Content Streams - AKA Timelines

From Xibo

Contents 1 Update 2 Idea 3 Extensions 3.1 Damien L 3.2 John G 3.3 Kristoph 4 Implementation 4.1 Items that always appear 5 Schema

Update

These will now be referred to as "Timelines". Each region can contain multiple "timelines", but by default will have a single empty timeline.

Idea

I'd really like a new media type which was itself a timeline with media items added to it (like an RSS feed almost) but that individual items could be scheduled on to.

That new "content stream" could then be loaded in to any region - possibly alongside other normal media items.

This is hugely powerful, as you could have a content stream for "posters" which you then add in to a region on three or four layouts once. Then as each media item in the content stream hits the start of its schedule period, it appears, and when it's out of its schedule period, it's removed automatically.

Empty content streams should not be rendered.

It should also be possible to set a content stream as a users home page.

Extensions

Damien L

An obvious extension to this is described in [1] - create a content stream from a tag or lists of tags.

John G

John G wants the ability to add items to the stream indefinitely too: [2]

Kristoph

I'd like user group level security on content streams, so I could have a set of users who could only edit the media timeline etc and not change any settings or modify the layout. Also would be nice if that security could be set per display or per group of displays, so I could have users which could only modify the content on 1 group of displays etc.

Implementation

Provisionally allocated as a 1.1 development, however possibly minus date awareness to begin with due to the complexities of implementing this within the current framework.

Essentially all regions will become content streams. XMDS and the client will then cooperate to show items in that "region" in a date/time aware nature. This means that the client will now receive a fromDT and toDT value for each media item - such that it knows when to start and stop including that item in the region.

This means that you'll be able to reuse a "region" across multiple layouts.

Items that always appear

• fromDT can be effectively infinite - this value shall be 2000-01-01 00:00.
• toDT can be infinite - the infinite value shall be 2050-12-31 00:00.

If the client encounters these dates, it will consider the item to be valid for display always.

Schema

Image Example

<media id="1" duration="60" type="image" lkid="" schemaVersion="2" fromDT="2009-05-20 16:38:04" toDT="2009-05-20 22:00:03">
   <options>
       <uri>1.jpg</uri>
   </options>
   <raw />
</media>