[Bug 10642] New: No alternative text description for video key frame (poster)

http://www.w3.org/Bugs/Public/show_bug.cgi?id=10642

           Summary: No alternative text description for video key frame
                    (poster)
           Product: HTML WG
           Version: unspecified
          Platform: All
        OS/Version: All
            Status: NEW
          Keywords: a11y, media
          Severity: normal
          Priority: P2
         Component: HTML5 spec (editor: Ian Hickson)
        AssignedTo: ian@hixie.ch
        ReportedBy: everett@zufelt.ca
         QAContact: public-html-bugzilla@w3.org
                CC: mike@w3.org, public-html-wg-issue-tracking@w3.org,
                    public-html@w3.org


Issue:

The HTML5 specification does not currently require, or make available a method
to provide, an alternative text description for the poster attribute of the
video element.  Authors are able to specify a frame of video, or an image
external to the video, to serve as a "poster". User agents can show this image
while no video is available.

When placing an image in a document using the img element, an alternative text
replacement, using the alt attribute, is required, with the exception of
specific use-cases.  It does not appear that the usage of the poster attribute
of the video element fits into any of the use-cases for omitting an alternative
description with an img element, and therefore an alternate description should
be required when authors explicitly set the poster attribute for a video
element.

Proposal:

Move poster from being an attribute of the video element to being a descendant
with at least a src and alt attribute.  For example:

<video ...>

  <poster src=" URI " alt="Alternative description of poster image." />

</video>

References:

http://dev.w3.org/html5/spec/video.html#attr-video-poster

4.8.6 The video element

The poster attribute gives the address of an image file that the user agent can
show while no video data is available.

http://dev.w3.org/html5/spec/embedded-content-1.html#alt

4.8.1.1 Requirements for providing text to act as an alternative for images

4.8.1.1.1 General guidelines

Except where otherwise specified, the alt attribute must be specified and its
value must not be empty; the value must be an appropriate replacement for the
image. The specific requirements for the alt attribute depend on what the image
is intended to represent, as described in the following sections.

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Received on Friday, 17 September 2010 02:47:35 UTC