[Paper Review] QUALINET White Paper on Definitions of Immersive Media Experience (IMEx)

Andrew Perkis, Christian Timmerer+42 more|arXiv (Cornell University)|Jun 10, 2020

Virtual Reality Applications and Impacts6 references55 citations

TL;DR

A comprehensive survey of immersion and presence definitions across disciplines, proposing a unified concept called Immersive Media Experience (IMEx) and discussing its relation to Quality of Experience (QoE), applications, assessment, and standardization.

ABSTRACT

With the coming of age of virtual/augmented reality and interactive media, numerous definitions, frameworks, and models of immersion have emerged across different fields ranging from computer graphics to literary works. Immersion is oftentimes used interchangeably with presence as both concepts are closely related. However, there are noticeable interdisciplinary differences regarding definitions, scope, and constituents that are required to be addressed so that a coherent understanding of the concepts can be achieved. Such consensus is vital for paving the directionality of the future of immersive media experiences (IMEx) and all related matters. The aim of this white paper is to provide a survey of definitions of immersion and presence which leads to a definition of immersive media experience (IMEx). The Quality of Experience (QoE) for immersive media is described by establishing a relationship between the concepts of QoE and IMEx followed by application areas of immersive media experience. Influencing factors on immersive media experience are elaborated as well as the assessment of immersive media experience. Finally, standardization activities related to IMEx are highlighted and the white paper is concluded with an outlook related to future developments.

Motivation & Objective

• Survey and synthesize definitions of immersion and presence across multiple fields.
• Propose a coherent definition of Immersive Media Experience (IMEx).
• Explain how QoE relates to IMEx and discuss application areas of immersive media.
• Describe assessment approaches for IMEx and highlight related standardization activities.
• Provide an outlook on future developments in IMEx and related standards.

Proposed method

• Conduct a literature survey of immersion and presence definitions across computer graphics, media, and related fields.
• Analyze relationships and distinctions between immersion, presence, and IMEx.
• Propose a consolidated IMEx definition based on surveyed concepts.
• Describe how QoE interacts with IMEx and outline assessment strategies.
• Review application areas and current standardization efforts related to IMEx.

Experimental results

Research questions

• RQ1 What are the prevailing definitions and scope of immersion and presence across disciplines?
• RQ2 How can a coherent Immersive Media Experience (IMEx) be defined?
• RQ3 What is the relationship between QoE and IMEx?
• RQ4 What are the main application areas and assessment approaches for IMEx?
• RQ5 What standardization activities pertain to IMEx and what未来 developments are anticipated?

Key findings

• Provides a survey and synthesis of immersion and presence definitions from multiple domains.
• Offers a definition concept for Immersive Media Experience (IMEx).
• Relates QoE to IMEx and discusses implications for evaluation.
• Outlines application areas and assessment approaches for IMEx.
• Highlights standardization activities and provides an outlook for future IMEx developments.