DVB-TVA metadata schemas
Broadcast and On-line Services: Search, select, and rightful use of content (“TV-Anytime”); Part 3: Metadata; Sub-part 1: Phase 1 – Metadata schemas
Scope
The present document is one in a series of Technical Specifications produced by the TV-Anytime Forum. These documents establish the fundamental specifications for the services, systems and devices that will conform to the TV-Anytime standard, to a level of detail that is implementable for compliant products and services.
As is common practice in such standardization efforts, these specifications were preceded by requirements documents which define the requirements for the TV-Anytime services, systems and devices.
ETSI TS 102 822-1 [4] and ETSI TS 102 822-2 [5] set the context and system architecture in which the standards for Metadata, Content referencing, Bi-directional metadata and Metadata protection are to be implemented in the TV-Anytime environment. ETSI TS 102 822-1 [4] provides Phase 1 and Phase 2 benchmark business models against which the TV-Anytime system architecture is evaluated to ensure that the specification enable key business applications. ETSI TS 102 822-2 [5] presents the TV-Anytime System Architecture. These two documents are placed ahead of the others for their obvious introductory value. Note that these first two documents are largely informative, while the remainder of the series is normative.
Although each in the series of documents is intended to stand alone, a complete and coherent sense of the TV-Anytime system standard can be gathered by reading all parts of this multi-part deliverable in numerical order.
The present document deals with Metadata Phase 1 features of the TV-Anytime specification as identified in ETSI TS 102 822-1 [4].
The term “metadata” is used to mean descriptive data about content, such as programme title and synopsis. Such metadata are called “attractors” because they can attract a consumer to content. Attractors allow consumers to find, navigate and manage content from various sources. In addition to attractors, metadata as defined by TV-Anytime also includes information about user preferences and history. User preference information, such as favourite actors or TV shows, is included within the scope of TV-Anytime metadata to allow software agents to select content on the consumer’s behalf.
The formal definitions of metadata schemas should be read in conjunction with the system specification ETSI TS 102 822-2 [5] defining how they could be used in an end-to-end system.
TV-Anytime only defines the metadata format for metadata that may be exchanged between various entities such as between the content provider and consumer, among consumers, or between a third-party metadata provider and the consumer.
There are two sub-parts to ETSI TS 102 822-3 addressing Phase 1:
- In sub-part 1, XML is the “representation format” used to define the schemas of the TV-Anytime Metadata Specification (the present document). Although XML Schema is used to define how metadata is represented in XML, it can also be used to describe equivalent, non-XML representations of the same metadata.
- Sub-part 2 of the TV-Anytime Metadata Specification (ETSI TS 102 822-3-2 [6]) addresses the formatting of metadata including a recommended binary format, fragmentation, encapsulation of fragments and indexing of metadata descriptions. ETSI TS 102 822-2 [5] defines how these schemas are used in an end-to-end system. Although the transport of metadata is out of scope of TV-Anytime, requirements have been identified. Other bodies such as DVB, ATSC and ARIB will specify the appropriate transport mechanisms for their respective systems. Furthermore, the manner in which metadata is stored, accessed and used on the PDR is also out of scope of the present document.
