Re: HTML5 and home network access

On Mon, Nov 29, 2010 at 4:37 PM, Bob Lund <B.Lund@cablelabs.com> wrote:
> I would like to make this group aware of a proposal made to the W3C by
> CableLabs, on behalf of its cable operator members, regarding cable
> operators’ requirements for home network access from HTML5. This proposal
> took the form of a bug entered with the HTML5 WG
> (http://www.w3.org/Bugs/Public/show_bug.cgi?id=11326).. This proposal
> suggests an implementation of an API for access to UPnP home network
> functions and determining user agent protocol and media format capabilities.

I must say, this proposal is very interesting indeed. I do agree that
some kind of standard APIs to allow this sort of thing to happen would
be very advantageous. Outside of the Web/TV space, Apple's AirPlay
(which works with HTML5 video, of course) also springs to mind.

My tuppenceworth:

I wouldn't be especially keen on exposing UPnP directly, but a
higher-level abstraction (which can encompass UPnP, AirPlay, whatever
comes next...) for "discovery of devices which content can be sent to
for playback" would be very useful indeed. In a similar vein, an API
for "discovery of sources of content on the local network" would also
be rather useful, and although I think the two should be generally
consistent with one another, they are solving very much separate
problems.

Separately again, I would *very* much like to see some means of asking
a UA what protocols/schemes it supports for <audio> and <video>.

M.

-- 
Mo McRoberts
mo.mcroberts@nexgenta.com

Received on Tuesday, 30 November 2010 12:37:31 UTC