Design of an Integrated Web browser for Digital TVs

Soosun Cho*, Jun-SeokPark** *Dept. of Computer Science, Chungju National University 123 Iryu Chungju Chungbuk, Korea **Post PC Research Group, Digital Home Research Division. ETEU 184 Gajung Yusong Daejon, Korea *sscho@chungju.ac.kr , **parkjs@etri.re.kr

Abstract - In a digital era, merging broadcasting and telecommunicationis a general tendency worldwide. Specially, at B dipihl home, a digital TV can take a position as a core device by providing the integrated facilities which support broadcasting merged with the Internet This paper presents a design of an integrated web browser for these facilities which supports digital
data broadcasting and digital home conventional web browsing.
as well Is

has the conventional web browser features such as supporting H n P protocol, HTML parsing, CSS and Java Script engine. Our web browser also includes the agent functions of data broadcasting as well as ~ V - ~ functions~ such~ d ~ l ~ as picture-in-picture, semi-transparent video, etc. Moreover, it provides the features of interfaces for digital home networking.

Ktyvords Web browser, Data broadcasting, ACAP, home networking interface, CEA-2027

2. Data Broadcasting Standards

Specifications of data broadcasting can be divided into transport specifications and representation specifications. From the viewpoint of transport, digital data broadcasting standards provide aspects of interactive content carriage in digital TV broadcast. In the hierarchy of layers for carrylng interactive content in a digital TV broadcast, the physical layer would be the modulation method used to carry the MPEG-2 Transport Stream. Within the MPEG-2 Transport Stream, the information is further divided into packets that are labeled by data type such as video, audio, data, conditional access, etc[23. For the design of integrated web browser, we have interested in representation specifications. Standards of the data broadcasting have been developed as parts of DVB or ATSC. European digital TV standard, DVB includes Multimedia Home Platform (MHP) specification[3]. MHP defines a concept of an application which is a group of related pieces of content which have been assembled with the intent of being presented to the end user of the MHP receiver together[4]. MHP allows DVB-HTML .applications and DVB-.f applications. For the content of DVB-HTML application, MFP defines a declarative language DVB-HTML[5] which consists of XHML instead of HTML and DVB-CSS, modified CSS2. It supports also ECMAScripts and XMLl.0. DVB-J application is the Java application which consists of Java classes. The DVB-MHP technology influenced other succeeding standards. The standard platform of digital cable TV, Opencable Application Platform (OCAP)[6] accommodates the greater part of DVE-MHP and allows presentation applications which include HTML4.01, XHTMLl .O, CSSl&2, ECMAScript3, and XMLl.0. On the other hand, the North American digital TV standard, ATCS has developed DTV Application Software Environment (DASE) standard[7], which defines XDML as a subset of XHTML and allows modified CSSZ, and ECMAScript. But recently, ATSC throws away DASE and

1. Introduction
Recently, as a result of rapid delivery of digital TVs,there are increasing needs for the data broadcasting which supports bi-directional broadcast, a well as intrinsic functions of s digital TVs such as high-quality video and audio. The new term data broadcasting means diverse, personalized, and interactive multimedia service using digital technology[I 3. This data broadcasting service may change the viewers pattern From passive to active one. Data broadcasting is related to interactive television technology. Interactive television has been around for many years before appearance of digital TVs, but has been handicapped by the limited capacity of analog delivery. The transition to digital television broadcasting infrastructure around the world provides increased flexibility and greater downstream data rates to support interactive television contents and services[2]. Because merging broadcasting and telecommunication is a general tendency in the world, in order for digital TV to take a position as a core dewce at a digital home, it should provide the integrated facilities which support broadcasting merged with the Intemet. In addition, if the digital TV has the functions for interfaces to digital home networking, it would be more powerful device for broadcasting, Kntemet, and home networking. Thus there have been some approaches to help enable users to view and interact with their choice of services on their digital TV through a home network. In this paper, we introduce the design of a web browser for the digital TV as a core device in a digital home. To support new technologies for the data broadcasting and web-based home networking, we have stydied the trends of international standards of related technologies. And the newest standards are taken to support features of our integrated web browser. It

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chooses the Advanced Common Application Platform (ACAP) standard[gj, which allows XHTMLKSSDOM application, ACAP-X and Java application, ACAP-J. ACAP system on ACAP terminal consists of ACAP-J environment, ACAP-X environment, and ACAP-C subsystem required on cable. In this paper, we design a web browser including agent for ACAP-X applications because Ministry of Information and Communication in Korea announced that the ACAP standard would be taken for the terrestrial data broadcasting standard in Korea. ACAP-X agent can be implemented on the ACAP-X environment which consists of interpreters for XHTML, CSS, and ECMAScript, DOM API Implementation, and common content decoders such as PEG, PNC, MNG, etc.

3. Web browser technologies for

bi-directional digital TVs

In this section, we introduce web browser technologies for data broadcasting and a standard of the web-based interface for home networks. Microsofts WebTV[9] browser is one of the leading technologies for bi-directional TVs. WebTV fully implements the interactive TV from Advanced Television Enhancement Forum (ATVEF) which has been standardized as SMPTE DDE-1[10]. Interactive TV includes both one-way and tweway interactivity. One-way interactivity refers to a broadcast service in which the additional content is contained entirely within the broadcast stream and the viewer needs no additional connections in order to interact with the content. Twwway interactivity refers to a broadcast service in which access to the additional content may require back channel. WebTV browser allows users to access interactive program that integrates web content with traditional TV broadcast by using one-way or two-way interactivity. WebTV supports services using triggers included in the broadcast stream, which gves information on Universal Resource Locators (URLs) for a back channel connection to use to find and display a particular web page or other content resource on the TV. The WebTV content, standardized as SMPTE DDE-I is an integrated combination of both declarative presentation elements @TML and CSS) and an application execution environment (DOM and ECMAScript). HTML attributes, such as tiewand tv are added for smooth turnover between web and TV.

including HTML4.0, DHTML, XHTML, CSS, and JavaScriptl.4. Figure 1 shows components of Escape browser. It consists of Renders, Multimedia Plug-ins, Extensible CSS, JavaScript 1.5, Extensible DOM, Network Interface, and Escape Framework. For the advanced functionality, it allows dynamic resizing of content, controlling pop-up windows, and link highlighting for convenient accesses. Because the use of Internet and web protocol is a key feature and definite trend in communications for home networks, there is a technology to standardize U1 for digital TVs by using a web browser. It is the CEA-2027 standard[l2], which was announced by Consumer Electronics Association in August, this year. This standard defines consistent U1 for controlling AV devices, which are connected to a digital TV using IEEE-1394. Web servers in controlled devices send U1data as XHTML content to the controller in a digital TV. And web l browser in the digital TV renders the U data. Therefore it allows the entire multi-vendor A N Home Network to be controlled by a single remote control. This standard addresses two critical needs in home networking technotogies; connecting consumer electronics and IT devices together, and connecting devices in a way that allows manufacturers to preserve their brand identity. In this paper, we design a web browser contains this CEA-2024 compliant functionality.

4. Features of the Integrated Web browser

In our integrated web browser, the term integrated represents three independent browser aspects, Internet browser, data broadcasting browser, and home network browser. To support features of Internet web browser, the following software modules are needed HTTP/HlTPS connector HTMUCSWavaScript parser DOM API implementation Content formattedrenderer Com,mon content decoder User interface But our browser must consider the limitations of TV screens and interaction methods to content. Thus the features of web browser for TVs are also included as follows: Resolutions 640*480 at least Handling pop-up windows to remove them or to transform into tabbed windows e Picture-in-picture and semi-transparent video providing simultaneous display for T V video and web content e Zoom-idzoom-out and dynamic fonts to adapt to TV screens e Interfaces based on remote controller and virtual keyboard for text input

Figure 1. Escape Browser Component

Espials Escape[ 1 13 is one of the most popular TV browsers, which supports the DVB-MHP standard with the content

Also our integrated web browser shouid satisfy data broadc asting service requirements. As mentioned before, we design a web browser including agent functions for ACAP-X applications. In the transport specification of ACAP, the Digital Storage Media-Command and Control (DSM-CC) is taken for the basic protocol to move data resource. But we

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don't consider the transpon protocol of data broadcasting, assuming that the transport of ACAP-X data is in charge of other middleware on a receiver. The ACAP-X agent supports the content of data broadcasting which has the environment as Figure 2. Most of environment can be constructed with software modules incIuded in conventional Internet web browser. Some following features need to be added: XMLlXHTML parser Application resource cache Security support

Figure 2. ACAP-X Environment

To present the extended ACAP-X features, foIlowing details have to be added Support viewport in canvas Support IV media type defined in CSS-TV profile Support clip-video property in DVB-HTML 0 Support transparent keyword in CSS-COLOR
Last important function of our web browser is to support digital home interfaces. In CEA-2027 standard, to use the digital TV as a host device in home networking, service devices such as DVD player, AVHDD, should be connected

under the HTTP protocol. The web browser and control software in digital TV are capable of rendering the Control Frames from a networked service device as a result of user-initiated requests. Implementation choices for the control software include 1) A web browser may be extended to provide support for the CEA-2027 specification, 2).The controller may be implemented on a web server to generate a web page on which all the frames are aggregated. A conventional web browser may then be used to access this web page. In this paper, we take the first option to implement the CEA-2027 compliant web browser, which is extended to have functions of a controller. Follows are the features of our web browser to do this. It receives U1 information as 2027 file from logical units included in networked devices, and parses the XML-based U1 information. It prepares a default web page, which is used for constructing top-level UI. Using the given default web page and control frames from networked device, it represents the aggregated web page, top-level U1 content. (using iframe or frameseuhme tags) It renders the control frames constructed by device-specific data. e It handles the CEA-93143 HTTP command from a remote controller.

5.Architecture of the Integrated Web browser

In order to design an integrated web browser, we consider the ACAP-X applications for the data broadcasting and choose
the CEA-2027 technology for the web-based home networking. The Figure 3 shows the system architecture of our integrated web browser.

Content Handlers

&
,Plug-in Interface

1
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URL (HTTP/H??PS) Handler

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Operating System

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Figure 3. Architecture of the Integrated Web browser

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The Content Handler, in the central position of the figure, consists of the Media Handler and the URL Handler. Formatting & Drawing module in the Media Handler renders thecompatible web contents as well as ACAP-X applications. It also supports zoom-idzoom-out, dynamic fonts, and viewport for TV displays. In the Mediu Handler, a XMLlXHTML parser, an ECMAScript engine, DOM2 and CSS modules are included to support ACAP-X applications and the compatible web contents. It also includes an image decoder and a TV support module in order for transparent T V and picture-in-picture displays. The URL Handler receives various media files including image, flash, WMP as well as XHTML, via httplhttps. Especially for the compliance with CEA-2027 protocol it provides access to CEA 2027 XML files and turns over them to the XML parser. The Content Manager includes the functions of CEA-2027 controller, which is used for construction of top-level UI content for digital home interface. And the U1 Manuger interacts with the U Command Handler included in Plntfonn I Services, and manages the plug-ins with flash, PDF, WMP, etc. by using the Plug-in Interface module.

needed to add some attribute functions of XDML and CSS-TV in detail design steps.

REFERENCES
[ I ] Dondun Lee, Jaekwang Kwon, and Daekab Yang, A Development of Data Broadcasting System in Compliance with ATSC Standard, Proceedings of NAB 2002 Broadcast Engineering Conference, 2002, pp. 4 16-42 1 . [Z] Patrick D. Gnffis, Interactive TV in a Digital Era: A Standard Perspective, Proceedings of International Conference on Broadcast Asia 2001, Session3: Interactivity & Enhanced Telcvision, Singapore, 18-22, June 2001,pp. 15-21. [3] Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) : Multimedia Home Platform (MHP) Specification 1.0.3, http://www.dvb.org [4] Jon Piesing, MHP Application Lifecycle and Download, Proceedings of Intemational Conference on Broadcast Asia 2001, Session9: Data Broadcasting, Singapore, 18-22, June 2001, pp. 15-21. (51 DVB-HTML; an optional dectarative languagc within MHPI.1, Philippe Perrot [6] Opencable Application PIatform Specification ( M A P ) 2.0 - IO1 [7] DTV Application Sofiware Environment Level l(DASE-I), Part I, 11, 111 http.//www.atsc .org/standards.html [E] ATSC Candidate Standard: Advanced Common Application Platform (ACAP) [9] httpY/www.webtv.codipc/ [ 101SMPTE Standard for television - Declarative Data Essence, Content Level I , http:I/-.smpte.org [ I 11 http://www.espial.com [ 121Consumer Electronics Asstriation, CEA Standard- A User Interface for Home Networks Using Webbased Protocols, www.CE.org. August, 2004

6. Conclusions Ad Future Works

In this paper, we introduce the design of an integrated web browser which has three independent browser aspects, conventional internet browser, data broadcasting browser, and home network browser. For the design of integrated browser, we studied representation specifications of data broadcastings for digitat TVs and web-based U1 standard for home networking. ACAP-X and CEA-2027 standards are taken for our integrated browser, in result. To support features of TV-based web. browser, related functionalities were considered at a early design step, such as pop-up windows handling, picture-in-picture and semi-transparent video, zoom-idzoom-out. dynamic fonts to adapt to TV screens, and interfaces based on remote controller. To present the extended ACAP-X features, some detail supports such as tv media type, clip-video property, and transparent keyword were added. And to extend our browser for compliance with the CEA-2027 specification, a mechanism to receive U1 information as 2027 file and generate top-level U pages with control frames was introduced. I As a result of abstract design, an architecture diagram of our integrated web browser was presented. It includes the Content Handler as core component, which consists of the Media Handler and the URL Handler. The other important components are Content Munuger and the U1 Manager. The former includes the functions of CEA-2027 controller and the latter handles the U1 commands included in PlatJorm Services, and manages the plug-ins. Our future works will be a detail design and an implementation of the browser. But ACAP-X is not a concrete specification because ACAP is a candidate standard and ACAP-X is optional on ACAP terminal even now. To overcome the lack of concreteness of ACAP-X, it will be

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