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Timed tracks: Difference between revisions

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(Fixing merely the most obvious errors. Fixing the whole list would take all week)
(Fixing some mistakes Joe made)
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See also [[use cases for timed tracks rendered over video by the UA]], [[use cases for API-level access to timed tracks]].
See also [[use cases for timed tracks rendered over video by the UA]], [[use cases for API-level access to timed tracks]].
PLEASE DO NOT DIRECTLY MODIFY THIS PAGE, AS IT IS JUST HIXIE'S NOTES. IF YOU WANT TO CONTRIBUTE TO THIS PAGE, EITHER ADD EXAMPLES OF REAL-WORLD USE CASES TO THE TWO PAGES ABOVE, OR E-MAIL HIXIE OR THE LIST.


== Requirements ==
== Requirements ==
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=== Subtitle/Caption/Karaoke File Format ===
=== Subtitle/Caption/Karaoke File Format ===


==== Structure ====
* per-cue in/out times
 
* multiple rendered titles
* per-segment time in/out cues
* inline time cues for karaoke
* inline time cues for karaoke
* bidi, newlines, ruby
* bidi, newlines, ruby, italics [there's been no evidence provided that there's any need for more fine-grained control at a per-cue level]
* full typographic features
* voice selection (so that e.g. sfx descriptions and each character can be a different colour)
* positioning
* pre cue vertical position: top/middle/bottom/% (default bottom)
 
* pre cue horizontal position: left/center/right/% (default center for subtitles, left for captions)
==== Positioning ====
* per cue text alignment: horizontal text: left, right, center; vertical text: top, middle, bottom
* display modes
** replace previous text (pop-up)
** scroll previous text up and add to bottom (roll-up)
** incremental text for live captions, if we support those
* multiple cues placed in adjacent places (e.g. from different voices or with slightly different times) would need to automatically stack so they don't overlap


* vertical: top/middle/bottom/absolute/relative (default bottom)
(Percentage positions would work like background-position in CSS.)
* horizontal: left/center/right/absolute/relative (default center for subtitles only)
* text alignment: horizontal text: left, right, center, at tab stop; vertical text: top, middle, bottom, at tab stop
* display modes: replace previous text, add to previous text, scroll previous text up and add to bottom, paint text on to create single block, clear screen


Multiple voices placed in adjacent places would need to automatically stack so they don't overlap. Multiple segments with overlapping times would need to be stacked so they don't overlap.
==== Formatting ====
 
(Relative positions could work like background-position in CSS.)
 
==== Typography ====


===== Inline =====
===== Inline =====
* text should be bidi-aware
* horizontal and vertical text directions, with changes of same, must be supported
* horizontal and vertical text directions, with changes of same, must be supported
* some cases use ruby
* some cases use ruby
* italics and typeface changes (and, rarely, underlining and small caps) necessary
* some cases use italics


===== Global =====
===== Global =====
* color (foreground, background mask, drop shadow, outline, other)  is needed for readability on different types of video
* color of background/text/outline is needed for readability on different types of video.
* cannot ship without native ability to create and alter background mask, which is not the largest rectangle that can be drawn around all displayed text
* webfonts is needed to provide high quality subtitles in some non-Latin languages (e.g. Chinese where a suitable font is unlikely to be available even on Chinese computer systems).
* Webfonts desirable
* providing a pseudo-element to style each voice would likely be sufficient for authors who want overall formatting control (this would also allow user overrides conveniently)
* providing a classname to style each voice could likely be sufficient for authors who want overall formatting control (this would also allow user overrides conveniently)
 
=== Audio Description ===
 
Cannot work from the assumption that we are providing only a script for a computer to read out loud, a use case never attempted in the real world. Actual audio descriptions are prerecorded voices mixed into main audio. Redefining the spec to pretend that a script for a computer to read aloud constitutes “audio description” stands to be rejected by actual blind users.
 
=== Dubbing ===
 
If our spec defines audio description (added audio track), it must also define dubbing (another added audio track).
 
=== Combinations ===
 
All combinations of features must be possible and no combination must be banned. Common use cases include:
 
* dubbing with captioning
* dubbing with subtitling
* captioning with subtitling
* audio description with dubbing
* audio description with captioning
* audio description with subtitling


=== HTML ===
=== HTML ===
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* format for external subtitles/captions
* format for external subtitles/captions
* format for external audio description
* format for external audio descriptions
* some mechanism for text in the page to be used instead of external files, for subtitles/captions or audio description
* some mechanism for text in the page to be used instead of external files, for subtitles/captions or audio description
* an API to allow a segment to be dynamically inserted into the rendering on the fly
* an API to allow a segment to be dynamically inserted into the rendering on the fly
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* native rendering of subtitles
* native rendering of subtitles
* native rendering of audio description
* native rendering of audio descriptions
* native rendering of multiple audio or video tracks, to allow pre-recorded audio description to be mixed in and sign language video to be overlaid
* native rendering of multiple audio or video tracks, to allow pre-recorded audio descriptions to be mixed in and sign language video to be overlaid
* a way to hook into this to manually render timed tracks
* a way to hook into this to manually render timed tracks


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<img src="http://docs.google.com/drawings/pub?id=1GR6Pzq0GY2n1sx_ZjDfuICM2LnXxLVxzvyl4kuQy-48&w=640&h=480">
<img src="http://docs.google.com/drawings/pub?id=1GR6Pzq0GY2n1sx_ZjDfuICM2LnXxLVxzvyl4kuQy-48&w=640&h=480">


Somebody needs to write an alt text for this image.


=== Declaring timed tracks ===
=== Declaring timed tracks ===
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Each timed track has a kind which is one of:
Each timed track has a kind which is one of:
* for visual display (subtitles, captions, translations), enabled based on user preferences, shows in video playback area
* for visual display (subtitles, captions, translations), enabled based on user preferences, shows in video playback area
* for audio playback (audio description, dubbing), enabled based on user preferences, renders as audio
* for audio playback (text audio descriptions), enabled based on user preferences, renders as audio
* for navigation (chapter titles), enabled by default, shows in UA UI
* for navigation (chapter titles), enabled by default, shows in UA UI
* for off-video display (lyrics), disabled by default in this version, not shown by UA
* for off-video display (lyrics), disabled by default in this version, not shown by UA
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The media resource can also imply certain timed tracks based on data in the media resource.
The media resource can also imply certain timed tracks based on data in the media resource.


The script can also add “virtual” timed tracks dynamically.
The script can also add "virtual" timed tracks dynamically.


=== Format for visual titles ===
...


=== CSS extensions for styling captions ===
=== CSS extensions for styling captions ===


[TK]
...


=== DOM API ===
=== DOM API ===


[TK]
...


=== Other minor things ===
=== Other minor things ===
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== Open issues ==
== Open issues ==


* How do we handle sign-language tracks?
How do we handle sign-language tracks?
* Do we handle multiple alternate audio tracks from this or is that restricted to in-band data? (in the media resource)
 
Do we handle multiple alternate audio tracks from this or is that restricted to in-band data? (in the media resource)

Revision as of 18:52, 21 April 2010

This page contains notes for the development of the first version of timed track features in HTML.

See also use cases for timed tracks rendered over video by the UA, use cases for API-level access to timed tracks.

PLEASE DO NOT DIRECTLY MODIFY THIS PAGE, AS IT IS JUST HIXIE'S NOTES. IF YOU WANT TO CONTRIBUTE TO THIS PAGE, EITHER ADD EXAMPLES OF REAL-WORLD USE CASES TO THE TWO PAGES ABOVE, OR E-MAIL HIXIE OR THE LIST.

Requirements

Subtitle/Caption/Karaoke File Format

  • per-cue in/out times
  • inline time cues for karaoke
  • bidi, newlines, ruby, italics [there's been no evidence provided that there's any need for more fine-grained control at a per-cue level]
  • voice selection (so that e.g. sfx descriptions and each character can be a different colour)
  • pre cue vertical position: top/middle/bottom/% (default bottom)
  • pre cue horizontal position: left/center/right/% (default center for subtitles, left for captions)
  • per cue text alignment: horizontal text: left, right, center; vertical text: top, middle, bottom
  • display modes
    • replace previous text (pop-up)
    • scroll previous text up and add to bottom (roll-up)
    • incremental text for live captions, if we support those
  • multiple cues placed in adjacent places (e.g. from different voices or with slightly different times) would need to automatically stack so they don't overlap

(Percentage positions would work like background-position in CSS.)

Formatting

Inline
  • text should be bidi-aware
  • horizontal and vertical text directions, with changes of same, must be supported
  • some cases use ruby
  • some cases use italics
Global
  • color of background/text/outline is needed for readability on different types of video.
  • webfonts is needed to provide high quality subtitles in some non-Latin languages (e.g. Chinese where a suitable font is unlikely to be available even on Chinese computer systems).
  • providing a pseudo-element to style each voice would likely be sufficient for authors who want overall formatting control (this would also allow user overrides conveniently)

HTML

  • an API and UI for exposing what timed tracks exist and selectively enabling/disabling them
  • format for external subtitles/captions
  • format for external audio descriptions
  • some mechanism for text in the page to be used instead of external files, for subtitles/captions or audio description
  • an API to allow a segment to be dynamically inserted into the rendering on the fly
  • an API for exposing what the currently relevant segments of each timed track are
  • a way to hook into this mechanism to advance slides
  • native rendering of subtitles
  • native rendering of audio descriptions
  • native rendering of multiple audio or video tracks, to allow pre-recorded audio descriptions to be mixed in and sign language video to be overlaid
  • a way to hook into this to manually render timed tracks


Architecture

<img src="http://docs.google.com/drawings/pub?id=1GR6Pzq0GY2n1sx_ZjDfuICM2LnXxLVxzvyl4kuQy-48&w=640&h=480">


Declaring timed tracks

Each timed track is either:

  • enabled, in which case it is downloaded, triggers events, and if appropriate is rendered by the user agent; or
  • disabled, in which case it does nothing

The enabled/disabled state is by default based on user preferences and the kind of timed track as described below, but can be overridden on a per-track basis.

Each timed track has a kind which is one of:

  • for visual display (subtitles, captions, translations), enabled based on user preferences, shows in video playback area
  • for audio playback (text audio descriptions), enabled based on user preferences, renders as audio
  • for navigation (chapter titles), enabled by default, shows in UA UI
  • for off-video display (lyrics), disabled by default in this version, not shown by UA
  • for metadata (slide timings, annotation data for app-rendered annotations), enabled by default, not shown by UA

Tracks that are for visual display or audio playback have additionally a user-facing label and a language.

Tracks that are for visual display have an additional boolean indicating if they include sound effects and speaker identification (intended for the deaf, hard of hearing, or people with sound muted) or not (i.e. translations intended for people with audio enabled but who cannot understand the language, or karaoke lyrics).

Each timed track associated with a media resource, like the media resource itself, can have multiple sources.

Each source for a timed track has:

  • URL
  • type (if there are multiple sources)
  • media

The media resource can also imply certain timed tracks based on data in the media resource.

The script can also add "virtual" timed tracks dynamically.

Format for visual titles

...

CSS extensions for styling captions

...

DOM API

...

Other minor things

We need to make sure that media playback is paused until all enabled timed tracks are locally available.

Open issues

How do we handle sign-language tracks?

Do we handle multiple alternate audio tracks from this or is that restricted to in-band data? (in the media resource)