Providing 3D Video Services: The Challenge From 2D to 3DTV Quality of Experience

Abstract

Recently, three-dimensional (3D) video has decisively burst onto the entertainment industry scene, and has arrived in households even before the standardization process has been completed. 3D television (3DTV) adoption and deployment can be seen as a major leap in television history, similar to previous transitions from black and white (B&W) to color, from analog to digital television (TV), and from standard definition to high definition. In this paper, we analyze current 3D video technology trends in order to define a taxonomy of the availability and possible introduction of 3D-based services. We also propose an audiovisual network services architecture which provides a smooth transition from two-dimensional (2D) to 3DTV in an Internet Protocol (IP)-based scenario. Based on subjective assessment tests, we also analyze those factors which will influence the quality of experience in those 3D video services, focusing on effects of both coding and transmission errors. In addition, examples of the application of the architecture and results of assessment tests are provided. IntroductionBoth the entertainment industry and the research community are focused on the decisive introduction and evolution of three-dimensional (3D) video in entertainment media. The possibilities of this novelty technology in terms of immersiveness and enhancement of the user experience are generating great expectations in the sector, as new market and business opportunities are foreseen.Several possible 3D scenarios can be materialized in the short to medium term to offer the end user a 3D experience. In this paper we identify these scenarios, and analyze the technology-associated trends in the whole end-to-end chain, from content capture to content display, including coding and representation formats, and available delivery standards.Taking an Internet Protocol (IP)-based scenario as the starting point, we propose an architecture for the delivery of 3D content, identifying the new functionalities required for managing 3D content. Moreover, 3D content information is organized and aggregated in different ways, depending on the technology involved in the implementation of each particular scenario. Thus, the end user experience can be improved by taking advantage of the new solutions made available through content-aware processing appliances and services hosted at either the head end or in the delivery network. Such solutions have already been successfully demonstrated in two-dimensional (2D) video [27].In this sense, the characterization of the quality of experience (QoE) of the end user depends highly on the particular technologies adopted for the representation, coding, and delivery of 3D content. In this paper, we also present the results of preliminary work on how losses during content compression or content distribution impact user perception. 3D ScenariosProviding the depth perception necessary to enhance the audiovisual content experience is a pressing issue in both the entertainment industry and the There is no unique way to fulfill th...