3D Video: From Capture to Diffusion

Introduction

The extension of visual content to 3D as well as dynamically capturing scenes in 3D to generate an image on a remote site in real time has long been considered merely a part of science fiction. Today they are a reality, collectively referred to by terms such as 3D television (3DTV), free viewpoint TV (FTV) and, more generally, 3D video. This new type of image creates the illusion of a real environment, resulting from continually improving efforts in research and development over a number of years.

Numerous experts believe that 3D represents the future of media, such as television and the Internet, and will in turn improve the quality of visual experiences for the end user. The whole chain of content production must be reconsidered, beginning with recording techniques, since those designed specifically for 3D are far more numerous and varied than those used normally in conventional 2D context. The same can also be said of other aspects, such as, for example:

– the description and representation of scenes according to more or less informative structures, ranging from multiview or multiview-plus-depth videos to 3D digital reconstructed models;

– 3D reconstruction which extracts 3D models in various forms from videos acquired from multiple viewpoints, such as static or animated meshes;

– the compression of representations of scenes created by capture (stereoscopic or multiview videos) or reconstruction (3D models);

– 3D display, with or without adaptation/enhancement ...