theora dev - Mar 2004 - theora release todos

Hi,

last week's thread about getting closer to a release fizzled out.

The mailing list discussion and the TheoraTodo wiki item suggest the
following are required for release:

        1. freeze the theora logical bitstream format
        2. complete the reference implementation tools
        3. stablize the libtheora API
        4. complete the documentation

I'd like to suggest this as an ordering by completion-critical priority,
considering the implications on third parties: players, servers, editing
tools, and end users.

1. Freeze the logical bitstream format

As soon as the bitstream format is frozen, testers and tool authors
can create content and reliably use it. I'm sure I'm not the only person
on this list with a bunch of test videos encoded in different theora
versions, not to mention upside-down holiday videos :)

The players that currently support theora are already tracking libtheora
API changes, so freezing the bitstream is the critical step to ensure
confidence that "yes, this player supports theora".

Note that I'm specifically describing the logical bitstream format here.
The current players that support theora can play theora+vorbis and
theora+speex physical bitstreams (true for at least xine and vlc).

I suggest we freeze the logical bitstream as soon as possible and
release the implementation as alpha3.

2. Reference implementation tools

These are pretty much ready to go, and are useful both as reference
code and useful tools. 

2.1 Encoder

Currently, the encoder in libtheora isn't installed by default and has
a generic name. Nonetheless it serves two purposes quite well: it can
build interleaved theora+vorbis streams, and it's a useful reference for
tool authors. As soon as the bitstream format is frozen this shoudl be
ready to go, and is critical so people can actually build streams.

2.2 Player

Is the wiki todo item concerning audio buffering still valid?

Considering a few widely used players already support theora, we should
continue to not install this by default.

3. libtheora API

I'm quite happy with the libtheora API for creating and decoding theora
logical bitstreams. Creating higher-level physical bitstreams is the
job of a higher-level library.

4. Documentation

4.1 Spec documentation

Is already well underway, ie. Mike's VP3 doc.

4.2 API docs

I'd be willing to do Doxygen style docs for libtheora, does anyone object?

* Summary

These are the basic things needed to get theora to a state where it can
be confidently adopted by other tools (players, editors etc.). Once it's
in that state, cleaning up the details and pursuing any kind of standards
publication can be done at the same time as tool authors and vendors
implement theora support.

Conrad.
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On Tue, Mar 02, 2004 at 01:50:22PM +1100, Conrad Parker
wrote:
> 
> I suggest we freeze the logical bitstream as soon as possible and
> release the implementation as alpha3.
Alpha-3 is comming out soon.  I believe the idea was that, hopefully, no 
bitstream change would happen between Alpha-3 and Beta-1, but no 
promises.

Beta-1 is where the format gets frozen.

<p>> 2.1 Encoder
> 
> Currently, the encoder in libtheora isn't installed by default and has
> a generic name. Nonetheless it serves two purposes quite well: it can
> build interleaved theora+vorbis streams, and it's a useful reference
for
> tool authors. As soon as the bitstream format is frozen this shoudl be
> ready to go, and is critical so people can actually build streams.
> 
> 2.2 Player
> 
> Is the wiki todo item concerning audio buffering still valid?
> 
> Considering a few widely used players already support theora, we should
> continue to not install this by default.
I believe these need to get moved to another package.  including them 
with libtheora adds SDL as a dependency, which makes it more difficult 
to compile libtheora on machines for, say, video streaming only. 

ogg-tools ? theora-tools?  anything else.  Let's just, please, move it.
> 4. Documentation
> 
> 4.1 Spec documentation
> 
> Is already well underway, ie. Mike's VP3 doc.
> 
> 4.2 API docs
> 
> I'd be willing to do Doxygen style docs for libtheora, does anyone
object?
There's also the python reference decoder.  That should get done in the 
next three weeks or so.

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> 1. Freeze the logical bitstream format
Let's just tackle this one:

If there's no tools which implement the format, and no documentation, 
then what is the point of calling it frozen?

There needs to be at least one of the two. The alpha 3 release is the 
implementation. We know what changes need to go into it, they just 
haven't been written and tested.

The beta 1 release should not change the bitstream format from the 
previous alpha release, and will include the documentation. After this 
is released the bitstream is considered frozen. This has been the 
roadmap since day 1.

If all you want is someone to declare that they know exactly what Theora 
bitstreams look like, but implement and document it nowhere, I can have 
that for you tonight.
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