The Virtual Reality Industry Forum (VRIF) has announced the general availability of its first set of VR Industry Guidelines, which includes topics relevant for VR content production, distribution, security and consumption. At CES in Las Vegas, the VRIF will present the new guidelines in a two-hour masterclass, outline its 2018 roadmap, and showcase VR demonstrations from Fraunhofer and Qualcomm. Featured speakers at the CES event will include experts from Ericsson, Intel, Irdeto, Sky, TNO, Greenlight Insights and others.
Launched at CES 2017 to further the availability of high quality VR experiences, the VRIF today includes more than 40 member organizations. The initial release of the VRIF Guidelines focuses on the delivery ecosystem of 360° video with three degrees of freedom (3DOF) and incorporates:
- Documentation of cross-industry interoperability points, based on ISO MPEG's Omnidirectional Media Format (OMAF)
- Best industry practices for production of VR360 content, with an emphasis on human factors such as motion sickness
- Security considerations for VR360 streaming, including user privacy and content protection
Topics to be addressed in 2018 by the VRIF include six degrees of freedom (6DOF), live virtual reality services and support for high dynamic range (HDR). Member companies are also encouraged to bring topics and suggestions to the various working groups for consideration.
"VRIF is helping the video industry to create and support a thriving VR ecosystem. This technology represents an extremely promising and powerful opportunity, and it is imperative that we work together to create a powerful experience for users out of the gate," said Christian Egeler, director of XR (extended reality) product development at Verizon. "Beyond ensuring that the entire video ecosystem can collaborate to deliver compelling VR experiences, we must work together to effectively protect that content and enable monetization. At the VRIF, we are focused on all these various challenges and opportunities."
"As virtual and augmented reality continue to evolve, the VRIF Guidelines serve two main purposes: first, to support end-to-end interoperability across the virtual reality ecosystem, from production to consumption, and second, to ensure a high-quality user experience," said Rob Koenen, president of the VRIF. "As the industry moves towards standardized VR solutions, we are also cooperating closely with other industry organizations including MPEG, 3GPP, DVB, VR Society and ITU to facilitate technology integration for VRIF member companies and other related partners."
The VRIF CES Masterclass will be held on Jan. 8 from 2-4 pm at the Embassy Suites by Hilton at the Convention Center, Las Vegas.