Remote Playback API

[tidoust]

Hello TAG!

I'm requesting a TAG review of:

• Name: Remote Playback API
• Specification URL: https://w3c.github.io/remote-playback/
• Explainer, Requirements Doc, or Example code: See Use cases and Requirements document, and note the Introduction and Examples sections in the spec.
• Primary contacts: @avayvod, @mounirlamouri, @tidoust, @anssiko

Further details (optional):

• Relevant time constraints or deadlines: by end of 2016. The group intends to finalize the API beginning of 2017 and transition to CR then.
• I have read and filled out the Self-Review Questionnare on Security and Privacy. The Second Screen WG will run that evaluation in parallel. The spec does not contain a Privacy and Security section yet.
• I have reviewed the TAG's API Design Principles. I had not noticed this document before. The Remote Playback API seems to follow these principles.

The Remote Playback API is to media content what the Presentation API is to web content. Although the API is different (the Remote Playback API extends the HTMLMediaElement interface), the spec re-uses patterns and design consideration from the Presentation API whenever appropriate.

Work on the API is not over yet. The Second Screen WG does not anticipate major changes to the API surface though and believes now is a good time to gather wide review on the document. Known issues so far are considered minor, expect issue #41 which discusses the set of media playback features that remote playback devices must support and the impact of remoting playback on the observable behavior from the controlling page's perspective. The group welcomes feedback from the TAG on this issue. Let us know if you'd like us to go deeper into details.

For background, we mentioned the Remote Playback API (the spec did not have a name at the time) when we requested a TAG review of the Presentation API. The resulting TAG review contains some thoughts on "Presenting the content of an <audio> or <video> element" in particular.

We'd prefer the TAG provide feedback as (please select one):

• open issues in our Github repo for each point of feedback
• open a single issue in our Github repo for the entire review
• leave review feedback as a comment in this issue and @notify [github usernames]

(any of these options is fine in practice)

[tidoust]

FYI, initial security and privacy evaluation now done in w3c/remote-playback#67
The latest Editor's draft contains a Security and privacy section as well.

[cynthia]

Apologies for the delay, I'll be taking this on. Who in the group has time to have a chat about this? @avayvod, @mounirlamouri, @tidoust, @anssiko ?

[anssiko]

The editors @avayvod (UTC-05:00) and @mounirlamouri (UTC+00:00) are on the critical path with regard to answering detailed technical questions that may arise. They are also able to give an update on the implementation status as needed. I'm happy to join as well in the chair capacity (UTC+02:00).

The group does not hold frequent teleconferences, but we can organize a topic specific call for disseminating TAG feedback if that'd be deemed helpful.

[cynthia]

A formal call isn't necessarily needed for now, just had a couple casual questions (on the landscape of work being done in second screen, and somewhat related specs) to catch up on this - an informal chat on IRC to catch up on the backlog would be enough to prevent unnecessary nitpicking from me.

[cynthia]

In general LGTM, the one outstanding issue as been opened as w3c/remote-playback#74 .

[torgo]

Discussed and agreed on today's f2f.