Although not everyone has fully adopted HTML5, the consensus is it will be the next generation Web platform used by the majority of Web browsers. Cable operators are also exploring the future by looking into changing to an all-IP system and slowly migrating away from legacy systems by using HTML5. This new transformation is going to change how users interact in their environment as well as the type of services the cable operators will be able to provide.

HTML5 still has some kinks to be worked out, but it addresses many issues for developers, especially for the finger touch experience of mobile devices. Although mobile devices are often used outside of the home, increasingly they are part of the home network and cable providers have to start offering services that take advantage of the capabilities of HTML5.

What HTML5 can deliver is better performance by using native features, Rich Internet Application (RIA) user experiences, and an increasingly trusted platform that is compatible over multiple browsers.

Cable operators are facing global competition from multiservice operators (MSOs) offering every imaginable form of entertainment. The full migration to cable IP will make it possible to provide linear and on-demand content to be delivered in IP mode. This will give consumers the option of viewing their content over broadband on the device of their choice. The full migration of IP will allow cable companies to:

• Provide more Web-based entertainment video, especially for younger demographics,
• Provide access to entertainment content anywhere and anytime on any device,
• Create premium content for free or low cost, and
• Compete with MSOs with new types of services.

According to ComScore 182 million US Internet users watched online video content for an average of 23.2 hours per month. The number has increased an average of more than 20 percent the last two years.

The migration towards IP systems is a complicated process that must be addressed by meeting short term and long term goals that take into consideration the type of technology that must be used to avoid service interruptions and stranded capital during the switch. IP systems have to take into consideration not only HTML5, but also the products of multiple vendors in order to compete in the marketplace.