Network Working Group                                         P. Hoschka
INTERNET DRAFT
Request for Comments: 4536                                           W3C
Category: Informational                                         May 2006

       The application/smil and application/smil+xml Media Types

   By submitting this Internet-Draft, each author represents that any
   applicable patent or other IPR claims

Status of which he or she is aware
   have been or will be disclosed, and any This Memo

   This memo provides information for the Internet community.  It does
   not specify an Internet standard of which he or she becomes
   aware will be disclosed, in accordance with Section 6 any kind.  Distribution of BCP 79. this
   memo is unlimited.

Copyright Notice

   Copyright (C) The Internet Society (2006).

Abstract

   This document specifies the Media Type media type for versions 1.0, 2.0 2.0, and 2.1
   of the Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language (SMIL 1.0, SMIL
   2.0, SMIL 2.1).  SMIL allows integration of a set of independent
   multimedia objects into a synchronized multimedia presentation.

1.  Introduction

   The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) has issued specifications which that
   define versions 1 1.0 [1], 2 2.0 [2] and 2.1 [3] of the Synchronized
   Multimedia Integration Language (SMIL).  This memo provides
   information about the application/smil and application/smil+xml Media Types. media
   types.

   The definition is based on RFC3023 defining RFC 3023, which defines the use of the
   "application/xml" media type [4].  Before using the
   "application/smil" or "application/smil+xml" media type, implementors
   must thus be familiar with [4].

2.  Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language

   SMIL allows integrating a set of independent multimedia objects into
   a synchronized multimedia presentation.  Using SMIL, an author can

   1.describe

   1. describe the temporal behavior of the presentation
   2.describe presentation,
   2. describe the layout of the presentation on a screen
   3.associate screen,
   3. associate hyperlinks with media objects
   4.define objects, and
   4. define conditional content inclusion/exclusion based on
      system/network properties properties.

3.  Registration Information

   To: ietf-types@iana.org
   Subject:

3.1.  Registration of MIME media type application/smil

   MIME media type name: application

   MIME subtype name: smil

   Required parameters: none

   Optional parameters:

      charset

         Same as charset parameter considerations of application/xml in
         RFC
   3023 3023.

      profile

         See Section 5 of this document.

   Encoding considerations:

      Same as encoding considerations of application/xml in RFC 3023

   Security considerations: see See Section "6. Security Considerations" below 6, "Security Considerations", of
   this document.

   Interoperability considerations:

      SMIL documents contain links to other media objects.  The SMIL
      player must be able to decode the media types of these media in
      order to display the whole document.  To increase
      interoperability, SMIL has provisions for including alternate
      versions of a media object in a document.

   Published specification: see See [1], [2] [2], and [3]

   Applications which use this media type:

      SMIL players and editors
   Additional information:

      Semantics of fragment identifiers in URIs: The SMIL media type
      allows a fragment identifier to be appended to a URI pointing to a
      SMIL resource (e.g. (e.g., http://www.example.com/test.smil#foo).  The
      semantics of fragment identifiers for SMIL resources are defined
      in the SMIL specification.

   Magic number(s):

      There is no single initial byte sequence that is always present
      for SMIL files.  However, Section 4 below of this document gives some
      guidelines for recognizing SMIL files.

   File extension(s): .smil, .smi, .sml

   NOTE: On the Windows operating system and the Macintosh platform, the
   ".smi" extension is used by other formats.  To avoid conflicts, it is
   thus recommended to use the extension ".smil" for storing SMIL files
   on these platforms.

   Macintosh File Type Code(s): "TEXT", ".SMI", "SMIL"

   Object Identifier(s) or OID(s): none

   Person & email address to contact for further information:

   The author of this memo.

   Intended usage: OBSOLETE

   Author/Change controller:

   The SMIL specification is a work product of the World Wide Web
   Consortium's SYMM Working Group.

   The W3C has change control over the specification.

To: ietf-types@iana.org
Subject:

3.2.  Registration of MIME media type application/smil+xml

   MIME media type name: application

   MIME subtype name: smil+xml

   Required parameters: see See registration of application/smil application/smil.

   Optional parameters: see See registration of application/smil application/smil.

   Encoding considerations: see See registration of application/smil application/smil.

   Security considerations: see See Section "6. Security Considerations" below 6, "Security Considerations", of
   this document

   Interoperability considerations: see See registration of application/smil
   application/smil.

   Published specification: see See registration of application/smil application/smil.

   Applications which use this media type: see See registration of
application/smil
   application/smil.

   Additional information: see See registration of application/smil application/smil.

   Magic number(s): see See registration of application/smil application/smil.

   File extension(s): see See registration of application/smil application/smil.

   Macintosh File Type Code(s): see See registration of application/smil application/smil.

   Object Identifier(s) or OID(s): see See registration of application/smil application/smil.

   Person & email address to contact for further information: see See
   registration of application/smil application/smil.

   Intended usage: COMMON

   Author/Change controller: see See registration of application/smil application/smil.

4.  Recognizing SMIL files Files

   All SMIL files will have the string "<smil" near the beginning of the
   file.  Some will also begin with an XML declaration which that begins with
   "<?xml", though that alone does not indicate a SMIL document.

   All SMIL 2.0 files must include a declaration of the SMIL 2.0
   namespace.  This should appear shortly after the string "<smil", and
   should read 'xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2001/SMIL20/Language"'.

   All SMIL 2.1 files must include a declaration of a SMIL 2.1
   namespace, appearing shortly after the string "<smil".  The namespace
   string depends on the language profile.  Please refer to the SMIL 2.1
   specification for the definition of therelevant the relevant namespace names.

5.  The "profile" optional parameter Optional Parameter

   This parameter is meant to be used in MIME media type based media-type-based content
   negotiation (such as that done with the HTTP "Accept" header) to
   negotiate for a variety of SMIL based SMIL-based languages.  It is modelled
   after the "profile" parameter in the application/xhtml+xml MIME type
   registration [5], [5] and is motivated by very similar considerations.

   The parameter is intended to be used only during content negotiation.
   It is not expected that it be used to deliver content, or that origin
   web servers have any knowledge of it (though they are welcome to).
   It is primarily targetted targeted for use on the network by proxies in the
   HTTP chain that manipulate data formats (such as transcoders).

   The value of the profile attribute is a URI that can be used as a
   name to identify a language.  Though the URI need not be resolved in
   order to be useful as a name, it could be a namespace, schema, or a
   language specification.

   As an

   For example, user agents supporting only SMIL Basic (see
   http://www.w3.org/TR/smil20/smil-basic.html) currently have no
   standard means to convey their inability to fully support SMIL 2.0.
   While SMIL 2.0 Basic user agents are required to parse the full SMIL
   2.0 language, there is potentially a substantial burden in receiving
   and parsing document content that will not be presented to the user,
   since its functionality is not included in SMIL Basic.

   In the future, the functionality afforded by this parameter will also
   be achievable by the emerging work on a protocol to transfer CC/PP
   Composite Capability/Preferences Profiles (CC/PP) descriptions [6].
   It is suggested that the "profile" parameter be used until the CC/PP
   protocol work has been finalized.

   An example use of this parameter as part of a HTTP GET transaction
   would be:

        Accept: application/smil+xml;
           profile="http://www.w3.org/2001/SMIL20/HostLanguage"

6.  Security Considerations

   SMIL documents contain a construct that allows "infinite loops".
   This is indispensable for a multimedia format.  However, SMIL clients
   should foresee provisions such as a "stop" button that lets users
   interrupt such an "infinite loop".

   As with HTML, SMIL documents contain links to other media
   (images,sounds, (images,
   sounds, videos, text, ...) etc.), and those links are typically followed
   automatically by software, resulting in the transfer of files without
   the explicit request of the user for each one.  The security
   considerations of each linked file are those of the individual
   registered types.

   The SMIL language contains "switch" elements.  SMIL provides no
   mechanism that assures ensures that the media objects contained in a "switch"
   element provide equivalent information.  An author knowing that one
   SMIL player will display one alternative of a "switch" and another
   will display a different part, part can put different information in the
   two parts.  While there are legitimate use cases for this, this it also
   gives rise to a security consideration: The author can fool viewers
   into thinking that the same information was displayed when in fact it
   was not.

   In addition, all of the security considerations of RFC3023 RFC 3023 also
   apply to SMIL.

7.  Normative References

   [1]  "Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language (SMIL) 1.0
        Specification", W3C Recommendation REC-smil-19980615,
        http://www.w3.org/TR/1998/REC-smil/, July 1998.

   [2] "Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language (SMIL 2.0) -
        [Second Edition]", W3C Recommendation,
        http://www.w3.org/TR/2005/REC-SMIL2-20050107/, January 2005.

   [3] "Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language (SMIL 2.1)", W3C
        Recommendation, http://www.w3.org/TR/2005/REC-SMIL2-20051213/,
        December 2005.

   [4]  M.  Murata, S. St.Laurent, M., St. Laurent, S., and D. Kohn E. Kohn, "XML Media Types", RFC
        3023, January 2001.

8. Non-normative  Informative References

   [5]  M.  Baker, M. and P. Stark. Stark, "The 'application/xhtml+xml' Media
        Type", RFC 3236, January 2002.

   [6]  H. Ohto, J. Hjelm, G. Klyne, M. Butler, L. Tran, F. Reynolds, C.
        Woodrow "Composite Capability/Preferences Profiles (CC/PP):
        Structure and Vocabularies 1.0", W3C Recommendation
        http://www.w3.org/TR/CCPP-struct-vocab/, January 2004.

8.

Author's Address

   Philipp Hoschka
   W3C/ERCIM
   2004, route des Lucioles - B.P. 93
   06902 Sophia Antipolis Cedex
   FRANCE

   EMail: ph@w3.org

Full Copyright Statement

   Copyright (C) The Internet Society (2006) (2006).

   This document is subject to the rights, licenses and restrictions
   contained in BCP 78, and except as set forth therein, the authors
   retain all their rights.

   This document and the information contained herein are provided on an
   "AS IS" basis and THE CONTRIBUTOR, THE ORGANIZATION HE/SHE REPRESENTS
   OR IS SPONSORED BY (IF ANY), THE INTERNET SOCIETY AND THE INTERNET
   ENGINEERING TASK FORCE DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED,
   INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY WARRANTY THAT THE USE OF THE
   INFORMATION HEREIN WILL NOT INFRINGE ANY RIGHTS OR ANY IMPLIED
   WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

   Internet-Drafts are working documents

Intellectual Property

   The IETF takes no position regarding the validity or scope of any
   Intellectual Property Rights or other rights that might be claimed to
   pertain to the implementation or use of the Internet Engineering
   Task Force (IETF), its areas, and its working groups.  Note technology described in
   this document or the extent to which any license under such rights
   might or might not be available; nor does it represent that
   other groups may also distribute working documents as
   Internet-Drafts.

   Internet-Drafts are draft it has
   made any independent effort to identify any such rights.  Information
   on the procedures with respect to rights in RFC documents valid for a maximum can be
   found in BCP 78 and BCP 79.

   Copies of six
   months IPR disclosures made to the IETF Secretariat and may any
   assurances of licenses to be updated, replaced, made available, or obsoleted by other
   documents at any time.  It is inappropriate the result of an
   attempt made to obtain a general license or permission for the use Internet-
   Drafts as reference material of
   such proprietary rights by implementers or to cite them other than as
   "work in progress."

   The list users of current Internet-Drafts this
   specification can be accessed obtained from the IETF on-line IPR repository at
   http://www.ietf.org/ietf/1id-abstracts.txt
   http://www.ietf.org/ipr.

   The list of Internet-Draft Shadow Directories can IETF invites any interested party to bring to its attention any
   copyrights, patents or patent applications, or other proprietary
   rights that may cover technology that may be accessed required to implement
   this standard.  Please address the information to the IETF at
   http://www.ietf.org/shadow.html.

Expiration Date: August 2006
   ietf-ipr@ietf.org.

Acknowledgement

   Funding for the RFC Editor function is provided by the IETF
   Administrative Support Activity (IASA).