IMMERSIVE MEDIA AND ACCESSIBILITY: HAND IN HAND TO THE FUTURE

Abstract

Advances on immersive media can provide relevant benefits to our society. The future looks promising with the development of new communication technologies, formats and hardware, together with their wide applicability areas. However, a fundamental aspect remains unexplored in this media landscape evolution: accessibility. Lack of accessibility hinders the interaction and immersion with Virtual Reality (VR) experiences to many consumers, becoming a barrier for global e-inclusion and equality of opportunities. Making immersive media accessible becomes then a priority, and is the research topic covered in this article. After reviewing the societal impact and regulatory framework, the article identifies current advances, limitations and challenges in this field. Then, it presents technological solutions and insights from initiatives targeted at achieving a seamless presentation of access services (subtitling, audio description and sign language) with VR360 content. Although these contributions are primarily conceived for broadcast services, their applicability spans to other sectors, and can pave the way for next-generation accessible VR experiences with 6 Degrees-of-Freedom (6DoF).