Re: What "URI" identifier for local TV resources?

On Fri, 02 Apr 1999 naren.dasu@divatv.com (Naren Dasu) wrote:

> I guess the assumptions that you are making here is that the content
> being sent by the server is Broadcasted channels.  Also that the
> content is an Analog channel.

Actually, the problem occurs in any system which lacks knowledge of
the universal names for its channels.  True, this occurs primarily in
analog systems and may someday be a legacy issue, but it is a relevant
problem today, and one which I believe should be addressed.

Regards,

-jim

Jim Helman
Network Computer, Inc.
jim@nc.com
650.631.4638

On Fri, 02 Apr 1999 naren.dasu@divatv.com (Naren Dasu) wrote:

> Comments noted below.
> 
> At 08:18 PM 4/1/99 -0800, Jim Helman wrote:
> >On Fri, 26 Mar 1999 (CST) "Craig A. Finseth" wrote:
> >
> >>   Applications which are _local_ to a particular cable
> >>   infrastructure, such as EPGs, often need to designate explicit
> >>   channel number (and sometimes tuner) to the settop client in a
> >> 
> >> Such local applications can make use of global infrastructure with no
> >> more effort than would be required to use any less-global mechanism.
> >
> >Clients are not always so powerful or connected.
> >
> >Take for example, a limited HTML client with a proxy and support
> >server that assumes many of the functions normally performed on
> >a client.  This server may be generating TV UI or EPG pages for
> >its clients and may also be transcoding other content to replace
> >a global tv URN with one which the dumb client can grok.  The
> >content stream being sent down to this box needs a simple
> >channel URN that it can understand.
> 
> I guess the assumptions that you are making here is that the content being
> sent by the server is Broadcasted channels.  Also that the content is an
> Analog channel. 
> There will be a lot more digital programs being broadcasted in the future,
> methinks all cable companies are moving towards digital and are also
> upgrading the cable plants. 
> For a set top box to tune to a digital channel, it needs to know :
> 1.  Frequency to tune to 
> 2.  Transport Stream or PID ( Program Id) 
> 
> For interactive applications on the STB ( or for VOD applications ) this
> info will not be in the STB.
> 
> 
> >
> >Another example would be the case of a smart TV set before it
> >has connected to the net.  By autoscanning, the box can figure
> >out that it has 36 NTSC channels, but not their place in the
> >global namespace.  Eventually, the TV may have information that
> >allows it to know the place of its channels in the global
> >namespace, or it may not.  But the UI/EPG (written in HTML and
> >JavaScript) still needs URNs to manipulate the tuner.
> >
> >> Try "file:/tuner/###" or something.
> >
> >> The box can use any scheme that it likes to do this -- including
> >> vendor proprietary.
> >
> >Overloading an existing, unrelated scheme such as
> >"file:/tuner/###" seems architecturally unnatural as well as
> >being unpleasant and non-modular to implement.  Having each
> >vendor invent a new incompatible scheme for naming the same set
> >of physical channels also seems undesirable.  I think this is a
> >common enough requirement that some standardization is needed.
> >I realize that this application area is rather different from
> >those for which btv: is intended.  Maybe it fits better with tv:?
> >
> >rgds,
> >
> >-jim
> >
> >Jim Helman
> >jim@nc.com
> >650.631.4638
> >
> >
> 
>

Received on Monday, 3 May 1999 23:27:14 UTC