Abstract

This paper shows that our prospect of various viewing styles, broadcasting service image, and R&D cases in AR/VR era. It is important for R&D to adopt both deductive approaches and inductive approaches to improve one’s own technology and to discover a new problem respectively. Describing our three works by the former and our four works by the latter in the past and present, we give multiple viewpoints of AR/VR R&D in the field of broadcasting. By an inductive approach, we expect that AR/VR media will connect the viewers with each other even beyond time and that handling various forms of 2D video will become important in AR glasses era. To handle them easily, we propose a presenting method to use equirectangular images with alpha channel (transparency), which can include almost all types of 2D video. To increase the presence of an object in the image, we extend the format for depth sense in a binocular head-mounted display or AR glasses.

Introduction

In this paper, we discuss how viewing styles will be and what the technology and the R&D strategy is required in the future of broadcasting. AR/VR is expected to be one of key factors of future media in the living room next to 4K/8K. To develop AR/VR technologies for broadcasting, we have been adopting two kinds of approach: deductive one and inductive one.

In the deductive approach, the future is drawn on the extension of R&D which we have been engaging in. It could also be said the one improving performance by taking advantage of our technical strength for sustaining innovation. Since this approach is aimed at realising AR/VR, we call it “For AR/VR”.

On the other hand, in the inductive approach, at first, we expect potential needs in the present or the future from the trend of technology and society. Next, we consider what service image we should provide. After that, we set to work on R&D of necessary technology for the service. We may not take advantage of our technical strength, but it might generate something inducing disruptive innovation for new viewers. The target as a media company is to provide value through broadcasting, or communication between family members with broadcasting content, etc. It is in the upper layer than the one in which the goal of “For AR/VR” like presence is. Therefore, since we regard AR/VR technology as one of the means, we call the approach “By AR/VR”.

In this paper, we introduce our R&D cases of “For AR/VR” and “By AR/VR” in the past and present, draw viewing styles in the future broadcasting, and discuss the role of media in the AR/VR age.

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