping.

A growing group of suppliers including Broadcom and Atheros are supporting hybrid home networking standards to reach all the devices and services in the digital home. For its part, Entropic has worked on reference designs using MoCA and Wi-Fi.

“Major U.S. service providers, from Verizon and Time Warner Cable to DirecTV, recognize the value MoCA 2.0 brings to the connected home entertainment market,” said Patrick Henry, chief executive of Entropic in a press statement.