Surround-sound systems immerse TV viewers in the action by extending the audio off-screen. Now a new system extends the concept to pictures by allowing viewers to peek beyond the screen during a TV broadcast.
Using the Surround Video system developed by and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab, a viewer can point a smartphone screen beyond the TV screen to see what is happening off camera.
It could help sports fans to watch off-the-ball action during live broadcasts.
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In the action
If broadcasters take the idea up, viewers will see a logo stamped in the corner of the TV picture when a suitable programme 鈥� probably a big sports event 鈥� is on their TV screen. Then they鈥檒l just point their smartphone鈥檚 camera at the screen to show it the logo, says Bove. 鈥淭he phone figures out from the logo where the TV is and also what channel it鈥檚 tuned to,鈥� he says.
When the viewer moves the phone to the left or right, a software app installed on the phone uses its built-in accelerometer and compass to establish the movement and orientation of the phone relative to the TV.
The app will then link via the internet to whichever of the programme-maker鈥檚 cameras is pointing in the direction of the phone. As well as views of areas not in the current shot, viewers might be able to choose from cameras with wide views, for example from cameras in a stadium鈥檚 roof.
This will be possible because sports programme-makers stuff stadiums full of cameras to ensure they can cut between them and not miss a second of the action.
Programme-makers already use most of the equipment needed for such a service, Bove says, so providing software to allow phones to access unused feeds would be the main barrier.
Social event
Allowing users to take control of their own view makes it possible to combine the big-screen experience with personalised control, says Bove. 鈥淭he fellow sitting next to you on the sofa doesn鈥檛 have to get distracted; it preserves the social shared experience, but also allows for individual action.鈥�
at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta says it鈥檚 a 鈥渘ice simple idea鈥� that 鈥渉its a balance between the capabilities of current technology and the long-term vision of immersive video you can pan around鈥�.
鈥淲here all this other video comes from is an interesting problem,鈥� he says. 鈥淪ome would immediately point to processed, crowd-sourced video from the event as one possible source.鈥�
The team have successfully tried the system out on the MIT campus and now hope to forge partnerships with TV broadcasters to develop the technology.
