video-info-examples

Video Info

The web has been incorporating multimedia into its pages ever since the release of the Mosaic web browser around 1993. In the late 1990s, video started to appear on the web. Even today (September 2007), it is difficult for a web browser to extract semantic information regarding video recordings from a web page. Information such as the director, title, comments regarding the video, popularity and permanent link location are readily available on the same web page that contains the link to the video file or the video player. The video-info exploratory discussion is an attempt to create a standard method of marking up metadata and information about one or more videos discussed on a web page. This may include short films, animation, television or movies.

The Problem

It is difficult for a browser to extract semantic information about video described on a web page. Metadata such as title, director, screen stills, description, duration, and categories provide relevant context for the video recording.

Having such information marked up can provide a number of benefits to the viewer. If a web browser understands that a particular web page contains a video created by a particular directory, it can produce richer interactions. For example, specific searches may be performed for directors and videos via general search services such as Google and Wikipedia. Specific search services may also be queried such as IMDB, The Internet Archive, or Bitmunk. Additionally, classification by crawlers can become more accurate. If there are 4 television episodes found on a page created by the same directory, and that content consumes a significant portion of the page, it can be assumed that the page is not only about television, but also about a particular director.

The video information need not be associated with a file. Note that video content (Sin City directed by Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez) is different from the video file format (1.5Mbps MPEG-4 with 320Kbps stereo MP3 audio track). The goal of this discussion is to create a Microformat draft for marking up video metadata and information.

Authors

• Manu Sporny, Bitmunk - Digital Bazaar, Inc. (PI, editor)

Contributors

• RodBegbie
• Tantek Çelik
• Mary Hodder
• Joshua Kinberg
• ChrisMessina
• Lisa Rein
• Chris Newell

Real-World Examples

• Video Sharing Communities Raw Microformalyze Data File
• Individual Video Publishers Raw Microformalyze Data File

Individual Publishing of Video

Properties

These properties are in alphabetical order and in no way represent the frequency of their use in the examples. The property names are also not final and probably will not be used when the Microformat vocabulary is decided. Deciding the vocabulary of the Microformat is not performed at this stage of examples collection and analysis. These property names and definitions are listed here in an attempt to keep the current and future example analysis teams using the same definitions for property names.

• bookmark - Add the video on the website to your bookmarked videos.
• category - The Category specifies the genre or style used to classify the video recording. Examples include: action, suspense, horror, clip, funny, or documentary.
• comments - Comments about the video.
• contributor - A Contributor is any entity that takes part in the creation and distribution of video. Examples include: director, movie company, grips, actors, etc..
• description - A description of the video content on the page.
• duration - The Duration specifies the length in time of the video recording. Examples include: 104 seconds, 3:23, and 4 minutes.
• email video url - URL specifying a mail to link.
• file size - The file size of the video.
• flash player - A flash player that plays back the video item.
• full download url - An Full Download URL specifies from where the full version of an video file may be retrieved. The URL MUST point to a direct link to a file.
• license - The license that the file is distributed under.
• number of comments - The total number of comments.
• number of views - The total number of times the video has been viewed.
• permalink url - A url that is a permalink to this video clip. The permalink URL MUST point to the web page that houses this video and might be different from the URL in your browser's address bar.
• post date - The date that a video was posted to the website.
• preview image - An Preview Image specifies an image that should be used to summarize the video recording. Examples include: the still image of some content, an DVD cover image, or a movie poster.
• real player - A real media player that plays back the video item.
• release date - The date that the video was made available to the general public.
• rss comments url - An RSS feed to the comments attached to the video.
• title - A short textual description used to identify the work among interested parties. This can be the title of a movie, television episode, or short description regarding a video clip.
• trackback url - The trackback URL lets you know who has linked to the current blog entry.

Examples

• Freevlog
  • Properties: post date, title, description, comments, preview image, category, contributor, rss comments url, trackback url, flash player, release date, license, bookmark

• Ryanne's Video Blog
  • Properties: contributor, rss comments url, full download url, permalink url, title, comments, post date, description, preview image, license, number of comments

• Artificial Eye
  • Properties: contributor, file size, trackback url, full download url, duration, permalink url, category, title, comments, post date, description, preview image

• It's JerryTime!
  • Properties: permalink url, title, comments, post date, description, preview image

• Bottom Union
  • Properties: rss comments url, trackback url, permalink url, category, title, comments, flash player, post date, description

• Rocketboom
  • Properties: full download url, category, title, comments, flash player, post date, release date, number of comments

• Chess Lodge
  • Properties: rss comments url, full download url, permalink url, category, title, comments, post date, description, preview image, number of views, email video url, number of comments

• PE Chesscast
  • Properties: title, post date, description, preview image, full download url, contributor, trackback url, number of comments, release date, email video url

• Steve Garfield's Blog
  • Properties: title, comments, post date, description, permalink url, category, preview image, full download url, contributor, flash player

• BBC News
  • category, description, preview image, real player, title

Analysis

• post date: 100.00%
• title: 100.00%
• description: 88.89%
• comments: 88.89%
• preview image: 77.78%
• category: 66.67%
• full download url: 66.67%
• permalink url: 66.67%
• contributor: 55.56%
• rss comments url: 44.44%
• trackback url: 44.44%
• flash player: 44.44%
• number of comments: 44.44%
• release date: 33.33%
• email video url: 22.22%
• license: 22.22%
• bookmark: 11.11%
• file size: 11.11%
• duration: 11.11%
• number of views: 11.11%

Video Sharing Communitites

Properties

These properties are in alphabetical order and in no way represent the frequency of their use in the examples. The property names are also not final and probably will not be used when the Microformat vocabulary is decided. Deciding the vocabulary of the Microformat is not performed at this stage of examples collection and analysis. These property names and definitions are listed here in an attempt to keep the current and future example analysis teams using the same definitions for property names.

• bookmark - Add the video on the website to your bookmarked videos.
• category - The Category specifies the genre or style used to classify the video recording. Examples include: action, suspense, horror, clip, funny, or documentary.
• comments - Comments about the video.
• content rating - The content rating is a rating on the maturity of the content. Some ratings include TV-UN, PG-13, R, X, or the like.
• contributor - A Contributor is any entity that takes part in the creation and distribution of video. Examples include: director, movie company, grips, actors, etc..
• description - A description of the video content on the page.
• duration - The Duration specifies the length in time of the video recording. Examples include: 104 seconds, 3:23, and 4 minutes.
• email video url - URL specifying a mail to link.
• embed - Action that allows the user to embed the content on their website.
• file size - The file size of the video.
• flash player - A flash player that plays back the video item.
• full download url - An Full Download URL specifies from where the full version of an video file may be retrieved. The URL MUST point to a direct link to a file.
• license - The license that the file is distributed under.
• number of comments - The total number of comments.
• number of views - The total number of times the video has been viewed.
• permalink url - A url that is a permalink to this video clip. The permalink URL MUST point to the web page that houses this video and might be different from the URL in your browser's address bar.
• popularity rating - A display of some kind showing how popular a particular clip is currently.
• post date - The date that a video was posted to the website.
• preview image - An Preview Image specifies an image that should be used to summarize the video recording. Examples include: the still image of some content, an DVD cover image, or a movie poster.
• price - The Price specifies the amount of currency that must be exchanged for acquisition of a full specimen of the video recording. Examples include: One Dollar, $2, and £4.
• purchase url - An Purchase URL specifies from where the full version of an video file may be purchased. The URL MUST point to a page that contains a purchase process.
• real player - A real media player that plays back the video item.
• related content - Video content that is similar to the content that is displayed on the web page.
• release date - The date that the video was released to the general public.
• report url - A url that is used to report something about the content.
• rss comments url - An RSS feed to the comments attached to the video.
• sample url - A Sample URL specifies from where an excerpt of the video file may be retrieved.
• title - A short textual description used to identify the work among interested parties. This can be the title of a movie, television episode, or short description regarding a video clip.

Examples

• Revver
  • Properties: title, post date, category, contributor, description, flash player, popularity rating, number of views, related content, permalink url, bookmark, embed, full download url

• Sclipo
  • Properties: title, post date, category, comments, preview image, contributor, flash player, description, popularity rating, number of views, related content, email video url, permalink url, number of comments, duration, embed, report url, purchase url, release date

• Bitmunk
  • Properties: title, post date, preview image, category, contributor, description, duration, full download url, purchase url, license, price

• Blip.tv
  • Properties: title, comments, post date, preview image, category, description, flash player, popularity rating, permalink url, full download url, report url, content rating, rss comments url, license

• YouTube
  • Properties: category, title, comments, popularity rating, preview image, description, post date, contributor, flash player, content rating, permalink url, report url, number of views, duration, number of comments

• Mefeedia
  • Properties: category, title, comments, popularity rating, preview image, description, post date, contributor, full download url, number of views, related content, email video url

• Vimeo
  • Properties: category, title, comments, popularity rating, preview image, description, post date, contributor, flash player, related content, email video url

• Daily Motion
  • Properties: category, title, comments, popularity rating, description, post date, contributor, flash player, permalink url, report url, number of views, related content, email video url, duration

• Google Video
  • Properties: title, comments, popularity rating, description, post date, contributor, flash player, preview image, report url, number of views, related content, email video url, full download url, duration

• VideoSift
  • Properties: category, title, comments, description, post date, contributor, flash player, preview image, number of views, related content, email video url, rss comments url, number of comments, bookmark

• Footbag Videos
  • Properties: title, full download url, duration

• Break
  • Properties: category, title, comments, popularity rating, description, post date, contributor, flash player, preview image, number of views, related content, number of comments, bookmark

• College Humor
  • Properties: category, title, comments, popularity rating, post date, flash player, preview image, permalink url, related content, email video url, number of comments, embed

• Ebaums World
  • Properties: category, title, comments, contributor, flash player, preview image, permalink url, number of views, related content, email video url, number of comments, bookmark

• Holy Lemon
  • Properties: title, comments, popularity rating, post date, preview image, number of views, related content, number of comments, embed

• Crooks and Liars
  • Properties: category, title, comments, popularity rating, description, post date, contributor, flash player, preview image, permalink url, email video url, number of comments

• Yahoo Video
  • Properties: category, title, comments, popularity rating, description, post date, contributor, flash player, preview image, report url, number of views, email video url, duration, bookmark, embed

• MySpace Video
  • Properties: category, title, comments, popularity rating, description, post date, contributor, flash player, preview image, permalink url, report url, number of views, related content, email video url, duration, number of comments, bookmark, embed

• AOL Video Blog
  • Properties: category, title, comments, description, post date, contributor, flash player, preview image, permalink url, number of views, email video url, number of comments, bookmark

• Heavy
  • Properties: category, title, comments, popularity rating, description, post date, contributor, flash player, preview image, permalink url, number of views, related content

• iFilm
  • Properties: category, title, comments, popularity rating, description, post date, contributor, flash player, preview image, permalink url, number of views, related content, email video url, number of comments, bookmark, purchase url

• Metacafe
  • Properties: category, title, comments, popularity rating, description, post date, contributor, flash player, preview image, number of views, email video url, content rating, number of comments, bookmark, sample url

• Atom Films
  • Properties: category, title, comments, popularity rating, description, post date, contributor, flash player, preview image, permalink url, number of views, duration, number of comments, bookmark, embed

• Veoh
  • Properties: category, title, comments, popularity rating, description, post date, contributor, flash player, preview image, permalink url, number of views, related content, email video url, full download url, number of comments, file size, bookmark, embed

• BBC Video Nation
  • Properties: category, comments, contributor, description, duration, post date, preview image, real player, title

Analysis

• title: 100.00%
• post date: 91.67%
• category: 87.50%
• comments: 87.50%
• preview image: 87.50%
• contributor: 83.33%
• description: 83.33%
• flash player: 83.33%
• popularity rating: 79.17%
• number of views: 75.00%
• related content: 62.50%
• email video url: 62.50%
• permalink url: 58.33%
• number of comments: 58.33%
• bookmark: 45.83%
• duration: 37.50%
• embed: 33.33%
• full download url: 29.17%
• report url: 29.17%
• content rating: 12.50%
• purchase url: 12.50%
• rss comments url: 8.33%
• license: 8.33%
• file size: 4.17%
• release date: 4.17%
• sample url: 4.17%
• price: 4.17%

Video Sites Needing Analysis

• Sclipo - http://sclipo.com/video/how-to-make-pesto-its-so-easy_2
• SoapBox - http://soapbox.msn.com/
• vidshadow - http://vidshadow.com/
• 5 Min Life Videopedia - http://www.5min.com/
• Stage 6 - http://stage6.divx.com/
• TeacherTube - http://www.teachertube.com/
• VideoJug - http://www.videojug.com/
• Funny Or Die - http://www.funnyordie.com/
• SciVee - http://www.scivee.tv/

Video Metadata without the hosting

• TIOTI - http://tioti.com/
• Wikipedia (Infobox for Television) - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Infobox_Television

What about video bookmarking sites?

• http://dabble.com/
• http://yuxt.com/
• http://www.gogooroo.com
• http://www.ulinkx.com/
• http://www.uvouch.com/
• http://www.searchles.com/misc/help/searchles.tv
• http://www.canlook.com
• http://www.myvidster.com/
• http://www.vookmark.com/
• http://www.folkd.com/
• http://www.vodpod.com/
• http://www.videohybrid.com/
• http://www.mesmo.tv/
• http://www.ffwd.com

Existing Practices

Listed below is an overview of existing patterns and practices found in the wild for audio information and metadata.

Other schema

Note: This section needs to be moved to video-info-formats, as that is the purpose of the -formats page for an effort, to document previous/current attempts at defining formats for the effort.

• MPEG-4 - includes list of field names, for example "Genre", "Track number", "Disk number".

• TV-Anytime - provides an extensive XML schema for describing Audio/Video content based on the MPEG-7 standard.
• ISAN/ISO 15706 provides a basic metadata schema. For example title and list of cast members.

Other attempts to solve The Problem

• media-info-examples - Attempted to find an uber-microformat for describing media. Turned out to be too large of a task, thus the problem was split into attempting to create microformats for audio, video and images.