MOST (Media Oriented System Transport) is creeping into high-end autos to deliver high-performance multimedia to passengers. The MOST150 standard pushes bandwidth to 150 Mbits/s and adds an IP channel to the mix that can carry Ethernet 100BaseT traffic. It also doubles the MOST bandwidth to 50 Mbits/s compared to MOST25 (see figure).
MOST addresses fixed-bandwidth applications such as streaming audio and video. Though MOST is slower than the Ethernet channel, its quality of service (QoS) is guaranteed. The addition of an Ethernet channel allows a single MOST Polymer Optical Fiber (POF) network to support wired and wireless peripherals attached to the network. IP-based Ethernet traffic is independent and cannot interfere with the MOST channels.
The OS81110 INIC incorporates SMSC's Cougar microcontroller to provide a more intelligent MOST controller. Pricing for the OS81110 INIC is less than $5.
SMSC www.smsc.com