VR - SERIOUS OR JUST FASHION? ITU-R Working PARTY 6C 18 October 2016 David Wood EBU

IMMERSIVE SYSTEMS? WE HAVE SEEN THEM BEFORE! CINERAMA IMAX3D

Where are we with VR Today? Very old idea. Enormous investment in development in US and elsewhere. Large number of companies with their own solutions. Relatively chaotic situation. Technology still in the process of evolution. Standards’ groups (MPEG, JPEG, 3GPP) have started work on VR. A/C conflict may still apply. Light field recording may help. DVB has a study mission on VR that will report next month. We all will all need to decide whether into get involved in VR. In November

And the cousins of VR? Augmented Reality Mixed Reality A real-world image whose elements are supplemented by computer-generated sensory input . Can be HMD or plain screen. Mixed Reality Real world and digital world exists at same time.

The General Categories of HMDs Mono or Stereoscopic possible 2016 VR Type A. Mobile Phone based systems Lower end audio spatial resolution VR Type B. PC/console driven headsets Higher end audio spatial resolution 2017-2022 VR Type C? VR Type D?

For VR to succeed, three things MUST be ‘right’! The technology. This includes the technology of production, delivery, and display of VR. Bit-rates, compression, delivery channel, HMD comfort. And interactivity The control of motion sickness. This occurs when the brain receives conflicting signals, and must be avoided. The content that suits VR. The content has to be suited to VR, and sufficiently attractive.

Is VR ‘serious’? Maybe. Example of a VR ‘Broadcasting’ Project 2018 Winter Olympics from Seoul Large venue to be taken over in Stockholm for VRLive project Venue dressed up to appear Olympic-like One room given over to VR VR provided by 80Mbit/s? Delivered by 5G network from Korea How successful will it be?

Coming to an HMD near you? Will VR be just a fashion or an important, new, commercially successful media form? Will it be possible to minimise motion sickness? “Kinetosis” What kind of content, and of what duration? Who should define requirements? Can we help to standardise formats? Can trials help?

The Potential for VR Standards? VR Production Meet the needs of delivery plus headroom Cover all necessary delivery standards Suitable for cooperative content. VR delivery First generation system using Type A Must be deliverable at available bit rates Must be viewable of available phone based HMDs

Are we the VR generation then? Many Thanks! Are we the VR generation then? I suppose we must be