Comfort-driven disparity adjustment for stereoscopic video

Pixel disparity—the offset of corresponding pixels between left and right views—is a crucial parameter in stereoscopic three-dimensional (S3D) video, as it determines the depth perceived by the human visual system (HVS). Unsuitable pixel disparity distribution throughout an S3D video may lead to visual discomfort. We present a unified and extensible stereoscopic video disparity adjustment framework which improves the viewing experience for an S3D video by keeping the perceived 3D appearance as unchanged as possible while minimizing discomfort. We first analyse disparity and motion attributes of S3D video in general, then derive a wide-ranging visual discomfort metric from existing perceptual comfort models. An objective function based on this metric is used as the basis of a hierarchical optimisation method to find a disparity mapping function for each input video frame. Warping-based disparity manipulation is then applied to the input video to generate the output video, using the desired disparity mappings as constraints. Our comfort metric takes into account disparity range, motion, and stereoscopic window violation; the framework could easily be extended to use further visual comfort models. We demonstrate the power of our approach using both animated cartoons and real S3D videos

Perceived Depth Control in Stereoscopic Cinematography

Despite the recent explosion of interest in the stereoscopic 3D (S3D) technology, the ultimate prevailing of the S3D medium is still significantly hindered by adverse effects regarding the S3D viewing discomfort. This thesis attempts to improve the S3D viewing experience by investigating perceived depth control methods in stereoscopic cinematography on desktop 3D displays. The main contributions of this work are: (1) A new method was developed to carry out human factors studies on identifying the practical limits of the 3D Comfort Zone on a given 3D display. Our results suggest that it is necessary for cinematographers to identify the specific limits of 3D Comfort Zone on the target 3D display as different 3D systems have different ranges for the 3D Comfort Zone. (2) A new dynamic depth mapping approach was proposed to improve the depth perception in stereoscopic cinematography. The results of a human-based experiment confirmed its advantages in controlling the perceived depth in viewing 3D motion pictures over the existing depth mapping methods. (3) The practicability of employing the Depth of Field (DoF) blur technique in S3D was also investigated. Our results indicate that applying the DoF blur simulation on stereoscopic content may not improve the S3D viewing experience without the real time information about what the viewer is looking at. Finally, a basic guideline for stereoscopic cinematography was introduced to summarise the new findings of this thesis alongside several well-known key factors in 3D cinematography. It is our assumption that this guideline will be of particular interest not only to 3D filmmaking but also to 3D gaming, sports broadcasting, and TV production

Position Paper On Use Of Stereoscopy To Support Science Learning: Ten Years Of Research

Stereoscopys potential as a tool for science education has been largely eclipsed by its popularity as an entertainment platform and marketing gimmick. Dozens of empirical papers have been published in the last decade about the impact of stereoscopy on learning. As a result, a corpus of research now points to a coherent message about how, when, and where stereoscopy can be most effective in supporting science education. This position paper synthesizes that research with examples from three studies recently completed and published by the authors of this paper. Results of the synthesis point towards generally limited successful uses of stereoscopic media in science education with a pocket of potentially beneficial applications. Our position is that stereoscopy should be used only where its unique properties can accommodate specific requirements of understanding topics and tasks namely visualizations where the spatial sense of depth is germane to conveying core ideas and cognitive load is high. Stereoscopys impact on learning is also related to the spatial ability of the viewer. More research is needed on the effect of novelty, long-term learning and possible learning differences between the various methods of implementing stereoscopy

A grammar model and curriculum resource for stereoscopic 3-D film production techniques

David Crowe's research was sparked by the lack of a suitable storytelling model for stereoscopic 3-D in cinema. David not only refined a working 3-D curriculum, which is now delivered as a Masters module in Higher Education, but also refined an appropriate 3-D film grammar, for now and the future

Gradient-based 2D-to-3D Conversion for Soccer Videos

A wide spread adoption of 3D videos and technologies is hindered by the lack of high-quality 3D content. One promising solution to address this problem is to use automated 2D-to-3D conversion. However, current conversion methods, while general, produce low-quality results with artifacts that are not acceptable to many viewers. We address this problem by showing how to construct a high-quality, domain-specific conversion method for soccer videos. We propose a novel, data-driven method that generates stereoscopic frames by transferring depth information from similar frames in a database of 3D stereoscopic videos. Creating a database of 3D stereoscopic videos with accurate depth is, however, very difficult. One of the key findings in this paper is showing that computer generated content in current sports computer games can be used to generate high-quality 3D video reference database for 2D-to-3D conversion methods. Once we retrieve similar 3D video frames, our technique transfers depth gradients to the target frame while respecting object boundaries. It then computes depth maps from the gradients, and generates the output stereoscopic video. We implement our method and validate it by conducting user-studies that evaluate depth perception and visual comfort of the converted 3D videos. We show that our method produces high-quality 3D videos that are almost indistinguishable from videos shot by stereo cameras. In addition, our method significantly outperforms the current state-of-the-art method. For example, up to 20% improvement in the perceived depth is achieved by our method, which translates to improving the mean opinion score from Good to Excellent.Qatar Computing Research Institute-CSAIL PartnershipNational Science Foundation (U.S.) (Grant IIS-1111415

Attention-Aware Disparity Control in interactive environments

Cataloged from PDF version of article.Our paper introduces a novel approach for controlling stereo camera parameters in interactive 3D environments in a way that specifically addresses the interplay of binocular depth perception and saliency of scene contents. Our proposed Dynamic Attention-Aware Disparity Control (DADC) method produces depth-rich stereo rendering that improves viewer comfort through joint optimization of stereo parameters. While constructing the optimization model, we consider the importance of scene elements, as well as their distance to the camera and the locus of attention on the display. Our method also optimizes the depth effect of a given scene by considering the individual user’s stereoscopic disparity range and comfortable viewing experience by controlling accommodation/convergence conflict. We validate our method in a formal user study that also reveals the advantages, such as superior quality and practical relevance, of considering our method.© Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2013

Experience Design for Virtual Reality. From Illusion to Agency.

Virtual Reality (VR) allow viewers to inhabit and interact with virtual spaces in a way that has the potential to be much more compelling than any other medium, breaking through the barrier between merely watching to experiencing a situation or environment. It has an experiential quality by integrating the domains of interactive video games, filmmaking, storytelling and immersion. A balancing act between narrative design, digital placemaking and user agency. In this article, written from a practitioner’s perspective, I propose and demonstrate strategies in how immersive experiences can utilise multiple modes of representations, such as omnidirectional stereoscopic video and real-time 3D rendered geometry, to form a coherent spatial narrative environment for a viewer in VR. Particular emphasis will be placed on factors in visual perception; experience design including narration, scenography and user agency; and the technical conditions of the medium. This insight emerged from a series of recent VR projects, which are fundamentally different in terms of content, design and production techniques, but this diversity is an opportunity to lay the foundations for a classification system for VR experiences and establish a common language for this exciting new medium

Methods for reducing visual discomfort in stereoscopic 3D: A review

This work was supported by the EPSRC Grant EP/M01469X/1, “Geometric Evaluation of Stereoscopic Video”

Perceptually driven stereoscopic camera control in 3D virtual environments

Ankara : The Department of Computer Engineering and the Graduate School of Engineering and Science of Bilkent University, 2013.Thesis (Master's) -- Bilkent University, 2013.Includes bibliographical references leaves 56-59.Depth notion and how to perceive depth have long been studied in the eld of psychology, physiology, and even art. Human visual perception enables to perceive spatial layout of the outside world by using visual depth cues. Binocular disparity among these depth cues, is based on the separation between two di erent views that are observed by two eyes. Disparity concept constitutes the base of the construction of the stereoscopic vision. Emerging technologies try to replicate binocular disparity principles in order to provide 3D illusion and stereoscopic vision. However, the complexity of applying the underlying principles of 3D perception, confronted researchers the problem of wrongly produced stereoscopic contents. It is still a great challenge to give realistic but also comfortable 3D experience. In this work, we present a camera control mechanism: a novel approach for disparity control and a model for path generation. We try to address the challenges of stereoscopic 3D production by presenting comfortable viewing experience to users. Therefore, our disparity system approaches the accommodation/convergence con- ict problem, which is the most known issue that causes visual fatigue in stereo systems, by taking objects' importance into consideration. Stereo camera parameters are calculated automatically with an optimization process. In the second part of our control mechanism, the camera path is constructed for a given 3D environment and scene elements. Moving around important regions of objects is a desired scene exploration task. In this respect, object saliencies are used for viewpoint selection around scene elements. Path structure is generated by using linked B ezier curves which assures to pass through pre-determined viewpoints. Though there is considerable amount of research found in the eld of stereo creation, we believe that approaching this problem from scene content aspect provides a uniquely promising experience. We validate our assumption with user studies in which our method and existing two other disparity control models are compared. The study results show that our method shows superior results in quality, depth, and comfort.Kevinç, Elif BengüM.S