Evolution from 3D video to light-field coding and transmission over future media networks

Three-dimensional (3D) images and video have been around for decades in a variety of formats and supported by different technologies. In the recent past, these technologies have been given increasing attention from both academia and industry mainly due to advances in capture, coding, transmission and display technologies. 3D video has evolved from stereoscopic towards multi-view video plus depth, enabling immersive and interactive experiences. One of the last important advances in 3D content acquisition is the Plenoptic or Light Field technology, which has the capability of capturing a dense set of light rays coming from the 3D scene. This is foreseen as a promising technology for 3D multimedia applications and services, which is driving research and technological developments not only due to the huge amount of data required for Light Field representation, but also due to the limited performance of current technology. In this technological context, COST Action IC1105 3D Content Creation, Coding and Transmission over Future Media Networks (3D-ConTourNet), is intended to bring together researchers from all the spectrum of the 3D multimedia technology chain to research problems of common interest. In its activities, 3D-ConTourNet has dealt with 3D video, from stereoscopic to Light Field, from content representation and coding to transmission, display and quality measurement involving human factors. This article describes the research context of 3D-ConTourNet, mostly covering recent advances in 3D video communications.