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.

As part of a series of workshop to bring the Web community, the television industry and other producers of consumer electronics together, the OMWeb Team is proud to announce the Second W3C Web and TV Workshop, hosted by Fraunhofer-FOKUS in Berlin, Germany, on 8-9 February 2011.

Participants in this workshop will share insights on:

• State of the Art, e.g. the role of Web-based approaches for nomadic user interfaces
• HTML5 and TV, e.g. the advantages of supporting HTML5 such as its rich feature set, global language support, or support of broadcast video using the <video> element.
• Standardization Needs, e.g. the requirements for extensions to existing standards to improve support of broadcasting on various non-PC devices
• Accessibility, e.g. the value provided by Web technologies for TV accessibility
• Hot Topics such as the integration of P2P and the Web for TV content distribution, support for “second screen” scenarios, or the role of DRM and micro-payment for Web and TV.

The Call for Papers details the topics of interest and provides useful information on participation and Position Papers submission. Deadline for Position Papers is 7 January 2011, but an expression of interest is encouraged as soon as possible to help organizers plan the workshop.

This second workshop is a follow-up of the first one held in Japan in September 2010. It will serve to continue the discussions (see summary of the workshop, minutes, the workshop agenda (including talk slides) and the position papers submitted). A W3C Interest Group on “Web and TV” is currently being created (see draft charter), and the results of the second workshop will be fed into the work of this interest group.

W3C has begun to organize a series of workshops to bring the Web community, the television industry and other producers of consumer electronics together.  Participants in these workshops will have the opportunity to share their own perspectives, requirements, and ideas to ensure that emerging global standards meet their needs.

Evolution of Web technologies

The explosion of the mobile device market demonstrates how consumers have come to expect and rely on access to the network from anywhere, at any time, including from mobile computers, phones, automobiles, and more.  Though consumers do not yet have the same expectations about their televisions, this will surely change in the near future given the importance of television in people’s lives, ongoing display and feature improvements, and the opportunity for new services created by increased connectivity, such as:

• the ability to immediately purchase through the Internet items advertised during a commercial
• using applications running in a browser on the television to dim lighting in the home, program a DVR, or control other consumer electronics
• automatically pausing a program when receiving a videoconference request (through VoIP) on the screen
• watching Internet TV on a television set

There are significant business opportunities in rising to the challenge of satisfying this desire for connectivity and ensuring that people have access to the Web from their televisions.

The demand for access to applications, video, and other network services continues to grow.  The Web platform itself continues its expansion to support mobile devices, television, home appliances, in-car systems, and more consumer electronics.  To meet the growing demand, the Web platform of the future will require smarter integration of non-PC devices with Web technology so that both hardware and software vendors can provide richer Web applications on various devices at lower costs.

First W3C workshop in Tokyo, Japan ; 2-3 Sept. 2010

Participants in this first Workshop will share insights on topics such as the advantages of supporting HTML5 (such as its rich feature set, global language support, and support for accessibility), compatibility with existing television technology, performance issues, the transition from existing approaches to Web-based ones, digital rights management, nomadic user interfaces (where users change devices without losing the flow of their activity), and more.

Web on TV
2-3 September 2010
Mita, Tokyo, Japan
http://www.w3.org/2010/09/web-on-tv/

Plans for a Second W3C workshop in Europe ; beg. 2011

The OMWeb team plans for a second Workshop, in Europe, likely during the first quarter of 2011.  If you are interested in early involvement in the Workshop in Europe  (such as joining the program committee), please contact us!