What's in store for the media tech industry in 2023: AR, VR, and the metaverse

Why the biggest battles of 2023 could be around the use of augmented reality, and 5G and multi-access edge computing (MEC) could play a decisive role in providing the necessary bandwidth, low latency, and high concurrency required for the massive adoption of smartphone AR experiences

By Jenny Priestley

Published: January 5, 2023 Updated: January 6, 2023

Why the biggest battles of 2023 could be around the use of augmented reality, and 5G and multi-access edge computing (MEC) could play a decisive role in providing the necessary bandwidth, low latency, and high concurrency required for the massive adoption of smartphone AR experiences

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The third part of our look at the possible challenges and highlights the media technology industry may face in 2023 focuses on everything from augmented reality to the metaverse.

TVBEurope invited a number of technology vendors to share their thoughts on everything from why the biggest battles of 2023 could be around the use of augmented reality, and how 5G and multi-access edge computing (MEC) will play a decisive role in providing the necessary bandwidth, low latency, and high concurrency required for the massive adoption of smartphone AR experiences.

AUGMENTED AND VIRTUAL REALITY Ram Sarup, product marketing specialist, Canon EMEA Today, there is a need for more creative content than ever before. To meet this need, production crews are striving for workflows that are agile and enhanced, spurring the emergence of three key trends: the use of adaptable ecosystems, the arrival of VPoD (virtual production on demand) and the rise of the metaverse.

In terms of adaptable ecosystems more than a lifeline during the pandemic virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) productions are becoming popular means of unique, high-quality, and efficient content creation. The challenge now lies in standardising tools and processes to allow virtual productions to prioritise creativity over integration issues.

Additionally, the use of high-resolution LED walls in extended reality (XR) productions is becoming an easy way to replicate life-like backdrops and therefore produce powerful content across a range of applications, without having to leave the studio.

In 2023, different types of VR and AR production will remain high on the agenda as the industry continues to push the boundaries and experiment with new storytelling formats through different combinations of computer-generated content and real life. This means that imaging solutions and technologies will similarly need to be future-proof, able to seamlessly integrate within these evolving workflows and keep up in a content-rich world.

Val rie Alli , video solutions group director at Interdigital 2023 will see the release of the latest standards under 3GPP Rel 18, providing new Quality of Service and Key Performance Indicator enhancements that may encourage more players to invest in research about how this might improve XR experiences. Specifically, 3GPP's 2023 research priorities include optimizing Down Link and Up Link XR traffic in the network to improve user experience, specifying XR-specific power saving techniques, capacity enhancements through resource allocation and scheduling, and standardization of codec for Immersive Voice and Audio Services. Further enhancements related to power savings, latency improvements, increased capacity to support higher data transmission, and several other areas will continue to enable XR ecosystem in 5G Advanced and 6G.

VR and XR devices are still incumbered with bulky headsets and the ability to cause motion sickness. To address these issues, it's likely that we will see more players investing in research to improve XR experiences. We've already seen major companies launch virtual headsets [such as Facebook's launch of its Meta Quest 2] which despite having an impressive toolkit, still have yet to grasp the mass market.

Researchers and 3GPP Working Groups will continue to explore solutions to deliver higher quality of experience through continuously increasing data throughput, decreasing latency and improving reliability, which are further enabled through access and edge compute technologies. This, paired with the desire for more video-forward digital experiences in 2023, will see more innovation and industry players exploring and sharing XR offerings of their own.

Peter Vindevogel, CEO, The Park Playground As VR technology continues to evolve and become more widespread, it is likely that we will see a significant increase in the use of VR for location-based entertainment in 2023 and beyond. With the ability to create immersive, active, and social experiences, VR is well-suited to this type of entertainment and is already being linked to existing TV formats. It is only a matter of time before VR becomes a standard, integrated element of any self-respecting IP format.

Overall, the future looks bright for VR as a technology that will continue to redefine entertainment and other industries. As VR technology improves and becomes more accessible, more brands and creators will explore the potential. We can expect to see an increasing variety of location-based entertainment being developed by top talent and implemented in various creative ways.

James Eddershaw, managing director of Shotoku Ltd A trend to watch in 2023 is the continuing growth of seamless VR/AR/XR with high performance LED wall volumes and perfect mixing of reality and virtual. Realtime graphic engines and LED walls technology are critical to this, but so too is camera tracking technology which becomes ever more challenging as the blending of real and virtual becomes more and more nuanced. The ability to significantly simplify the set-up and calibration of these systems will make them more applicable to smaller produc

LINK:	https://www.tvbeurope.com/production-post/whats-in-store-for-the-media...
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