TV Workshop Mar 2014/Next steps

From Web and TV IG

Please enter ideas for issues and next steps to be discussed in the closing session.

Session 2

Bryan Sullivan (AT&T): Regarding HbbTV testing, most of the goals are shared with W3C. But W3C is contribution-driven which doesn't give it as much room to be exact. People pay HbbTV to provide tests which W3C doesn't have, but W3C should take good practices from HbbTV and discuss/follow-up on that. To progress this, AT&T will provide resources to help the Web & TV IG to take the next steps on its earlier testing requirements, by helping to organize TTWF actions on the tests for those requirements. This will include reaching out to HbbTV and the other SDOs doing TV/device certification, to incorporate their best practices for test development. As part of this, we will analyze the "impedance mismatches" with testing in other SDOs, to help clarify how and why W3C's testing differs and might converge in some ways.

Daniel Davis (W3C): Regarding Hybridcast, what's lacking in the video element that means an object element is used instead?

Kazuhiro Hoya (Fuji TV): Some challenges that we had in developing second-screen apps:

  • Developing: It's very hard and uses human resources - we need a framework;
  • Compatibility: There are a lot of TVs on the market. We need a better testing method.
  • UX: Pairing involves a lot of steps. Even using a QR code is too much for some users.

Session 3

Louay Bassbouss: The W3C Messaging API is missing a close event.

Clarke Stevens: Second-screen solution issues:

  • Interoperability across vendors
  • Integration of second screen uses rather than 100 different apps.

Mingmin Wang:

  • Could try to add some specific definition to HTML5 for better video experience.
  • Metadata specification for video is fragmented. Cable operators follow CableLabs ADI metadata standard, but internet video service providers use their own metadata format.

Dave Raggett:

  • Mobile devices should prebuffer HTML5 videos when the user is on wifi or a 3G flat rate.
  • Use cases for tight synchronization of media and user experience across devices, and mechanisms to support this, e.g. playbackRate property or a means to reference a master clock
  • Social networks of people, devices and programs as an alternative to local discovery

Session 4

Jon Piesing:

  • Functionality in some APIs is not there yet. We end up with new shiny API and old but reliable API in parallel.
  • Error codes for video are not specific enough, e.g. they should specify DRM problem, parental control problem, etc.

Jean-Pierre Evain:

  • Web and TV is not only about HbbTV, Hybridcast and other similar implementations. It is also simply about making broadcast like content available on the web. We need to find good solutions common to the web and broadcast worlds. Timed text is a good example and advanced audio will follow. Broadcasters realise the changes occuring in terms of content consumption and they have significantly adapted their offer across media. It also has to do with a large offer of programmes to audiences with different expectations. MyGeekTV (looking at series/season/episode) is not enough also because solutions have been found to the problem of distribution windows. W3C should speak to broadcasters as they are directly engaged into a fast changing business, they produce a lot of content of quality and theyget direct feedback from their users. There's a lot of industry experience here that should be used. In order to do this, it is important that W3C facilitates participation from new experts... and learns to listen. All may not be good to keep but all can't be bad!

Kinji Matsumura:

  • Gaps and extensions were specific to our local market so not worth bringing back to W3C.

Clarke Stevens:

  • Biggest issue with HTML5 is the disappointing testing effort.

Session 5

Louay Bassbouss:

  • .. For notification and application launch there is W3C Web Notifications, but it concentrates mostly only on local notifications. The notification is displayed outside the user agent. What we want is the notification to be displayed on another device, so we need an API to do that.

Session 6

David Singer: Should the web community be looking beyond just subtitling at wider accessible media support?

Jan Lindquist: Should the TV Interest Group be pushing for a pluggable CDM component?

Session 7

Dong-Young Lee:

  • We need to standardize time synchronization for multi-screen apps.
  • Also, an abstraction layer to support various underlying technologies and protocols.

Other

Pavel (Czech TV):

  • Better failure codes (as Jon mentioned)
  • More event notification

Daniel (W3C):

  • Should W3C issue guidelines or advice to content authors on using WebVTT & TTML?
  • Is there a need for a "halfway house" DRM alternative - watermarking or email imprinting within media for dissuading, not preventing, piracy?

Dave Raggett (W3C):

  • (In the discovery discussion) Wonders why no one has mentioned raw sockets API in sysapp. Is this because of lack of awareness?