Suggested HTML extensions (tvml)

Expanding the Format


I've checked the archive of this list and haven't found any "particular" reason why the following suggestions would not be appropriate.  Please let me know if there is a better place to discuss the following ideas???


OK. So I got this idea see? What if?
TVML (The TV stands for television)
A set of HTML extensions that exploits the complete viewing screen in it's 3x4 format. A page tag would begin with?
<VIEW FULL ESC> This would force the full-screen view with no visible boundries. The ESC would be the key used to bail from this view and back to the browser (page-layout) scheme.
<REGION "name1", H30%;V40%, W20%;Ht20%> This would define (as "name1") a rectangular area of the screen beginning 30% of the screen (left to right), 40% of the screen down that would be 20% of the screen wide and high. Get it? In a screen of 640x480 This would create a rectangle beginning at pixel H192,V192 that would be 128 pixels by 96.  In order that a browser developer wished to maintain a "signature" on the screen it would be acceptable to have a thin button/status bar at the top or bottom of the screen accessed by the addition of a CONTROL (CTRL) key although it takes away from the original concept.  There would be no limit to the number of possible regions on the screen and they could overlap for effect. Text or graphics could be placed in here (URL) with the next statement:
<REGION "name1" URL(gimme.gif)> Ideally, for graphic elements such as gifs and jpgs a scaling option could be engineered to fit the region.
This is to be designed on the principle that we eliminate all traces of the page-like format of present browsing. That especially means getting rid of scrollbars. That would make this a solution to all those now trying to create wireless controls for set-top boxes.
The TAB (or arrow) key would create a lighted border around each region as numbered. If there is more textual information for a particular region that cannot fit within it's designated region a paging button (rev/fwd) could equate with the PGUP/DOWN buttons on a PC.
Incorporating image map technology, any region with an imap when selected would tab through the various map areas with the colored highlite. When the last area is finished the next region is selected.
Calls for a change in another region would work the same as Netscape's frame statements.
The ENTER key would play a prominent role in making a selection of a particular button (imap) or link in an active window.
Why do this? Well, no one is exploiting our love for the TV screen. The computer literate may think scroll bars are self explanatory but they are certainly not for beginners. This also integrates well with whatever resolution you have your screen at because it works by percentages of the residing screen. It also makes a view similar to the best of CD-Rom software that has developed and evolved over the past number of years. The browser people seem to be ignoring the lessons learned in the graphic presentation.  Once bandwidth presents itself, most of the content produced for graphical CD's could be easily adapted via the WEB.  Lastly, no one should ignore the advantage this would be to the artist/publisher. Right now you can't be sure if your long row of cute buttons is going to be seen as a single row of 8 buttons or 4 rows of 2. Worse yet, how about odd numbers. What if they only have the window open three inches wide. The effects are lost. Deal with the medium to the best of it's ability. It's a TV screen for God's sake! This puts a little more "show" into online material with less work. That's just fine for us couch potatoes. More importantly it would not be difficult to link fixed regions to such applications as video conferencing (cuseeme) or video broadcasting (streamworks). Because only fixed regions of the screen update the layout of information would be more stable. A nice java-applet volume control in another window??? This is a "show/broadcast" type presentation where you can sit and enjoy. Maybe even learn. 
I apologize if the powers of the WEB have already made arrangements for such TV type presentation.  From the programs I've been beta testing and using I find we're extending our use of page-format rather than adapt the "full-screen" concept.  As an instructor of computer applications I think I have a handle on what basic users really want and this is it.  With powerful tools such as JAVA and realtime applications such as RealaudioÓ, CuseemeÓ, MboneÓ, Internet phoneÓ and StreamworksÓ we have to redesign our use of the interface (browser) to suit the application without losing the flexibility.


Rick Collins
 
Systems Analyst
Educational Technology
Memorial University
St. John's, NF