Another newcomer has now entered the market, but with all the necessary licenses and agreements in place to stream live broadcast content to subscribers with Roku and WD Live set top boxes.  The service, called Skitter, costs about $15 per month and touts a converged video experience combining internet TV services, live/linear television, and local content all over a broadband internet connection.

Skitter has initially rolled out in Portland, Oregon and it has plans to enter five other markets in 2012.  So I haven’t been able to test the service out, only learn about it through other articles and the companies web site.  I am anxious to learn more about it because I believe that the company that cracks the model to offer consumers a quality over-the-top solution with sufficient choice of live and on demand programming on devices such as Roku and gaming platforms such as the Xbox can mount a real challenge to the cable industry.

We are a culture of convergence meaning that eventually different devices, inventions, and needs can be combined into a single, utilitarian tool in the interest of convenience, efficiency and sometimes cost.  The classic Swiss Army knife is an older example and one of my all-time favorites is the spork.

In the digital age, I see lots of other potential points of convergence.  The one I have my eye most closely on lately is broadband internet connectivity.  That may seem a little abstract, but think about it.  Most homes these days have a broadband internet connection from a provider like Comcast, Verizon, Cox, Time Warner or Charter.  Each person in the household also likely has a mobile phone with some kind of data package.  So each person with a phone has their own data plan plus carrying a household internet connection.

There have been incredible advances in wireless broadband technology (4G and LTE) to the point that mobile download speeds are, on some networks, faster than household cable modems.  Now granted, putting household bandwidth needs onto LTE networks currently doesn’t seem to be sustainable, but it doesn’t seem far off to me, especially with “white spaces” WiFi coming into the picture.

With the move from analog to digital broadcasting for over-the-air television, the spectrum that analog used has been freed up.  The FCC has allowed testing of long-range or extended WiFi over this spectrum in Wilmington, North Carolina.  Manufacturers are also already producing new chips with very low power consumption and the ability to switch between networks.  Clearly the wireless companies will have a leg up and more motivation on acquiring this spectrum when it becomes available because they can quickly benefit from alleviating stress on their 4G and LTE networks.

Longer term, this makes for an interesting capability when we think of convergence.  I contend that consumers will ultimately opt for a single point of access to the Internet.  Why pay for multiple plans if a plan can meet your needs inside and outside of the home.  You can take your access anywhere with you for your mobile needs but use the same bandwidth in the home for videos, gaming, shopping, social networking, etc.  The internet will be everywhere for consumers, like “air”, with no confusion or restrictions.  I believe the mobile companies are going to be the benefactors of this, not cable providers who might be, in the long run, sitting on out-of-date wired infrastructure as far as delivery of broadband.

Couple a consistent, same network internet connection with the cloud and consumers will have a seamless, networked experience across devices.  Content will be at people’s fingertips without the need for different apps depending on device and connection inside or outside of the home.

At Empathy Lab, we have been working on UltraViolet for several years prior to its release and the end of 2011 is definitely a learning period.  2012 will reveal more adoption of the technology and the kinks with an effort so large and complicated with over 100 partners will be worked out.

The industry should be applauded for tackling the problem of ownership of rights to content across platform.  It’s still too soon to proclaim iTunes the winner over UltraViolet…  and let’s not forget, iTumes is a closed platform.