- From: Philipp Hoschka <ph@w3.org>
- Date: Thu, 09 Aug 2001 17:50:18 +0200
- To: www-smil@w3.org
[1]W3C
[1] http://web3.w3.org/
World Wide Web Consortium Issues SMIL 2.0 as a W3C Recommendation
XML Meets Synchronized Multimedia; Accessible and Rich Web Experiences
Result
Contact America --
Janet Daly, <[2]janet@w3.org>, +1.617.253.5884 or
+1.617.253.2613
[2] mailto:janet@w3.org
Contact Europe --
Marie-Claire Forgue, <[3]mcf@w3.org>, +33.492.38.75.94
[3] mailto:mcf@w3.org
Contact Asia --
Saeko Takeuchi <[4]saeko@w3.org>, +81.466.49.1170
[4] mailto:saeko@w3.org
(also available in [5]French and [6]Japanese)
_________________________________________________________________
[5] http://web3.w3.org/2001/08/smil2-pressrelease.html.fr
[6] http://web3.w3.org/2001/08/smil2-pressrelease.html.ja
Press Release
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_________________________________________________________________
[7]Testimonials
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
[7] http://web3.w3.org/2001/08/smil2-testimonial
[8]http://www.w3.org/ -- 9 August 2001 -- The World Wide Web
Consortium ([9]W3C) today released the [10]SMIL (Synchronized
Multimedia Integration Language) 2.0 specification as a W3C
Recommendation, representing cross-industry agreement on an XML-based
language that allows authors to write interactive multimedia
presentations. A W3C Recommendation indicates that a specification is
stable, contributes to Web interoperability, and has been reviewed by
the W3C Membership, who favor its adoption by the industry.
[8] http://web3.w3.org/
[9] http://web3.w3.org/
[10] http://web3.w3.org/TR/2001/REC-smil20-20010807/
SMIL 2.0 Uses XML to Deliver Synchronized Multimedia to the Web
Web authors are in search of ways to deliver rich content, including
video, audio, and text, and to synchronize those components as they
see fit. It's no longer simply television on the Web that end users
are seeking; people are looking for information and experiences that
take full advantage of the Web's technical capabilities -
interoperability, flexibility, device choice, and searchability.
"SMIL 2.0 enables authors to bring rich content to the Web in a
format
that is easily written and reused," explained Tim Berners-Lee, W3C
Director. "SMIL 2.0 avoids the limitations of traditional television
and lowers the bandwidth requirements for delivering multimedia
content over the Internet."
With SMIL 2.0, producing reusable audio-visual presentations is easy;
as SMIL 2.0 is an [11]XML application, one may use a simple text
editor to create engaging multimedia experiences for the Web. SMIL
allows the author to incorporate a wide range of data (audio, video,
or text), which may be locally or remotely stored.
[11] http://web3.w3.org/XML/
SMIL 2.0 Built and Tested with Developers, Users in Mind
[12]SMIL 1.0, produced by W3C in 1998, brought powerful XML based
multimedia presentations to the Web, and content developers began
work
on presentations, authoring tools and players. As a result, the W3C
[13]Synchronized Multimedia (SYMM) Working Group received suggestions
and requests from developers on new features they would like to see.
Over 600 test cases were developed to ensure that SMIL 2.0 would meet
the needs of developers for new features and interoperability with
SMIL 1.0.
[12] http://web3.w3.org/TR/1998/REC-smil-19980615/
[13] http://web3.w3.org/AudioVideo/
SMIL 2.0 Brings Greater Authoring Flexibility
SMIL 2.0 has been produced as a set of modules which, individually or
in combinations, may meet the needs of a Web author, and build on the
guiding principles of interoperability at the core of W3C work. In
addition to full incorporation of the successful SMIL 1.0 features,
SMIL 2.0 Modules provide functionalities including animation; content
control; layout; linking; media objects; metainformation; structure;
timing and synchronization; time manipulations; and transition
effects. This gives authors the ability to create sophisticated
animation, event-based interaction with a presentation, and graceful
transition effects based on nearly 100 predefined options.
SMIL 2.0 Profiles Work with Diverse Devices
By combining individual modules together, the W3C SYMM Working Group
defines two SMIL 2.0 profiles. Profiling introduces the ability to
tailor an XML-based language to specific needs, e.g. to optimize
presentation and interaction for the client's capabilities. One
profile is for comprehensive SMIL 2.0 presentations, and another
suited to handheld/mobile devices, called SMIL Basic. This gives
authors the ability to create presentations which are adaptable to
different environments, whether limitations are due to bandwidth or
device.
Profiling also adds the ability for integrating functionality from
other markup languages. The work done to combine [14]Scalable Vector
Graphics (SVG) with SMIL 2.0 Modules has proven successful, and the
early work with combining [15]XHTML modules is promising.
[14] http://web3.w3.org/Graphics/SVG/
[15] http://web3.w3.org/TR/2001/REC-xhtml-modularization-20010410/
SMIL 2.0 Makes Searchable and Accessible Multimedia Possible
Multimedia presentations can sometimes be a bit of a black box to
those searching for information on the Web. Because a SMIL
presentation is written as a text file, it can include [16]metadata
components, which make a SMIL presentation searchable.
[16] http://web3.w3.org/Metadata/RDF/
The SYMM Working Group worked closely with W3C's [17]Web
Accessibility
Initiative to develop a format that supported accessible media.
[18]Accessibility Features of SMIL are described in a separate
document, and show how authors and software developers may create
presentations and software that make SMIL work for the widest
possible
audience.
[17] http://web3.w3.org/WAI/
[18] http://web3.w3.org/TR/SMIL-access/
International Cross-Industry Participation Key to SMIL 2.0 Development
The SMIL 2.0 specification was written and developed by the SYMM
Working Group, a unique mix of experts from many divergent industries
- CD-ROM manufacturers, Interactive Television, Web, Mobile
Communications, and audio/video streaming - all interested in
bringing
synchronized multimedia to the Web. The W3C SYMM Working Group is
comprised of key industry players including Glocomm, IBM, Intel,
Macromedia, Microsoft, Netscape/AOL, Nokia, Oratrix, Panasonic,
Philips, RealNetworks and WGBH; as well as research and government
organizations such as CWI (Centre for Mathematics and Computer
Science, the Netherlands), INRIA (Institut National De Recherce en
Informatique et en Automatique, France), and NIST (National Institute
of Standards and Technology, USA). Manufacturers of both SMIL Players
and SMIL authoring tools are committed to supporting SMIL 2.0, as
evidenced in their [19]testimonials.
[19] http://web3.w3.org/2001/08/smil2-testimonial
About the World Wide Web Consortium [W3C]
The W3C was created to lead the Web to its full potential by
developing common protocols that promote its evolution and ensure its
interoperability. It is an international industry consortium jointly
run by the [20]MIT Laboratory for Computer Science (MIT LCS) in the
USA, the [21]National Institute for Research in Computer Science and
Control (INRIA) in France and [22]Keio University in Japan. Services
provided by the Consortium include: a repository of information about
the World Wide Web for developers and users, and various prototype
and
sample applications to demonstrate use of new technology. To date,
over 520 organizations are [23]Members of the Consortium. For more
information see [24]http://www.w3.org/
_________________________________________________________________
[20] http://www.lcs.mit.edu/
[21] http://www.inria.fr/
[22] http://www.keio.ac.jp/
[23] http://web3.w3.org/Consortium/Member/List
[24] http://web3.w3.org/
Press Release
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_________________________________________________________________
[25]Testimonials
_________________________________________________________________
[25] http://web3.w3.org/2001/08/smil2-testimonial
Received on Thursday, 9 August 2001 11:53:15 UTC