VOL. 66 August 2021
ETRI Develops 3D Video
Content Production Technology.
- It resets focus and point of sight after filming with Plenoptic technology
- Nonprofessionals can now produce and edit high-quality 3D videos without experiencing motion sickness.
A domestic research team has developed a technology for producing and editing 3D videos as clearly as recognition by the human eye. The technology is expected to assist with the production and enjoyment of next-generation contents such as virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and holograms, etc.
The Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) announced that it had developed the technology for a “platform SW to obtain, produce, write and visualize unstructured1) Plenoptic2)contents” so that non-professionals can also produce and edit 3D videos without experiencing motion sickness.
Plenoptic technology is one of various technologies used to produce 3D videos to be recognized by people through computer operation after obtaining light information in high dimensions.
1) Unstructured the state where pre-defined data model does not exist or arrangement has not done by pre-defined method.
2) Compound words of ‘optics’ and ‘plenus’, the Latin word for “complete or full”, which liberally translated means “light optics.”
The market for “actual feeling” contents is gradually expanding, but currently available technologies have low resolution or different operational method from the human eye and cannot reproduce the full 3D effect. As a result, the user experience was limited in many cases due to dizziness or motion sickness, etc.
ETRI has developed the technology to obtain high-resolution 3D videos as natural as vision via human eye. The research team shot film using an exclusive Plenoptic camera and processed the data with a high-performance computer. The technology has the advantage that the focus and point of sight in videos and photos can be freely changed after obtaining the videos.
For example, if the technology is applied to a Pansori performance, the point of sight can be freely changed to the drummer or singer, etc. when editing the video. The point of sight can also be changed to show characters hidden by filming equipment or microphones.
In particular, the research team’s Plenoptic technology is designed to implement binocular parallax, motion parallax, focus adjustment and 6SDF (six degrees of freedom), and can practically express a 3D effect equivalent to the human eye.
ETRI added an explanation to the effect that a notable achievement was only possible thanks to the expertise. It has been acquired during its research over the last four years on “Unstructured Plenoptic” technology, which is implemented in the state that the position and shape of the camera are almost fixed.
This “Unreconstructed Plenoptic” technology enables free filming regardless of any restrictions in position and mobility, and has higher quality and performance compared with technologies with the same capacity. The resolution of videos has also been improved from FHD to 4K.
With ETRI’s new technology, even nonprofessionals can easily edit videos and produce display-type contents such as VR Head Mounted display (HMD3), AR glass and glasses-free 3D videos. As its accessibility increases, the technology will be widely used to increase the production of actual feeling contents which were insufficient.
The technology is advantageous in terms of commercialization because it can be widely used by CG/VFX4), content production and editing companies, image/video tool SW and application developing companies, medical equipment companies (endoscopes, etc.), process inspection equipment companies (semiconductors), security companies (iris recognition and CCTV), astronomy companies and military companies, etc. as well as camera and display manufacturers.
Kim Do Hyung, principal researcher of the Holographic Content Research Section, who led the development of the technology, said, “We hope that the country will be able to lead the industry related with our next-generation “actual feeling” content technology and build an independent ecosystem for digital video contents.”
3) Head Mounted Display, A device worn to experience VR.
4) Visual Effects (Visual FX)
In fact, ETRI has already used the technology to film various intangible cultural properties, including the Bongsan Mask Dance and Pansori at the Asia Culture Center in 2020, and a martial arts demonstration of taekkyeon at the International Centre of Martial Arts for Youth Development and Engagement under the auspices of UNESCO in 2021.
ETRI introduced the technology to the public at the SoftWave Exhibition in 2020 and the ICT Commercialization Festival Exhibition in 2021, and has transferred the technology to related enterprises.
The research was conducted as a part of the “project for the development of an ultra-high resolution unstructured Plenoptic video production/play platform technology for medium to large-size spaces” under the “project to develop core hologram technology” of the Ministry of Science and ICT. The research team also presented three cases of technology transfer, thirty-two patent applications, nine SCI theses and seven standardization contributions.
The research team will conduct a series of research projects aimed at improving the performance of the new technology by such methods as improving the resolution of 3D videos to 8K, expanding the virtual experience representation space for users and reducing motion sickness, etc. In addition, it plans to improve the technology to make it available for private broadcasting, using personal smart devices.
