Cross-platform web application in SMIL 2.0 - is it feasible?

A couple of newbie questions:

I am exploring the feasibility of enhancing an existing Java-based Web
application so that it can serve SMIL as well as HTML. I have written a
test JSP that serves a SMIL 1.0 document, and when I access the page from
my Windows machine I can get MS Internet Explorer 6 to play it in a
separate RealPlayer 8 window, or if I set the preferences appropriately I
can get the QuickTime 5.0.2 plugin to play it (unbearably slowly) in the
browser window. The presentation behaves differently in the two different
windows, however.

It appears that the only RealPlayer that supports SMIL 2.0 is the RealOne
player which is a commercial product. Is that right? It also appears that
QuickTime doesn't support SMIL 2.0 (yet). Will it?

What are my prospects for building a SMIL-based application which I can
reasonably expect the general public to be able to view using freely and
easily available software on their PC or Mac, without insisting on them
installing one particular plugin? Which will work consistently across
players and at an acceptable speed on normal hardware at normal connection
speeds?

If so, is it also feasible to expect the browser to be able to run the
SMIL presentation within the browser window, or preferably, within just
one area of it, as opposed to starting up an external application?

If not, do you think it will become feasible at some point in the future?

Thanks.

Nick

Received on Thursday, 20 June 2002 05:57:42 UTC