19/02/2020

On January 9, 2020, China Communications Standards Association (CCSA), at its 17th meeting, released the “White Paper for Cloud Virtual Reality Platform Technology Based on the 5G Network” (hereinafter referred to as the White Paper for 5G Cloud VR).

 

The White Paper for 5G Cloud VR discusses the details to realize cloud VR platforms on the 5G network and serves as a technical reference for realizing the functions and security capabilities of cloud VR platforms as well as the typical cloud VR services. It also offers three suggestions for the future development of cloud VR platform technology: First, build the industry chain of VR “Terminal Management Cloud”, deepening integration of 5G and cloud VR to implement applications and complete a commercial closed loop. The second is to accelerate and improve the development and promotion of cloud VR standards, ensuring interconnection, compatibility and security between VR platforms and equipment. The third is to establish an evaluation and testing system for end-to-end user experience of cloud VR services, standardizing and guaranteeing a good cloud VR experience.

 

Cloud VR is indispensable to improve VR user experience and scale up the VR industry. With powerful computing capability in the cloud, cloud VR can put VR content, content rendering, and even content production on the cloud, and then deliver the immersive VR experience to end-users via high-quality networks. By sharing cloud computing and storage resources, cloud VR can help reduce the cost of terminal hardware for users to experience VR services, and also cut down the cost of upgrading customer equipment and updating applications. Moreover, cloud platforms’ copyright management can ensure the security of VR content and the enthusiasm of content developers.

 

 

Standardization of VR/AR is a key working area planned by the 13th Five-Year Plan of China’s ICT industry. Therefore, CCSA/TC11 established the VR/AR Working Group in 2017 and is organizing the industry to develop standards for cloud VR, cloud AR, VR/AR user experience evaluation, VR/AR terminal equipment and other technologies.