These slides present the Perspective on Media & Entertainment for the Web document, that provides an analysis of the Media & Entertainment industry in relationship with the Web, and identifies shorter- and longer-term trends that could influence Web technologies.

A perspective for M&E on the Web

François Daoust
fd@w3.org
@tidoust

Screenshot from “A perspective on Media & Entertainment for the Web”

Definitions

Timeline: A mapping from time to positions in media content.
Continuous media: Content whose timeline is purely dependent on time.
Continuous experiences: Experiences that somehow engage the user into some consumption / interaction rhythm. Feature immersive content that captures the user's attention and that has an internal timeline (timeline that is not purely triggered by user interaction).

Scope

Media & Entertainment is the part of the industry that makes business entertaining people through continuous experiences.

Ins & Outs:

Includes continuous media
Includes VR media experiences
Includes most games
Excludes purely interactive games (e.g. crosswords)
Excludes exploration content (e.g. maps, science data, educational material in MOOCs, or CAD)

Media content

Pre-recorded content
continuous media produced once in advance of viewing
Ex: movies, TV series, shows
Live content
continuous media produced and distributed in real-time.
Ex: sporting events, music shows, news
Interactive content
content for which progress along its timeline also depends on user's actions
Ex: games, immersive experiences

Content consumption mechanisms

On-demand viewing
user chooses the content, freedom over what she can watch and when, pre-recorded content
Linear viewing
user selects a channel, timing imposed, live and pre-recorded content
Immersive viewing
interactive content experience

Trend: Reduce device fragmentation

The M&E industry has embraced Web technologies for interactive content
The Web has moved to an evergreen model
… but CE devices cannot easily be updated once sold
No clear definition of the Web platform
Different iTV systems define a baseline
Focus of the CTA WAVE project and Web Media API CG
Web Platform tests to the rescue

Trend: Improve content quality

HDR
Wide-gamut color
UHD / 4K
Audio spatialization

Trend: Move to IP

Distribution over IP
Unicast distribution, use of CDNs. Looking into WebRTC distribution.
Triggers work on common formats and distribution technologies.
Ex: CMAF, CENC, AV1, DASH, MSE
Production over IP
IP to replace SDI. Remote production. Need for REST-based APIs.
Ex: AMWA's NMOS
Cloud-based processing
Hardware becoming a commodity, SaaS and PaaS. More REST-based APIs.
Ex: EBU's Media Cloud and Microservice Architecture (MCMA)

Trend: Personalize content

Convergence between on-demand viewing and linear viewing
… at least from an end-user perspective
Companies want to create user specific linear viewing experiences
Includes improving Web advertising

Trend: Explore XR/360° scenarios

XR used in production studios
(bold claim heard at IBC last year: cameras will disappear!)
More a research space from a pure media perspective
(VR/360° videos do not show in movie theaters)
Push will come from interactive content
(Hello VR games!)
Immersive live experiences
(sporting events, music shows)

Next Big Thing

Next Previous Big Thing

The Web has already delivered on its “Next Big Thing” promise to become a major platform for continuous media experiences.

Next Big Thing

Convergence between on-demand and linear already ongoing
… to keep the user engaged
Immersive viewing creates more engaging experiences
More powerful devices: XR headsets, better performance
More natural interaction mechanisms: voice, gestures
Democratization of AI for real-time analyses
The Web allows to handle interactions with users securely, and is the social and sharing platform by excellence.

Prediction: The Web will be at the heart of the convergence of the three main content consumption mechanisms (on-demand, linear, immersive).

Some scenarios

Immersive live experiences
projects users into the stadium to watch some live event, or interact with actual players
Esports
tens of thousands of users watching teams play games, live streaming, live gaming.
“Choose your own adventure movies”
… or better: “Movies you can play”
… where users influence the scenario in real time
Cloud gaming
Streaming coupled to user interaction, in real time

Example of an immersive experience: We Wait, from BBC, a dramatised story transporting users to the heart of the refugee crisis, in Virtual Reality

Flight Deck

WRC+ All Live

Late Shift “Choose your own adventure moview”

Detroit: Become Human - interactive neo-noir thriller on PS4

Lost in Time is a groundbreaking IMR entertainment format that integrates TV, gaming and commerce. Featuring real people in a 3D virtual world and real-time interaction with the broadcast, through an app.

High-level requirements

Goal	Technologies
Capture and immerse the user in a virtual world	WebXR
Render immersive content	WebGPU
Process media content in real-time	WebAssembly, Machine Learning
Interact with user more naturally	Voice control, gestures
Integrate with the physical world (AR)	Floor/Wall detection, object recognition

Workshop on Web Games

Goal: Make the Web platform rock for games!
Who: Browser vendors, game engines and platforms, game developers, device manufacturers
Logistics: 27-28 June 2019; Position statements by 10 May 2019; Seattle, WA, USA, hosted by Microsoft
Call for Participation: https://www.w3.org/2018/12/games-workshop/

Thank you!

Questions?