The UltraViolet multiscreen TV standard was unveiled this summer and, if it can be executed correctly, it will almost certainly change the model for IPTV and cable, as surely as video-on-demand and TiVO have already done. But as always, the devil lies in the details.
UltraViolet is the brainchild of the Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem (DECE), which is made up of a raft of heavy hitters in the TV space, including carriers like BT plc, Comcast Corp., Cox Communications and Liberty Global. Other members include Adobe, Alcatel-Lucent, Cisco Systems Inc., HP, Huawei and IBM, gadget-makers like LG and Nokia and content providers like Fox Entertainment and NBC Universal. The bright idea behind UltraViolet, so to speak, is to allow consumers to purchase programming via television providers, DVD and Blu-ray outlets like Best Buy, online retailers and mobile applications stores, have it be housed in a free UltraViolet digital locker account in the cloud and be able to access it from any UltraViolet-compatible device from various manufacturers, be it a television, gaming console, mobile or IP-connected device. The scheme would cover user authentication to access on-demand subscription programming from service providers as well. Call it extreme time- and place-shifting.
“Our goal is to firmly establish UltraViolet as the symbol for digital entertainment — one that gives consumers the freedom of access wherever they are, the confidence of knowing how it will work and the broadest choice of content, stores and devices," said Mitch Singer, DECE president and CTO of Sony Pictures Entertainment.
In other words, UltraViolet could – and probably would – change the way that consumers acquire, manage and view their favorite movies and other video content. It would also eliminate much of the illegal file-sharing that goes on today — an activity often borne out of frustration surrounding fragmented DRM schemes. One can buy a movie for one platform, but getting it to play on a second one – say, a mobile device – becomes a technological hoop-jumping exercise. Or, it requires a second (paid-for) download to be compatible with a secondary platform. UltraViolet would eliminate those barriers, enabling a “pay once, play everywhere" environment. And, it would give consumers a centralized account management functionality.
And that is why the initiative has been dubbed UltraViolet. Because “it’s outside the visible spectrum, but it’s all around you and it’s ubiquitous," Singer told Yahoo News.
