Evolve and elevate: the role of standards in bringing immersive video to a wider audience

13/01/2025

Philippe Guillotel, director and head of the video lab's metavideo group at InterDigital, comments on the crucial nature of standards in providing foundations for haptic technologies and immersive video

By Contributor

Published: January 10, 2025 Updated: January 13, 2025

Philippe Guillotel, director and head of the video lab's metavideo group at InterDigital, comments on the crucial nature of standards in providing foundations for haptic technologies and immersive video

target=_blank title=Share on LinkedIn class=share-linkedin>

As our modes of communication and entertainment evolve and achieve new heights, higher degrees of immersion and interactivity must be accessible to a broader audience, regardless of their device capabilities and requirements. And while audio stimulates our sense of hearing and video engages our sense of sight, advancements in haptic technology are set to add another dimension to the immersive video experience. Haptic technologies offer exciting possibilities for realism in virtual and immersive environments and can transcend the limitations of today's devices and screens, thereby elevating and enhancing the connected experience. The alliance of pervasive connectivity (in the form of 5G) and emerging immersive technologies can support new experiences from in-built haptic feedback within VR headsets, to myriad devices enabled with tactile sensations to be felt by the user. Consequently, a more captivating and authentic virtual experience is achieved through this novel type of sensory augmentation.

But the pathway towards immersive media begins with a significant amount of research into new media codecs and standards. And this is particularly relevant in relation to haptic media coding and delivery: without the important and fundamental work within standards to first simplify development, and then support the delivery of immersive and haptic enhanced content across devices worldwide, any aspirations to deliver new depths and sensations to video-based experiences will remain a pipe dream.

Unlocking new experiences with standards In simple terms, immersive media is three-dimensional and delivers to the user one view per eye, giving the perception of a sense of depth while encompassing user movement to encourage higher levels of immersivity.

The key to all of this lies in immersive video codecs. They allow for the delivery and consumption of data-rich video in a way that is both efficient and seamless. Without them the ubiquitous 2D-and now increasingly common 3D-volumetric and haptic-enhanced video that many users enjoy would not be possible.

Up until now, MPEG (the working group within the ISO and the IEC that develops standards for encoding audio, video and multimedia) has been a key enabler of content creation and service delivery as it plays a decisive role in describing methods for encoding, encapsulating, transmitting and decoding immersive and haptic data. In June 2021, MPEG issued a call for proposal to establish a reference architecture for future haptic standards, promoting haptics as a recognised media type in ISO base media file formats like 3gp and mp4 and streaming formats like DASH. The integration of haptic data alongside audio and video, particularly with a view to immersive content, is what is making consistent and reliable sensory rich experiences a reality.

Combating fragmentation: growth through collaboration on standardisation Today, with more than 4.1 billion devices equipped with haptic actuators and the ability to convey haptic feedback, standards are foundational to defining the mechanisms and codecs used to deliver the sensory experience. For this reason, it is necessary to cultivate and expand the standards ecosystem to evolve simple haptic-enhanced content into more complex and immersive experiences at scale.

As it stands, the haptic environment is fragmented making it a real challenge for content creators and product developers to navigate different proprietary methods to communicate tactile sensations. This in turn drives up developer costs and lowers adoption rates. And as with audio and visual, standards in haptics are essential to ensure that all aspects involved in the end-to-end delivery of the technology are compatible.

Despite this impediment however, an industry consensus is emerging on the importance of interoperability between devices. And standards allow the industry to define and develop the fundamental methods for capturing, encoding, transmitting, decoding and replicating immersive haptic experiences.

Further, interoperability between platforms and vendors across the immersive and haptics ecosystem can only be achieved through standards. Immersive content creation, its distribution and then the decoding characteristics recommended for haptic-enabled devices depend on standards to ensure that all aspects involved in the end-to-end delivery of haptics are efficiently coded and compatible. Naturally, the genesis of such standards results from the close collaboration of pre-standards groups and industry forums whose stated mission is to limit the market fragmentation and investment stagnation that would surely arise from disparate and proprietary haptic methods that are not interoperable.

Delivering immersive experiences, today Much industry-wide work has been undertaken to further the video processing solutions that create outstanding immersive video experiences. For example, the MPEG Visual Volumetric Video-based Coding (V3C) standard enables the mechanism for coding and streaming volumetric content through two main codecs: Video-based Point Cloud Compression (V-PCC) and MPEG Immersive Video (MIV). Both codecs are instrumental in enabling immersive-enhanced experiences in support of telelearning, entertainment, and increasingly in the delivery of live sports and esports, thereby guaranteeing

LINK:	https://www.tvbeurope.com/media-consumption/evolve-and-elevate-the-rol...
	See more stories from tvb

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

01/06/2026

Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026

January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026 Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...

01/05/2026

NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to Integrate Dolby's Full Suite of Premium Picture and Sound Innovations

January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...

01/04/2026

DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION

January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...

08/01/2026

RTVE selects Alfalite Neopix for its first broadcast depl...

Spain's national public broadcaster, RTVE, has upgraded one of its main television production facilities in Madrid with the installation of two Alfalite NEO...

08/01/2026

Richard E. Wiley to Step Down as Media Institute's Chairman

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard...

08/01/2026

Cineverse Acquires Giant Worldwide

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard...

08/01/2026

Maxon Introduces Cinebench 2026

Maxon's new release of Cinebench features performance enhancements and adds support for the latest Nvidia and AMD GPUs as well as Apple Silicon. Maxon is t...

08/01/2026

Zixi Accelerates Global Growth with Appointment of Heathe...

Zixi, the industry leader in IP-based video transport and orchestration, today announced the appointment of Heather Mellish as Vice President, Global Sales. In...

08/01/2026

Pebble future-proofs playout at Canal Sur

Pebble, the leading automation, content management and integrated channel specialist, has provided a complete update of its installation at Canal Sur in Spain. ...

08/01/2026

Panasonics success in US market with Flagship Z95B OLED T...

iWedia, a global leader in software solutions for connected TV devices, proudly announces the success of its collaboration with Panasonic on the Z95B OLED TV, o...

08/01/2026

Secuoya Chile Invests in Ikegami UHK-X600 and UHL-X40 Cam...

Secuoya Chile, a leading provider of television content creation and supporting services, has invested in Ikegami UHK-X600 and UHL-X40 broadcast cameras as the ...

08/01/2026

Kiloview Highlights its Integrated AV-over-IP Ecosystem a...

Kiloview, a global leader in AV-over-IP solutions, will showcase its latest innovations at ISE 2026, highlighting the continued evolution of its complete, light...

08/01/2026

iWedia and Realtek Strengthen Collaboration to Shape the...

iWedia, a global leader in software solutions for connected TV devices, and Realtek, a leading global SoC design house, today announced the next phase of their ...

08/01/2026

CJP Broadcast delivers new pitch-side media facility for...

CJP Broadcast has completed a new pitch-side media installation for Cinderford RFC, creating a flexible production setup that supports match coverage, coaching ...

08/01/2026

PlayBox Neo CEO Defines Vision for 2026 after Record Year...

PlayBox Neo further drives momentum in Playout, Streaming, Media Management and Delivery "With a brand new year at PlayBox Neo already off to a flying start, I...

08/01/2026

Boston Conservatory at Berklee Presents Second Annual Commercial Dance BFA Concert

Boston Conservatory at Berklee Presents Second Annual Commercial Dance BFA Conce...

08/01/2026

Parents of murdered Irish woman Kirsty Ward speak out People need to know his name

Tonight, on RT Prime Time at 9:35pm on RT One and RT Player Tonight, Prime T...

08/01/2026

It's The Late Late Show Trad Special

The Late Late Show celebrates the very best of traditional Irish music with its first-ever full special dedicated entirely to the tradition Lisa Canny | Kevin...

08/01/2026

Japan Science and Technology Agency Develops NVIDIA-Powered Moonshot Robot for Elderly Care

The next universal technology since the smartphone is on the horizon - and it ma...

08/01/2026

AI Copilot Keeps Berkeley's X-Ray Particle Accelerator on Track

In the rolling hills of Berkeley, California, an AI agent is supporting high-stakes physics experiments at the Advanced Light Source (ALS) particle accelerator....

08/01/2026

DANCING WITH THE STARS - WHO WILL BE THE VICTIM OF THE EARLIEST EVER SERIES ELIMINATION?

It will be murder on the dancefloor when Dancing with the Stars returns this S...

08/01/2026

More Ways to Play, More Games to Love - GeForce NOW Wraps CES With Linux Support, Fire TV App, Flight Stick Controls

NVIDIA is wrapping up a big week at the CES trade show with a set of GeForce NOW...

07/01/2026

SVG Summit 2025: All General Sessions Now Available to Watch on SVG PLAY

SVG Summit 2025: All General Sessions Now Available to Watch on SVG PLAYThe SVG Summit celebrated its 20th edition with a loaded agendaBy Brandon Costa, Directo...

07/01/2026

NBCU's Brings Rinkside Live' and Courtside Live' Features to Peacock for Legendary February'

NBCU's Brings Rinkside Live' and Courtside Live' Features to Peaco...

07/01/2026

A Defining Moment for Podcasts: Spotify Kicks Off Week of Festivities After Contributing More Than $10 Billion to the Industry

Spotify is launching a week-long celebration spotlighting creators at the center...

07/01/2026

Introducing Listening Activity and Request to Jam in Messages on Spotify

We know people use Spotify not just to listen, but to share the songs, podcasts, and audiobooks they love with their friends and family. When we launched Messag...

07/01/2026

Go Inside Spotify Sycamore Studios, Our New State-of-the-Art Podcast Studio in Hollywood

This week, all eyes are on the podcast industry as the Golden Globes recognizes ...

07/01/2026

Making It Easier for Video Podcasters to Earn on Spotify

Podcasts are stepping onto a new stage this week as the Golden Globes recognize the medium for the first time. To mark this milestone moment, we're hosting ...

07/01/2026

Invitation to Submit Proposals for Micro-Budget Film Projects 2026

The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), in collaboration with a distributor, is commissioning new micro-budget fiction feature films and invites eligible...

07/01/2026

For L3Harris, the Action Starts Six Seconds Before Artemis II Lifts Off

NASA's Space Launch System rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft launches on the Artemis I flight test, Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022, from Launch Complex 39B at ...