To be able to create practical, marketable technology solutions for the future, scientists at the four member institutes of the Fraunhofer Digital Cinema Alliance, pooling their experience and expertise in video and audio technology, have launched the »SpatialAV« development project. During this project an intelligent, modular, multi-sensory recording and production system for immersive audio-visual media will be developed, which allows a feeling like being part of the scene for the spectator. The goal of the SpatialAV project is automating workflows, which supports high quality and helps cut technical production costs.
Contact: Fraunhofer-Allianz Digital Cinema, Dr. Siegfried Foessel
The new miniaturized OmniCam is a system for the real-time acquisition of 360° ultra high definition panoramic video. The compact and easy-to-use camera system is a scalable, mirror-based multi-camera rig that can be used for capturing immersive ultra-high-resolution 3D video panoramas. These videos are then exhibited with a flexible multi-projection system in order to provide the viewers with the immersive feeling of watching the event on-site from the very best seat.
Contact: Fraunhofer HHI, Christian Weissig
PROJEKT SPATIAL-AV
Real-time stereo-to-multiview conversion allows playback of 3D Blu-ray content or any other stereoscopic 3D video content on autostereoscopic displays. Costly offline conversion is no longer needed and personal 3D viewing preferences can be adjusted on-the-fly. Depth estimation, the heart of stereo-to-multiview conversion, is now available as a pure hardwired IP core suited for FPGA and ASIC implementation. For evaluation purposes a reference FPGA implementation is available.
Contact: Fraunhofer HHI, Christian Riechert
PROJEKT SPATIAL-AV
Fraunhofer IDMT´s spatial audio production tools support audio professionals in the realization of high-quality sound and spatially precise audio recordings. The microphone manager gives the recording engineer new possibilities to keep track of a microphone recording even for a huge number of microphones. With SpatialSound Headphone Fraunhofer IDMT presents an interactive spatial sound reproduction system for headphones.
Contact:Fraunhofer IDMT, Christoph Sladeczek
PROJEKT SPATIAL-AV
The Low-complexity Codec developed by the Fraunhofer-Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS allows for flexibly adapting image data streams to the available infra structure and bandwidth without compromising high resolution or dynamic range qualities. Using the low-complexity codec, high-resolution images can be compressed visually lossless, frame by frame and at compression rates from 1:2 to 1:8. This enables a transmission over standard connections and cables. The codec provides extremely low latency, high data throughput and little demand of logic components. Therefore it is possible to integrate it in already existing, programmable components or to use inexpensive components as well. The low-complexity codec is a cost-efficient alternative for image processing and transmission systems in the professional movie production business and also for multi media applications.
Contact: Fraunhofer IIS, Wolfgang Heppner
HDR – Moving pictures at any lighting level
The Fraunhofer IIS presents a new way of HDR imaging technology, which helps to improve image recording under normal day-light conditions. The IIS method called non-regular sampling allows, thanks to specially developed algorithms, for recording with only a single shot a highly dynamic range between the brightest and the darkest areas of the image. Great advantage of this method is that cameras with this recording technology can optimally capture scenes under challenging lighting conditions as for example extremely brightlight or deep shades. This HDR recording method provides a lot of creative headroom for post-production because the complete dynamic range of the scene can be used. At the IBC2013 Fraunhofer IIS presents also a second approach to HDR moving picture recording. With this method, a camera array is used that enables HDR without a special sensor but by using a combination of several cameras.
Contact: Fraunhofer IIS, Dr. Joachim Keinert
The Fraunhofer IIS light-field recording system currently consists of a 4x4 camera array with high-resolution HD-cameras. For postproduction the DOPs and producers can are given endless creative freedom to work with the shot material – modify the scenes by changing the camera angle like the Matrix-effect, which shows the actor like frozen in the middle of the scene and the camera moving around the object. In addition, the viewing angle can be shifted or even extended as if the camera was moved although the recording was in fact static. So, parts of the recorded scene which would be masked at a usual straight-on view can be integrated in the scene. The plus of views also allows for a virtual modification of the camera position. The object can be moved back and forth to the spectator without changing the position of the camera array during recoding – this way the cameramen are able to realize the Vertigo or Dolly-zoom effect.
Contact: Fraunhofer IIS, Frederik Zilly
The most challenging part of recording live events is the fast and reliable image data transfer from different cameras into the broadcast truck or the broadcast control room. The huddle of special cables and transmission lines is enormous to deliver all image and audio data in time. Therefor scientists of the Fraunhofer IIS are working on a method based on scalable compression formatsllike JPEG 2000. The main goal is to replace special cables by cost-efficient standard components. The basic idea of this development is that at a certain point of time not all cameras have to transfer their image data in highresolution and highquality to the broadcast truck or video control room.
Today, every camera – even if it is not delivering the main content – continuously transfers many, high-resolution images in maximum quality over the connection line to the image control room. While using the adaptive content streaming method of the Fraunhofer IIS the image data of all used cameras are losslessly coded in the JPEG 2000 format. The center camera delivers all image data in the JPEG 2000 format, all other active cameras transfer only a preview. Thanks to the scalability of JPEG 2000 the high-resolution image data of these cameras can be stored in the camera or, when required, delivered without multiple compressing and decoding. Great advantage is the use of standard connections for the image transfer.
Contact: Fraunhofer IIS, Heiko Sparenberg
The Intelligent Camera INCA, a development of the Fraunhofer IIS, is combining highest processing power with a compact design. Its various interfaces (HDMI, Ethernet, HD-SDI) make a maximum of different individual applications possible. INCA Eagle Cam is a specific application of the camera platform to customized requirements. For the production of a nature film, the INCA Eagle Cam was adapted to the body and the flight of an eagle.
Contact: Fraunhofer IIS. Wolfgang Thieme
In the ASP (Automated Stereo Production) collaborative research project – which is subsidized by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology – the project partners Fraunhofer HHI, Fraunhofer IIS, Zeiss, P+S Technik and KUK Film are developing a smart embedded 3D stereo camera assistance system for unattended broadcast and POV applications. The aim of the research project is reducing the cost of future 3D stereo recording without any loss of quality.
Contact: Fraunhofer IIS, Stephan Gick
Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft