An encoder apparatus includes a memory and a processor to receive video data including a plurality of frames that have been captured in multiple imaging directions in a time series; to separate the frames included in the received video data, by the imaging directions; to store, for each of the imaging directions, the separated frames in the memory; to calculate, for each of the imaging directions, based on sequence numbers of the frames stored in the memory before separation, a frame rate of the video data including the frames; and to encode, for each of the imaging directions, the video data that includes the frames stored in the memory at the frame rate calculated with respect to the imaging direction, and to output the encoded video data.

An electronic device is provided that includes at least one image sensor for acquiring a video feed and one or more displays for presenting a passthrough video feed to a user. The electronic device can include a hierarchical failure detection scheme for detecting critical failures on the device. The hierarchical failure detection scheme may include monitoring a condition of a first subsystem with a second subsystem, monitoring a condition of the second subsystem with a third subsystem, monitoring a condition of the third subsystem with a fourth subsystem, and so on. The displays can operate in a first video passthrough mode or a second video passthrough mode based on the condition of the first subsystem as monitored by the second subsystem, the condition of the second subsystem as monitored by the third subsystem, and/or the condition of the third subsystem as monitored by the fourth subsystem.

A method and a device for transmitting viewpoint switching capabilities in a Virtual Reality 360 (VR360) application are provided. The method for transmitting viewpoint switching capabilities in a VR360 application includes determining a configuration for switching between viewpoints in the VR360 application; and signaling the configuration to the VR360 application.

The disclosure reduces an object shape estimation error even if an abnormality occurs in a device for obtaining a distance to the object. An information processing apparatus according to the disclosure obtains foreground information indicating regions corresponding to a foreground object in images captured by multiple image capturing devices that capture images of an image capturing region from varying directions, and distance information indicating a distance from a reference point to the foreground object, and obtains three-dimensional shape data indicating a foreground object three-dimensional shape based on the foreground information and the distance information. If the distance information is unobtainable by a first obtaining method, the information processing apparatus obtains the distance information by a second obtaining method, and at least one of the first and second obtaining methods uses at least part of the multiple image capturing devices as a stereo camera to obtain the distance information.

Provided are an image sensor with one or more image receivers for image combining, and an imaging system and method therefor. The image sensor includes an image sensor array to generate first image data for a first image; a receiver to receive, into the image sensor, second image data for a second image; an image combination circuit coupled to the image sensor array and the receiver to receive the first image data and the second image data and combine the first image data and the second image data into combined image data for a single combined image, according to one or more image combination criteria, and at least one of the first image data and the second image data; and a transmitter coupled to the image combination circuit to transmit the combined image data for the combined image from the image sensor.

Provided are an image sensor with one or more image receivers for image combining, and an imaging system and method therefor. The image sensor includes an image sensor array to generate first image data for a first image; a receiver to receive, into the image sensor, second image data for a second image; an image combination circuit coupled to the image sensor array and the receiver to receive the first image data and the second image data and combine the first image data and the second image data into combined image data for a single combined image, according to one or more image combination criteria, and at least one of the first image data and the second image data; and a transmitter coupled to the image combination circuit to transmit the combined image data for the combined image from the image sensor.

A method includes obtaining a location of a viewpoint video to which a user currently pays attention in a multi-view video, obtaining a speed at which the user viewpoint switches to the location of the viewpoint video to which attention is currently paid, determining a quantity of predictive viewpoint videos (NNV) that need to be downloaded before the user switches to another viewpoint, determining locations of the predictive viewpoint videos in the multi-view video according to a preset rule and according to the location of the viewpoint video to which the user currently pays attention, the first speed, and the NNV, downloading the predictive viewpoint videos corresponding to the locations of the predictive viewpoint videos from a server end, and transmitting the predictive viewpoint videos.

A depth map generation device includes a plurality of image capture pairs, a depth map generation module, and a processor. The depth map generation module is coupled to the plurality of image capture pairs for generating a plurality of depth maps corresponding to the plurality of image capture pairs according to the image pairs captured by the plurality of image capture pairs. The processor is coupled to the depth map generation module for optionally outputting a depth map of the plurality of depth maps, or outputting a blending depth map composed of a part or all of the plurality of depth maps.

In example embodiments, a system and method for presenting multiple content (e.g., programs) on a single presentation device to a plurality of viewers is provided. The method comprises causing presentation of a combined video stream on the single presentation device. The combined video stream combines video data for at least a first video content of a first content stream and a second video content of a second content stream. The first video content is viewable by a first viewer and the second video content is viewable a second viewer. A control signal is received from a handheld device of the first viewer that indicates an action to be performed on the first video content. The combined video stream is modified to cause the action to be performed on the first video content. The adjusting of the combined video stream has no effect on the display of the second video content.

The invention relates to a method and apparatus for implementing the method. The method comprises receiving a first captured stream of an event from a first multicamera; providing on a head mounted display a presentation of the first captured stream; receiving at least a second captured stream of the event from at least a second multicamera, wherein the first and the second captured streams have been captured simultaneously from different perspectives of the event; switching the presentation of the first captured stream on the head mounted display to a presentation of the second captured stream, wherein the switching comprises rendering on the head mounted display a presentation of at least one view between the first and second multicameras, wherein the rendering depends on the intrinsic and extrinsic parameters of the at least two multicameras.