show-formats

Current Show Formats

1. This page has been prematurely created. See process.

2. Any microformat about a show, or video, or tv should be worked on within the context of media-metadata-examples, rather than creating new pages for it.

-Tantek

Authors

Charles Iliya Krempeaux

Introduction

What is a show? Think TV show. Although it doesn't have to be a TV show.

This page documents current formats used for what is called: Internet TV, IPTV, NewTube, vlogging, vidblogging, etc.

Current Practice

Any show microformat should be guided by current practice, in the wild, for specifying a show. Below are a list of known show formats currently found on the web.

Show Strawman #1

Single clip with a preview image. The clip is the full show.

   
    <a href="clip.mpeg"><img src="preview.png" /></a>
    

Show Strawman #2

Single clip with a preview image. The clip is the teaser of the full show. And there is a link that you can go to pay to see the full show.

   
    <a href="teaser.mpeg"><img src="preview.png" /></a>

    <a href="http://example.com/go">Pay to View</a>
    

Show Strawman #3

A show divided up in multiple clips, each with a preview image. Together the clips make up the show.

   
    <a href="clip-1.mpg"><img src="preview-1.png" /></a>

    <a href="clip-2.mpg"><img src="preview-2.png" /></a>

    <a href="clip-3.mpg"><img src="preview-3.png" /></a>
    

Show Strawman #4

A set of teasers for a show. Together they don't make up the full show. And the may or may not overlap in time. There's a "Pay to View" link there too.

   
    <a href="clip-blue.mpg"><img src="preview-blue.png" /></a>

    <a href="clip-red.mpg"><img src="preview-red.png" /></a>

    <a href="clip-green.mpg"><img src="preview-green.png" /></a>


    <a href="http://example.com/go">Pay to View</a>
    

Show Strawman #5

A single clip that comes in different formats. (Could be a teaser, a clip, or a full show.)

   
    <img src="preview.png" />
    <a href="clip.mpg">MPEG</a>
    <a href="clip.ogm">Ogg</a>
    <a href="clip.avi">AVI</a>
    

Show Strawman #6

A single preview image with the show given in 2 different methods. The first is the show broken up into a series of pieces (which makes it easier to download.) And the second is the full show in one file

   
    <img src="preview.png" />

    <a href="part-1.mpg">[1]</a>
    <a href="part-2.mpg">[2]</a>
    <a href="part-3.mpg">[3]</a>

    <a href="full.mpg">full</a>
    

Show Strawman #7

A single clip with a preview image. The title of the show is given with an image (and thus the actual machine-readable title is the alt attribute of the image) and is linked with the main URL for the show. There's also a link to older episodes of the show.

   
    <a href="..."><img src="the-name-of-the-show-png" alt="The Name of the Show" /></a>

    <a href="episode123-clip.mpeg"><img src="episode123-preview.png" /></a>

    <a href="older-shows">older shows</a>
    

Show Strawman #8

A series of clips with preview images. The title of the show is given with an image (and thus the actual machine-readable title is the alt attribute of the image) and is linked with the main URL for the show. There's also a links to older and news episodes of the show.

   
    <a href="..."><img src="the-name-of-the-show-png" alt="The Name of the Show" /></a>

    <a href="episode123-clip.mpeg"><img src="episode123-preview.png" /></a>
    <a href="episode122-clip.mpeg"><img src="episode122-preview.png" /></a>
    <a href="episode121-clip.mpeg"><img src="episode121-preview.png" /></a>
    <a href="episode120-clip.mpeg"><img src="episode120-preview.png" /></a>

    <a href="newer-shows">[next]</a>
    <a href="older-shows">[previous]</a>
    

Show Strawman #9

A series of preview images. The title of the show is given in text. A link to all the show's files via a torrent. Other metadata is also typically included too, in plain text; some is shown here. Also, sometimes metadata is put in the description.

   
    The Name of the Show

    <img src="preview1.png" />
    <img src="preview2.png" />

    <a href="show.torrent">...</a>

    Torrent Info Hash: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

    Description: blah blah blah .... here some URLs to previews...
                 blah blah blah .... this is 24 fps
                 blah blah blah

    Content: tag1, tag2, tag3

    Resolution: 320px x 240px

    Run Time: 24mins 57secs

    Size: 125.42 MB (131,509,108 bytes)

    Type: Movie Clip

    Published/Uploaded By: someone

    <a href="...">Link to page with list of files in torrent</a>
    <a href="...">Link to page with list of people on the torrent</a>
    

Orthogonal Concepts

Based on the strawman models above, we can derive the following orthogonal concepts:

• there's the concept of a "show"
• there's the concept of a "clip"
• there's the concept of a "preview" image. (maybe thumbnail would

be a better name.) there can be more than one of these. and this could be attributed to either the whole show, or to individual clips in the show.

• there's the concept of a "teaser"
• there's the concept of the "media file". (What the <a> tag's

"href" points to)

• If it is a teaser there is a "Pay to View" link
• show can divided up into multiple contiguous files
• teaser can be made up of multiple files
• alternatives of the same media
• you can combine all these

Discussion

Discussion for the show Microformat took place on the mailing list here:

http://microformats.org/discuss/mail/microformats-discuss/2005-December/002292.html (original post)

http://microformats.org/discuss/mail/microformats-discuss/2005-December/thread.html#2292 (thread)

Related

• microshow
• showroll-brainstorming
• media-metadata-examples
• video-metadata-model
• rel-enclosure
• rel-bookmark
• rel-alternate
• relpayment-research
• alternates-brainstorming
• alternates-examples
• Thoughts on Video and Audio Microformats (external)