Re: What "URI" identifier for local TV resources?

On Fri, 26 Mar 1999 (CST) "Craig A. Finseth" wrote:

>   Applications which are _local_ to a particular cable
>   infrastructure, such as EPGs, often need to designate explicit
>   channel number (and sometimes tuner) to the settop client in a
> 
> Such local applications can make use of global infrastructure with no
> more effort than would be required to use any less-global mechanism.

Clients are not always so powerful or connected.

Take for example, a limited HTML client with a proxy and support
server that assumes many of the functions normally performed on
a client.  This server may be generating TV UI or EPG pages for
its clients and may also be transcoding other content to replace
a global tv URN with one which the dumb client can grok.  The
content stream being sent down to this box needs a simple
channel URN that it can understand.

Another example would be the case of a smart TV set before it
has connected to the net.  By autoscanning, the box can figure
out that it has 36 NTSC channels, but not their place in the
global namespace.  Eventually, the TV may have information that
allows it to know the place of its channels in the global
namespace, or it may not.  But the UI/EPG (written in HTML and
JavaScript) still needs URNs to manipulate the tuner.

> Try "file:/tuner/###" or something.

> The box can use any scheme that it likes to do this -- including
> vendor proprietary.

Overloading an existing, unrelated scheme such as
"file:/tuner/###" seems architecturally unnatural as well as
being unpleasant and non-modular to implement.  Having each
vendor invent a new incompatible scheme for naming the same set
of physical channels also seems undesirable.  I think this is a
common enough requirement that some standardization is needed.
I realize that this application area is rather different from
those for which btv: is intended.  Maybe it fits better with tv:?

rgds,

-jim

Jim Helman
jim@nc.com
650.631.4638

Received on Thursday, 1 April 1999 23:18:28 UTC