How should devices that are always in fullscreen mode implement the Fullscreen API?

Hi Anne,

Haven't chatted in a while. Hope all is well with you.

We've been discussing an issue [1] in the Web Media API CG about how should devices that are always in fullscreen mode implement the Fullscreen API? We're focused on TV devices with browsers or devices that connect to TVs, like retail set-top boxes or game machines. These devices often have browsers that are always or mostly in fullscreen mode.

We note that iOS and Android mobile devices that also have browsers that are always or mostly in fullscreen mode don't seem to implement the fullscreen API at all [2].

I think the motivation for supporting the Fullscreen API on devices that are always in fullscreen mode would be allow for portable applications that can run on both always-fullscreen devices and sometimes-fullscreen devices. Of course, an app can simply test for the availability of the Fullscreen API, but the lack of a Fullscreen API doesn't necessarily mean that the device is an always-fullscreen device. It could just be a sometimes-fullscreen device that hasn't implemented the Fullscreen API.

So, two questions:

1. Does the Fullscreen API have a model for how devices that are always in fullscreen mode should implement the Fullscreen API?

2. Should TVs and TV-connected devices simply follow the iOS and Android model and not implement this API?

Thanks,
mav

[1]	https://github.com/w3c/webmediaapi/issues/22
[2]	http://caniuse.com/#feat=fullscreen

Received on Wednesday, 22 February 2017 16:02:41 UTC