KDDI R&D Labs has developed an Android application that allows users to play free-viewpoint media on smartphones. Free-viewpoint media allows the viewer to change their viewing angle and position. This includes positions where cameras and microphones were not located. The application is well-suited for music videos as it allows the user to select their favorite viewpoint and change performer positions and the concert venue. Previously, reproducing free-viewpoint media on smartphones was difficult due to large data sizes and processing costs. However, KDDI R&D Labs' new technologies commonize delivered data and reduce data size through object-based descriptions to enable free-viewpoint media playback on smartphones.

1. KDDI R&D LABS@CES2012
Dec, 2011
Booth Number 35225
KDDI R&D Labs Prototyped a New Application
for Playing Free-Viewpoint Media on a Smartphone
Saitama, Japan - KDDI R&D Labs has prototyped an Android™ application which is capable of playing
free-viewpoint media, where a viewer can enjoy the audiovisual content from any view-/listening- point,
including where neither camera nor microphone is mounted. This application is especially suitable for
the music video; with this application, the content which was created after analyzing 3D spatial aspects
in advance can be easily delivered to mobile devices. On such devices as smartphones and tablets, a
viewer can select his/her favorite viewpoint as well as can change the performers' position and/or the
concert venue space. Such a viewing experience adds a new value to the existing video applications.
Free-viewpoint media, following the deployment of 3D TV, is expected to realize more interactive TV
style. KDDI R&D Labs prototyped a Video-on-Demand system for delivering free-viewpoint media to
consumer. In this previous system, pre-analyzed video and audio materials are stored on a server side,
and according to the viewpoint selected by a viewer, the minimum necessary data is extracted and
delivered, which is then composed to reproduce free-viewpoint media on a receiver side. However,
delivered data size and processing cost are huge at a receiver side and thus it is difficult to reproduce
such free-viewpoint media on a smartphone or a tablet.
Towards the above problems, the optimal resource allocation to a server side and a receiver side has
been investigated. More specifically, KDDI R&D Labs has developed (i) commonization of data
delivered to a receiver device independently of the selected viewpoints, (ii) data size reduction by
describing delivered data in an object unit instead of an image unit, and (iii) processing acceleration on
a receiver device by the target data extraction from the received common data. These technologies solve
the above problems and also the new Android™ application has been developed for playing
free-viewpoint media on a smartphone. KDDI R&D Labs plans to develop more advanced technology
where free-viewpoint media can be reproduced by capturing the generic venue space instead of chroma
key studio, and to seek collaboration with content providers towards commercialization of
free-viewpoint media delivery service.
For further information, please contact:
R&D Marketing Group,
KDDI R&D Laboratories, Inc.
inquiry@kddilabs.jp

2. KDDI R&D LABS@CES2012
Dec, 2011
Booth Number 35225
Fig. 1 Overview of free-viewpoint media creation
Fig. 2. Viewpoint/angle change; you can view/listen to content from any view-/listening- point.
Fig. 3. Players' position change; you can locate your favorite player at your favorite position.
Fig. 4. Concert venue change; you can change the venue space and hear audio according to its geometry.