Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language (SMIL) Boston Specification

Abstract

This document specifies the "Boston" version of the Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language (SMIL, pronounced "smile"). SMIL Boston has the following two design goals:

• Define a simple XML-based language that allows authors to write interactive multimedia presentations. Using SMIL Boston, an author can describe the temporal behavior of a multimedia presentation, associate hyperlinks with media objects and describe the layout of the presentation on a screen.
• Allow reusing of SMIL syntax and semantics in other XML-based languages, in particular those who need to represent timing and synchronization. For example, SMIL Boston components should be used for integrating timing into XHTML.

Status of this document

This section describes the status of this document at the time of its publication. Other documents may supersede this document. The latest status of this document series is maintained at the W3C.

This document is the first working draft of the specification for the next version of SMIL code-named "Boston". It has been produced as part of the W3C Synchronized Multimedia Activity. The document has been written by the SYMM Working Group (members only). The goals of this group are discussed in the SYMM Working Group charter (members only).

Many parts of the document are still preliminary, and do not constitute full consensus within the Working Group. Also, some of the functionality planned for SMIL Boston is not contained in this draft. Many parts are not yet detailed enough for implementation, and other parts are only suitable for highly experimental implementation work.

At this point, the W3C SYMM WG seeks input by the public on the concepts and directions described in this specification. Please send your comments to www-smil@w3.org. Since it is difficult to anticipate the number of comments that come in, the WG cannot guarantee an individual response to all comments. However, we will study each comment carefully, and try to be as responsive as time permits.

The only difference between this working draft and the version from August 3 1999 is that the draft is also provide as a single HTML document.

This working draft may be updated, replaced or rendered obsolete by other W3C documents at any time. It is inappropriate to use W3C Working Drafts as reference material or to cite them as other than "work in progress". This document is work in progress and does not imply endorsement by the W3C membership.

Short Table of Contents

• A. About SMIL Boston
• B. Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language (SMIL) Modules
• C. SMIL-Boston Animation
• D. Content Control Module (detailed specification not yet available)
• E. Event Module (detailed specification not yet available)
• F. Integration Module  (detailed specification not yet available)
• G. Layout Module (detailed specification not yet available)
• H. The SMIL Linking Module
• I. Media Object Module
• J. Metainformation Module (detailed specification not yet available)
• K. Structure Module (detailed specification not yet available)
• L. SMIL Timing and Synchronization
• M. Integrating SMIL Timing into other XML-Based Languages
• O. Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language (SMIL) Document Object Model

Full Table of Contents

A. About SMIL Boston

• 1. Introduction
• 2. Acknowledgments

B. Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language (SMIL) Modules

• 1. Introduction
• 2. SMIL Modules
• 3. Multimedia Profiles
• 4. Appendices
  • A. Normative References
  • B. Informative References
  • C. Document Type Definitions
  • D. Document Object Model Bindings

C. SMIL-Boston Animation

• 1. Introduction
  • 1.1. Overview of Support
  • 1.2. Requirements
• 2. Animation Framework
  • 2.1. Basic Animation
  • 2.2. Additive and Composite Animation
  • 2.3. Cumulative Animation
  • 2.4. Freezing Animations and Holding Values
  • 2.5. Nested Animation (?)
  • 2.6. Interaction with DOM Manipulations
  • 2.7. Animation Elements as Independent Timelines
  • 2.8. Limits on Animation
• 3. Animation Syntax
  • 3.1. Common Attributes
  • 3.2. Animate Element
  • 3.3. Set Element
  • 3.4. Motion Animation
  • 3.5. Color Animation
• 4. Animation Semantics
• 5. Document Object Model Support
• 6. References
• Appendix 1. Collected Issues to be resolved

D. Content Control Module (detailed specification not yet available)

E. Event Module (detailed specification not yet available)

F. Integration Module  (detailed specification not yet available)

G. Layout Module (detailed specification not yet available)

H. The SMIL Linking Module

• 1. Introduction
• 2. XPointer Support
  • 2.1 Linking into SMIL documents
  • 2.2 Use of Xpointer in SMIL attributes
• 3. Link Elements
  • 3.1 The a Element
  • 3.2 The area Element
• References

I. Media Object Module

• 1 Introduction
• 2 The ref, animation, audio, img, video, text and textstream elements
  • 2.1 Changes to SMIL 1.0 Attributes
  • 2.2 XLink Attributes
  • 2.3 SDP Attributes
• 3 The rtpmap element
• 4 Support for media player extensions

J. Metainformation Module (detailed specification not yet available)

K. Structure Module (detailed specification not yet available)

L. SMIL Timing and Synchronization

• 1. Introduction
• 2. Background and Concepts
  • 2.1. General Concepts
    • 2.1.1. Time Graph
    • 2.1.2. Descriptive Terms for Times
    • 2.1.3. Scheduled Timing
    • 2.1.4 Events and Interactive Timing
    • 2.1.5. Timebases
    • 2.1.6. Sync Arcs
    • 2.1.7. Clocks
    • 2.1.8. Hyperlinking and Timing
    • 2.1.9. Activation
    • 2.1.10. Discrete and Continuous Media
  • 2.2. Timing Concepts
    • 2.2.1. Time Containers
    • 2.2.2. Content/Media Elements
    • 2.2.3. Basic Markup
    • 2.2.4. Simple, Active and Complete Durations
    • 2.2.5. Time Manipulations
    • 2.2.6. Determinate and Indeterminate Schedules
    • 2.2.7. Hard and Soft Sync
  • 2.3. Unifying Scheduling and Interactive Timing
• 3. Language Definition
  • 3.1. Time Containers
    • 3.1.1. par
    • 3.1.2. seq
    • 3.1.3. excl
    • 3.1.4. endSync
    • 3.1.5. Time Container duration
    • 3.1.6. Time Container constraints on child durations
    • 3.1.7 Time Container constraints on sync-arcs and events
    • 3.1.8. Negative Begin delays
  • 3.2. Shared Timing support
    • 3.2.1. Basic - begin, end, dur
      • 3.2.1.1. Alternative begin/ end Syntax
    • 3.2.2. Interactive, Event-based Timing
    • 3.2.3. repeat, repeatCount and repeatDur
    • 3.2.4. fill
  • 3.3. Time Manipulations
    • 3.3.1. speed
    • 3.3.2. accelerate and decelerate
    • 3.3.3. autoReverse
  • 3.4. Controlling Runtime Synchronization Behavior
    • 3.4.1. Sync Behavior Attributes
    • 3.4.2. Sync Master Support
  • 3.5. Syntax Production Rules
• 4. Constructing the Time Graph
• 5. Document Object Model Support
  • 5.1. Element and Attribute manipulation, mutation and constraints
  • 5.2. Supported Methods
  • 5.3. Event model
• 6. References
• Appendix A: Annotated Examples
• Appendix B: Open Issues

M. Integrating SMIL Timing into other XML-Based Languages

• Abstract
• 1. Introduction
  • 1.1. Background
  • 1.2. Use cases
  • 1.3. Assumptions
    • 1.3.1 Assumptions that may need further refinement
  • 1.4. Requirements
• 2. Framework
  • 2.1. Framework: In-line Timing
  • 2.2. Framework: CSS Timing
  • 2.3. Framework: Timesheets
• 3. Specification
  • 3.1. Specification: In-line Timing
  • 3.2. Specification: CSS Timing
  • 3.3. Specification: Timesheets
  • 3.4. Cascading Rules
• 4. DTD
• References
• Appendix. Examples
  • Example #1 ("Slideshow"): using In-line timing
  • Example #2 ("Growing List"): using CSS Timing
  • Example #3 ("Squares"): using Timesheet example

O. Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language (SMIL) Document Object Model

• 1. Introduction
• 2. Requirements
• 3. Core DOM: the SMIL DOM Foundation
  • 3.1. DOM Level 1 Core
  • 3.2. DOM Level 2 Events
• 4. Constraints imposed upon DOM
  • 4.1. Document modality
  • 4.2. Node locking
  • 4.3. Grouped, atomic changes
• 5. SMIL specific extensions
  • 5.1. Document Interfaces
  • 5.2. SMIL Element Interfaces
    • 5.2.1. Structure Elements Interface
    • 5.2.2. Meta Elements Interface
    • 5.2.3. Layout Interfaces
    • 5.2.4. Timing Interfaces
    • 5.2.5. Media Element Interfaces
    • 5.2.6. Transition Interfaces
    • 5.2.7. Animation Interfaces
    • 5.2.8. Linking Interfaces
    • 5.2.9. Content Control Interfaces
  • 5.3. Media Player Interfaces
    • 5.3.1. Level 1 Interface
    • 5.3.2. Level 2 Interface
    • 5.3.3. Level 3 Interface
• 6. References