World Wide Web Consortium Releases SMIL 2.1 as a W3C Recommendation
Multimedia Technology Ready for Mobile Devices
http://www.w3.org/ -- 13 December 2005: The World Wide Web Consortium announces the publication of Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language (SMIL 2.1) as a W3C Recommendation. Thanks to enhancements in SMIL 2.1, W3C is well on the way to making multimedia presentations on mobile devices a reality.
"Today with SMIL 2.1, W3C makes good on the promise of first class multimedia presentations for the mobile Web," explained Chris Lilley, Chair of W3C's Hypertext Coordination Group. "Many vendors have already voiced their support for SMIL 2.1, in addition to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project. "
SMIL Already Adopted by 3G Mobile Vendors
The new features of SMIL 2.1 are the result of strong coordination between associations of users and the Synchronized Multimedia (SYMM) Working Group. Building on the experience of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) deploying SMIL 2.0 on mobile devices, the SYMM Working Group has standardized the SMIL 2.1 Mobile Profile. The SMIL 2.1 Extended Mobile Profile has been defined to include all modules of the 3GPP2 "SMIL Language Profile, revision A" and some additional modules of SMIL 2.1. W3C looks forward to continued work with 3GPP2 to converge on a single profile in order to promote the interoperability of technologies such as the Multimedia Messaging System (MMS).
SMIL 2.1 Modularization Facilitates Profiling, Reuse, and Implementation
SMIL (pronounced "smile") is an XML application that enables simple authoring of interactive audiovisual presentations. SMIL 2.1 has been redesigned as a series of composable modules based on the framework provided by the W3C Recommendation Modularization of XHTML. A "profile" of SMIL 2.1 is a set of modules. The SMIL 2.1 Recommendation defines three new profiles, useful for a broad range of applications: SMIL 2.1 Language Profile, SMIL 2.1 Mobile Profile, and SMIL 2.1 Extended Mobile Profile. The Mobile and Extended Mobile Profiles have been created to match the capabilities of a wide range of mobile devices, with animation and enhanced layout and timing features being the primary additions to the Extended Mobile Profile.
SMIL 2.1 also explains how to define additional profiles. Dividing features into modules makes it easier for markup language designers and implementers to incorporate those features into new markup languages in a consistent and effective manner.
SMIL 2.1 Makes Authoring Easier, Enhances Transition and Layout Features
SMIL 2.1 augments the toolbox of the multimedia presentation designer, including full-screen transitions, enhanced visual layout capabilities such as background image tiling, and enhanced audio layout capabilities, including fade-in and fade-out.
The new Recommendation also allows authors to predefine sets of parameters that may be referenced multiple times in a presentation, and across presentations. This reuse not only makes it easier to author and maintain content, it also reduces the size of SMIL presentations, another factor that can improve performance on mobile devices.
About the World Wide Web Consortium [W3C]
The W3C was created to lead the Web to its full potential by developing common protocols that promote its evolution and ensure its interoperability. It is an international industry consortium jointly run by the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (MIT CSAIL) in the USA, the European Research Consortium for Informatics and Mathematics (ERCIM) headquartered in France and Keio University in Japan. Services provided by the Consortium include: a repository of information about the World Wide Web for developers and users, and various prototype and sample applications to demonstrate use of new technology. Over 400 organizations are Members of the Consortium. For more information see http://www.w3.org/
- Contact Americas, Australia --
- Janet Daly, <janet@w3.org>, +1.617.253.5884 or +1.617.253.2613
- Contact Europe, Africa and the Middle East-
- Marie-Claire Forgue, <mcf@w3.org>, +33.492.38.75.94
- Contact Asia --
- Yasuyuki Hirakawa <chibao@w3.org>, +81.466.49.1170
Testimonials for SMIL 2.1 Recommendation
In English: ACCESS Co., Ltd. | CWI | INRIA | KDDI R&D Laboratories Incorporated | NRCD Research Institute
日本語: 株式会社ACCESS | 株式会社KDDI研究所
ACCESS Co., Ltd.
As a co-editor of the SMIL 2.1 specification, ACCESS is very pleased that SMIL 2.1 has been successfully reviewed. ACCESS has long been an active supporter of open Internet standards, and we will continue to contribute to leading global standards organizations like W3C to ensure the development of future open standards. SMIL is an excellent mobile multimedia technology that enables exciting new mobile services. Certainly for 3G the combination of SMIL 2.1 and full Internet browsing will play a key role in delivering advanced, media-rich mobile services. ACCESS has already shipped its own NetFront SMIL Player to more than 10 million mobile phones and we plan to fully support SMIL 2.1.
— Dr. Tomihisa Kamada, CTO & Executive VP, ACCESS Co., Ltd.CWI
CWI is proud to have contributed to SMIL 2.1. We see the development of the new Mobile and Extended Mobile SMIL profiles as being a tangible answer to the growing need to align media integration with the capabilities of modern mobile delivery platforms. We are also pleased to see the layout and parameter-passing mechanisms of SMIL 2.1 standardized in a constructive way: this should help the development of inter-operable media CODECS on a wide range of target devices. CWI's multi-platform implementation of the new features and profiles of SMIL 2.1 in the Ambulant Player (see: ambulantPlayer.org) have demonstrated the viability of the new specification.
— Dr. Dick Bulterman, Head Convergent Media Infrastructures, Centrum voor Wiskunde en Informatica (CWI)INRIA
INRIA welcomes the release of SMIL 2.1 as a W3C Recommendation. Multimedia and telecommunications are high priority application domains among research directions at INRIA. With this new version, we believe that SMIL 2.1 will have a greater impact on mobile multimedia applications such as multimedia messaging and mobile streaming services. In particular, the new features will allow SMIL 2.1 to target a wider range of Web clients with different capabilities. INRIA is proud of its contribution to SMIL 2.1 as an open standard that will enable new interoperable applications for the Web and the mobile world.
— Gérard Giraudon, Head of Development and Industrial Partnership Department, INRIAKDDI
KDDI, as a member of the W3C Synchronized Multimedia working group, is pleased to see that the SMIL 2.1 specification has been approved as a W3C Recommendation. Our world-leading 3G mobile content delivery service "EZ Channel" based on SMIL 2.0 Basic is now increasingly fascinating our customers. The newly created SMIL 2.1 Mobile profiles can significantly enrich mobile multimedia contents and provide powerful interactivity on mobile devices. We expect that the SMIL 2.1 will become one of the key technologies in the 3G mobile applications.
— Yasuyuki Nakajima, Executive Director, KDDI R&D Laboratories IncorporatedNRCD Research Institute
National Rehabilitation Center for Persons with Disabilities Research Institute is very pleased that SMIL 2.1 has been approved as W3C Recommendation because of its excellent accessibility features:
- Modularity and profiles provide a wide array of tools to address the diverse needs of persons with disabilities.
- Full accessibility and internationalization of all modules ensure that SMIL presentations can reach anyone and bring them any kind of content for working, learning, or emergency.
- The introduction of the new mobile profiles will help bringing accessible multimedia content to persons with disabilities using mobile devices.
>株式会社ACCESS
SMIL 2.1 仕様の co-editor として、ACCESS は SMIL 2.1 が W3C 勧告として標準化されたことを大変嬉しく思います。ACCESS は以前からインターネット標準規格化へ取り組んでまいりましたが、今後も将来のオープンスタンダードの開発を推進する W3C のような代表的な標準化団体に向けて、国際標準化に一層貢献を続けてまいります。SMIL は画期的な新しいモバイルサービスを実現するマルチメディアテクノロジです。3G において、SMIL 2.1 とフルインターネットブラウジングの連携は、先進的でリッチメディアなモバイルサービスを提供する際に確実に重要な役割を果たすでしょう。ACCESS は既に同社の NetFront SMIL Player を1000万台以上の携帯電話に出荷しており、今後 SMIL 2.1 をサポートしてまいります。
— 株式会社ACCESS 取締役副社長 兼 最高技術責任者 鎌田 富久
株式会社KDDI研究所
KDDI株式会社は、W3C Synchronized Multimedia 作業グループのメンバーとして、SMIL 2.1 仕様が W3C 勧告として公開されたことを心より歓迎します。当社は世界に先駆け、SMIL 2.0 Basic プロファイルを基本とした第3世代携帯電話向けのコンテンツ配信サービス「EZチャンネル」を提供し、好評を博しています。SMIL 2.1 で新しく規定された携帯端末向けプロファイルは、モバイルマルチメディアコンテンツの表現力を大幅に向上させると共に、携帯端末上での強力な対話性を提供します。我々は、SMIL 2.1 が第3世代携帯電話アプリケーションでの重要な要素技術の一つとなることを期待しています。
— 株式会社KDDI研究所 執行役員 中島 康之