Technicolor Innovation Team Wins Prestigious Laval Virtual Award

• To be truly immersive, VR experiences must free users from the sensations of disembodiment and isolation.
• The demonstration is available to experience at Technicolor’s booth at this year’s show

Technicolor’s Research & Innovation (R&I) group has won a “Culture, Art & Heritage” award at 2017 Laval Virtual, the international conference and exhibition on virtual technologies and uses, which is held in the Pays de la Loire region of France.

Technicolor’s R&I group won for their immersive VR demo, “Real-time Embodiments in 360 Videos and Social Virtual Reality.”​ The demo addresses two of the biggest issues that must be solved on the road to greater consumer adoption of immersive experiences: the disconnect between the user and the experience; and the disconnect with other users.

The Technicolor team demonstrates how 360 video can move from a passive viewing experience to one where you feel more immersed because you are interacting with objects in real-time; it actually reinforces the fundamental notion of presence in Virtual Reality. This is done by embodying the users as characters within the 360 video, where they can move and react to the immersive world around them.

“Technicolor is dedicated to pushing the boundaries of immersive experiences, and part of that dedication includes being able to solve for tomorrow’s challenges today,” stated Cristina Gomila, Chief Technology Officer and Head of Research and Innovation.  “We are very excited that the work of our R&I team has been recognized by such a prestigious institution.”

The demo, which is currently available to experience at the Technicolor booth at the show, not only addresses user presence in immersive media, but the social aspect of VR. By enabling two users within the same experience, the Technicolor team shows how multi-users with different points of view can see each other and even interact within the same experience.

A European institution dedicated to Virtual Reality since 1999, Laval Virtual has evolved over the years to include augmented reality, interactive 3D, and all manner of immersive experiences. At last year’s event over 15,600 visitors came and more than 200 international demos were presented. The Laval Virtual Awards are presented by an international jury of specialists that recognize award recipients for the advancement of highly technical projects.

Watch Nicolas Mollet, Principal Scientist with the R&I Group at Technicolor, as he discusses embodiment and multi-users in VR media.