Combining panoramic image and 3D audio capture with conventional coverage for immersive and interactive content production

The media industry is currently being pulled in the often-opposing directions of increased realism (high resolution, stereoscopic, large screen) and personalisation (selection and control of content, availability on many devices). A capture, production and delivery system capable of supporting both these trends is being developed by a consortium of European organisations in the EU-funded FascinatE project. This paper reports on the latest developments and presents results obtained from a test shoot at a UK Premier League football match. These include the use of imagery from broadcast cameras to add detail to key areas of the panoramic scene, and the automated generation of spatial audio to match the selected view. The paper explains how a 3D laser scan of the scene can help register the cameras and microphones into a common reference frame