Time Warner did announce a set of principles for its “TV Everywhere” program, and if you’d like, you can read those at the bottom of this post. And Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes and Comcast CEO Brian Roberts did get into some philosophical/optical discussions with us reporters.

For instance, was the cable industry being “defensive” or “offensive” as it rolled out its authentication plan, which is supposed to give pay TV customers–but only pay TV customers–Web access to all the shows they get on TV? Offensive, declared Bewkes. He also decreed that authentication was a “free gift” to TV watchers.

But authentication is going to involve a whole lot of coordinated effort by a lot of different players, and that means details matter at least as much as philosophy.

For instance: Who else is joining Time Warner when Comcast rolls out its first authentication trial next month? Roberts wouldn’t talk about that–”today’s about Time Warner,” he said–but word is still leaking out. Scripps Networks, for instance, said today that it would play along. Here’s the statement from Lynne Costantini, who runs affiliates sales for the network.

“Scripps Networks’ media brands, such as Food Network and HGTV, enjoy a strong connection with a passionate base of consumers who likely would find value in this type of service. We are committed to providing viewers with content on the platforms on which they engage with our brands, in a manner that adds value to the viewing experience and enhances our current business relationships with distributors. Our participation in the Comcast authentication pilot will help us make some initial assessments regarding this innovative platform.

Also confirmed: Cablevision’s (CVC) Rainbow Media, which owns networks like AMC and Sundance. This one makes particular sense because Cablevision has been more vocal than other networks about not putting its programming on the Web without getting paid for it. I’m also told that A&E Television networks, co-owned by Hearst, Disney (DIS) and GE’s (GE) NBCU, is expected to participate, but haven’t heard back from those folks yet.

None of these buy-ins are huge moves by themselves, of course. They’re commitments for the trial only, and it’s unlikely that any of the companies are going to offer up their best shows at the start. For instance, I’d be (happily) surprised if AMC’s “Mad Men” makes the cut. And we’re likely to see a dribble of announcements over the rest of the year as more programmers dip their toes in and as competing/parallel authentication efforts that the likes of Time Warner Cable (TWC) and the telcos roll out.

In the meantime, in lieu of hard facts, here’s what Time Warner has to say about its intentions:

PRINCIPLES FOR TV EVERYWHERE MODEL
These principles were developed to ensure the TV Everywhere model is consumer-friendly; pro-competitive and non-exclusive.

•    Bring more TV content, more easily to more people across platforms.

•    Video subscribers can watch programming from their favorite TV networks online for no additional charge.

•    Video subscribers can access this content using any broadband connection.

•    Programmers should make their best and highest rated programming available online.

•    Both networks and video distributors should provide high quality, consumer-friendly sites for viewing broadband content with easy authentication.

•    A new process should be created to measure ratings for online viewing. The goal should be to extend the current viewer measurement system to include advertiser ratings for TV content viewed on all platforms.

•    TV Everywhere is open and non-exclusive; cable, satellite or telco video distributors can enter into similar agreements with other programmers.

The idea is to protect cable subscription revenues by giving pay TV customers–but only pay TV customers–Web access to all the shows they get on TV, and hoping this keeps them from canceling their subscriptions.

But that’s old news: Comcast (CMCSA) already told Bloomberg earlier this month that the two companies are linking up, and that Time Warner (TWX) would offer programming from some of its networks in the first part of Comcast’s tests.

Presumably Bewkes and Roberts will offer up a few more details, like which Time Warner networks are participating (good bet: TNT and/or TBS), along with a timetable. But I worry that the press conference will be light on details, in large part because many of the details haven’t been hammered out yet.

Still, I’ve been able to glean more from industry executives who’ve been involved in discussions with Time Warner, Comcast and other players in the authentication effort, which Bewkes has been calling “TV Everywhere” and Roberts has been calling “OnDemand Online.” Some of the details:

• The test will start very small–with some 5,000 subscribers–but Comcast is determined to expand it aggressively and wants to have it available throughout its system by the end of the year. Comcast plans to use its Fancast video portal as a hub for its efforts. And it  may use other digital assets it has acquired as well. Online Rolodex Plaxo, for instance, which the company bought last year, could be used to help subscribers sign in to watch their shows.
• The test is separate from Time Warner Cable’s (TWC) own authentication offering, which is essentially the same thing but will launch later than the Comcast test, using different technology, and will likely offer a different mix of programming.
• And those tests are separate from the one that telcos Verizon (VZ) and AT&T (T) have been working on with satellite operators Echostar (SATS) and DirecTV (DTV). That one also has the same thrust, but will take the longest to roll out.
• Comcast isn’t likely to announce other programming partners for the tests until later this month.
• Hulu is interested in playing along, because its owners–GE’s (GE) NBC, News Corp.’s (NWS) Fox and Disney’s (DIS) ABC–see authentication as a way to appease riled-up cable providers. The cable guys are upset that Hulu shows (some) cable programs for free while they have to pay for the right to air them. In theory, authentication solves that problem for Hulu because everyone will be on a level playing field: Only cable subscribers will get access to cable programming, whether it’s on Hulu, Fancast or anywhere else. But the cable guys aren’t rushing to let Hulu in just yet.
• Separately, NBC has been talking about offering some cable programming that isn’t already on Hulu for the tests. That could also be seen as an appeasement move, but I’ve heard a more benign suggestion: NBC merely wants to figure out if authentication technology works because it is considering using it for some of its coverage of the Vancouver Olympics next year.
• CBS (CBS), which isn’t a part of Hulu and which doesn’t have any cable assets of its own, would still like to get into the mix. The idea is that the network would offer the cable guys shows that it has kept offline until now (say, “The Mentalist”) while tying the Web programming to “retransmission” fees it would like to extract from the cable companies for all of its shows. Comcast executives seem amenable to the notion.
• Big cable players like Viacom (VIA) and Liberty’s (LINTA) Discovery may participate in some trials but not others. Viacom, for instance, has been talking about working with the telco group but not with Comcast during the trials. It has also discussed offering a “premium product”–like access to the full “Spongebob Squarepants” library or other kids’ shows that have a very limited online profile–to Time Warner Cable subscribers for an additional fee.

Bewkes and Roberts are scheduled to speak at the Time Warner Center at 9:45 am EDT, so we’ll know more shortly.

Here’s someone who can take advantage of the new math: Sam Schwartz, who oversees strategy and M&A for Comcast’s (CMCSA) digital group. Schwartz has already guided the cable giant through a shopping spree during the past few years, and while he’s too cautious to say it with force, he’s clearly interested in bulking up some more. And unlike some of his peers, he could do it: “We’re ready for pitches,” he says.*

In the video below, Schwartz walks me through the logic of the deals he’s made to date, many of which–Fandango? Daily Candy? Plaxo–have been head-scratching to outsiders. Some of this makes a bit more sense now: Some of Plaxo’s technology, for instance, will be used to authenticate Comcast subs for its new Web video offering (see below).

And while he doesn’t spell this out specifically in our chat, I get the sense that future deals may be geared toward expanding Comcast’s overall Web audience, which means that sites that have lots of uniques but aren’t quite sure what to do with them may be logical targets. I’m just thinking outloud here, but sure seems like Yahoo (YHOO) and Time Warner’s (TWX) AOL have plenty of assets that fit that bill.

Schwartz also talked about Comcast’s approach to Web video and its plans to launch its “OnDemand Online” service this year. OnDemand Online is supposed to counter both Hulu and pirate Web sites by offering up a wealth of video you can’t already get–legally–on the Web, via Comcast’s Fancast site. The catch: You’ll have to be a Comcast subscriber to get it.

There are plenty of technology optimists who think these kinds of plans are the cable industry’s last gasp–an attempt to keep cable subscribers paying for a bundle of channels and shows they don’t want, instead of simply having them buy the stuff they do want à la carte. Schwartz, not surprisingly, disagrees, and he lays out his argument below.

*Note: An earlier version of this story and headline misquoted Schwartz. Apologies for my mistake.