Worldwide TV Mark-up Language

See also waptv

WapTV

WapTV was the name given to the company which originated the WTVML as a content format for the delivery of Interactive TV applications using Internet Servers...

WTVML is an XML based content format designed to allow web site operators to easily develop and deploy Interactive TV services, typically it reduces the time taken for web site operators to create a TV Site

TV Site

The name given to an Internet Site designed for TV.Unlike mobile and PC access, the use of internet sites through the TV has been small, mostly due to the poor user experience of many "web on TV" deployments, and the "walled garden" or closed business models adopted by many TV network...

, and results in the Site being deployable on a larger number of devices, and is capable of being automatically validated, tested and transformed.

The format follows a strict XML syntax (DTD) that has been developed in response to multiple user requirements by BSkyB, and is now being enhanced by Miniweb Interactive. The format was standardized through ETSI as TS 102 322..

WTVML has the potential to unify the Interactive TV content creation industry, which has been hampered by proprietary "middlewares" and a lack of browser standards.

The fragmentation of technologies available to build Digital TV platforms has meant that typical web site operators have had no common content format available to them to allow them to develop their TV Site

TV Site

The name given to an Internet Site designed for TV.Unlike mobile and PC access, the use of internet sites through the TV has been small, mostly due to the poor user experience of many "web on TV" deployments, and the "walled garden" or closed business models adopted by many TV network...

 once , and deploy it unchanged across multiple networks and devices.

Some newer set-top boxes (particularly IPTV

IPTV

Internet Protocol television is a system through which television services are delivered using the Internet protocol suite over a packet-switched network such as the Internet, instead of being delivered through traditional terrestrial, satellite signal, and cable television formats.IPTV services...

devices) use various versions of HTML browsers. Many of these have proprietary TV extensions, and different deployment characteristics, which result in untested services being deployed unfaithfully or worse with run-time errors. Due to the need for explicit layouts, as well as other reasons, many designers attempting to create TV Style services using HTML browsers need to make extensive use of JavaScript, which has the result of further inhibiting interoperability, and requires manual testing of a service before it is deployed by the majority of networks, thus essentially closing a network from open internet access.

WTVML services can be automatically and dynamically transformed into various forms of HTML/JS/CSS, making them compatible with traditional web browsers as well as WTVML native browsers, and allowing the network operator to manage his platform specific features independently from the standard used by the web site authors. WTVML follows a web 2.0 style model, in that complete applications are DTD driven, allowing TV Style services to be created without the use of Script.