Ofcom has published a new report looking at the emerging technology that could shape the communications industry in the future.
The report includes sections on broadcast production, distribution and consumption.
In the creation and production section the regulator cites a number of new and emerging technologies that it believes have the potential to transform communications in the future.
It adds that significant developments are expected in the next ten years in the field of television, live-streaming and on-demand media technology, including the tools for content creation and production; content distribution routes; the experiences that audiences will enjoy; and the way viewers navigate content and use devices.
“There are close interrelationships between these elements: for example, new consumer devices (such as ultra-high definition screens) create an appetite for higher quality content, while new content navigation technologies abstract the consumer experience from the actual means of delivery,” said Ofcom.
Among the technology likely to impact production, Ofcom cites 5G, object-based media, next generation audio, augmented reality and light field (plenoptic) cameras. These are cameras that capture information about both the intensity of a scene and the direction in which light rays are travelling, in contrast with a conventional camera which records only the intensity.
Light field cameras employ a large array of so-called ‘microlenses’ placed behind the normal image plane, producing an array of micro-images on the sensor behind. The resulting images are then processed to recreate the final image. Each element of the scene will be manifested in a multitude of micro-images with a difference between these which is dependent on the depth away from the camera. In processing the focal point and depth of field of the image can be altered, making it possible to record a scene, and to alter the focus in post production.
The full report can be found here.
