QUALINET white paper on definitions of Immersive Media Experience (IMEx)

With the coming of age of virtual/augmented reality and interactive media, numerous definitions, frameworks, and models of immersion have emerged across different fields ranging from computer graphics to literary works. Immersion is oftentimes used interchangeably with presence as both concepts are closely related. However, there are noticeable interdisciplinary differences regarding definitions, scope, and constituents that are required to be addressed so that a coherent understanding of the concepts can be achieved. Such consensus is vital for paving the directionality of the future of immersive media experiences (IMEx) and all related matters. The aim of this white paper is to provide a survey of definitions of immersion and presence which leads to a definition of immersive media experience (IMEx). The Quality of Experience (QoE) for immersive media is described by establishing a relationship between the concepts of QoE and IMEx followed by application areas of immersive media experience. Influencing factors on immersive media experience are elaborated as well as the assessment of immersive media experience. Finally, standardization activities related to IMEx are highlighted and the white paper is concluded with an outlook related to future developments

Multi-sensory media experiences

The way we experience the world is based on our five senses, which allow us unique and often surprising sensations of our environment. Interactive technologies are mainly stimulating our senses of vision and hearing, partly our sense of touch, and the sense of taste and smell are widely under-exploited. There is however a growing international interest of the film, video, and game industries in more immersive viewing and gaming experiences. In the 20th century there was a demand for a controllable way to describe colours that initiated intense research on the descriptions of colours and substantially contributed to advances in computer graphics, image processing, photography and cinematography. Similarly, the 21st century now demands an investigation of touch, taste, and smell as sensory interaction modalities to enhance media experiences

TCP-Based distributed offloading architecture for the future of untethered immersive experiences in wireless networks

IMX '22: ACM International Conference on Interactive Media Experiences, 22-24 June 2022, Aveiro, Portugal.Task offloading has become a key term in the field of immersive media technologies: it can enable lighter and cheaper devices while providing them higher remote computational capabilities. In this paper we present our TCP-based offloading architecture. The architecture, has been specifically designed for immersive media offloading tasks with a particular care in reducing any processing overhead which can degrade the network performance. We tested the architecture for different offloading scenarios and conditions on two different wireless networks: WiFi and 5G millimeter wave technologies. Besides, to test the network on alternative millimeter wave configurations, currently not available on the actual 5G millimeter rollouts, we used a 5G Radio Access Network (RAN) real-time emulator. This emulator was also used to test the offloading architecture for an simulated immersive user sharing network resources with other users. We provide insights of the importance of user prioritization techniques for successful immersive media offloading. The results show a great performance for the tested immersive media scenarios, highlighting the relevance of millimeter wave technology for the future of immersive media applications.This work has received funding from the European Union (EU) Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie ETN TeamUp5G, grant agreement No. 813391

Measuring and understanding photo sharing experiences in social virtual reality

Millions of photos are shared online daily, but the richness of interaction compared with face-to-face (F2F) sharing is still missing. While this may change with social Virtual Reality (socialVR), we still lack tools to measure such immersive and interactive experiences. In this paper, we investigate photo sharing experiences in immersive environments, focusing on socialVR. Running context mapping (N=10), an expert creative session (N=6), and an online experience clustering questionnaire (N=20), we develop and statistically evaluate a questionnaire to measure photo sharing experiences. We then ran a controlled, within-subject study (N=26 pairs) to compare photo sharing under F2F, Skype, and Facebook Spaces. Using interviews, audio analysis, and our questionnaire, we found that socialVR can closely approximate F2F sharing. We contribute empirical findings on the immersiveness differences between digital communication media, and propose a socialVR questionnaire that can in the future generalize beyond photo sharing

Sound for Fantasy and Freedom

Sound is an integral part of our everyday lives. Sound tells us about physical events in the environ- ment, and we use our voices to share ideas and emotions through sound. When navigating the world on a day-to-day basis, most of us use a balanced mix of stimuli from our eyes, ears and other senses to get along. We do this totally naturally and without effort. In the design of computer game experiences, traditionally, most attention has been given to vision rather than the balanced mix of stimuli from our eyes, ears and other senses most of us use to navigate the world on a day to day basis. The risk is that this emphasis neglects types of interaction with the game needed to create an immersive experience. This chapter summarizes the relationship between sound properties, GameFlow and immersive experience and discusses two projects in which Interactive Institute, Sonic Studio has balanced perceptual stimuli and game mechanics to inspire and create new game concepts that liberate users and their imagination