Open Media Web

W3C announced a Fourth W3C Web and TV Workshop: Web and TV Convergence, 12-13 March 2014, in Munich, Germany. The Workshop is hosted by IRT.

The TV ecosystem is seeing large changes in terms of consumer behavior, creator demographics and technical capabilities. The effect on companies and organizations is profound leading to individual and collaborative efforts to turn challenges into opportunities. As the next generation of challenges arise, this workshop aims to assist market players in two main areas:

1. Identifying the priorities for Web and television convergence and advising W3C on where to focus its efforts;
2. Strengthening cooperation between those involved in the development of standards to avoid confusion and duplication of work.

Based on the success of previous similar workshops, we anticipate participation from broadcast and media companies, browser and software vendors (including embedded browsers), cable operators, content developers and providers, IPTV providers, multiple-system operators (MSOs), network providers and telecommunications companies, service vendors of cloud computing, standardization organizations related to Web and TV, television operators (broadcast, cable, satellite) and VOD operators. We intend the workshop to benefit the global media audience by resulting in such developments as new standardization work, best practices and renewed commitments.

W3C membership is not required to participate. The event is open to all, but all participants are required to submit a position paper or statement of interest by 3 February 2014.

While preparing for the third Web and TV Workshop, in Hollywood, California, USA, 19-20 September 2011, you may want to review the discussions of the second workshop held in Berlin in February 2011. The materials of this second workshop have long been publicly available online but note that the proceedings of the Berlin Workshop are now available as a single ready-to-print document (PDF, 20.6MB) which includes the workshop report, minutes, as well as a copy of presented papers and slides.

The third W3C Web and TV Workshop will take place in Hollywood, California, USA, 19-20 September 2011. Hosted by Comcast Cable, this will continue the previous workshops (Tokyo Workshop and Berlin Workshop) efforts, with a particular focus on the needs of content creators and distributors. Anyone may participate in this workshop. A position paper is required from a presenter while a statement of interest is required from an observer. Both position papers and statements of interest are due 15 August 2011. Please see the Call for Participation for further details.

The Web and television convergence story was the focus of W3C’s Second Web and TV Workshop, which took place in Berlin in February. W3C publishes a report that summarizes the discussion among the 77 organizations that participated, including broadcasters, telecom companies, cable operators, OTT (over the top) companies, content providers, device vendors, software vendors, Web application providers, researchers, governments, and standardization organizations active in the TV space. Convergence priorities identified in the report include:

• Adaptive streaming over HTTP
• Home networking and second-screen scenarios
• The role of metadata and relation to Semantic Web technologies
• Ensuring that convergent solutions are accessible.
• Profiling and testing
• Possible extensions to HTML5 for Television

Read the full press release.