Diversion cinema implements standardized technical sheets for PCVR experiences

Where are we at with Virtual Reality ?

Virtual Reality (VR) is growing year after year in different sectors such as training, marketing and entertainment, transforming our use of technology.

The cultural industry is no different. Many artists use this new technology to express themselves. Immersive works are often shown in international festivals (film, animation, and digital art), as well as on online platforms. In addition, cinemas, museums and libraries include more and more VR pieces in their programs.

However, sustainable exploitation and distribution of VR experiences continue to face significant challenges, one of them being the lack of technical standards and norms.

Why do we need technical standards?

“Without a standard there is no logical basis

for making a decision or taking action.”

Joseph Juran, fondateur de la démarche qualité

As an event agency and distributor of virtual reality experiences, Diversion cinema has seen many cases where the absence of standards degrades the VR experience.

For example, when showcasing 360 VR in an exhibition, a technician receives the 360° video file and uploads it into the devices. Unfortunately the equipment and the player are not compatible with the specs of the video files. As a result, the film starts with a poor quality: the sound and image are not synchronized, the picture freezes, etc. Imagine the same thing happening to you at a movie theater! It could ruin the whole experience.

Similarly, a docent at a festival could present a PCVR experience without calibrating the correct viewing space, or forgetting to give the controllers to the spectator when required, all these small details can contribute to the degradation of the viewing experience. Worse, if the technician didn’t check the capacities of the computer according to the needs of the experience, the spectator might encounter bugs and slowdowns. This will require restarting the PCs and will lead to, not only disappointment for the viewer, but also an important waste of time for the docent.

Not only might it go against the intention of the artist, the lack of procedure and technical standards might give a bad impression of this technology which has so much to offer.

Towards a better exploitation VR experience: where to start?

In order to optimize viewing conditions, a clear communication on the mediation and technical specificities of VR experience is essential.

Having a standardized technical sheet summarizing all these aspects also simplifies the exchanges between different actors, and makes it easier to prepare the correct equipment, space and mediation of a VR experience.

This sheet should summarize the mediation points:

What is your experience about?
How long does it last?
What languages are available?
How much space is needed for the experiment?
etc.

As well as its technical specifications:

With which headset and/or VR platform is the experience compatible with?
Is an internet connection necessary?
What are the minimum technical specs of the equipment?
Is there an installation procedure specific to your experience?
etc.

Establishment of the first technical recommendation for virtual reality in France, the “RT-047”

We worked with the Immersion & Real-Time department of the CST* to publish at the beginning of the year a technical recommendation RT-047 entitled “Design of virtual reality works for public use”. This recommendation was written by Marc Lopato, co-founder of Diversion cinema with the help of Frédéric Fermon, founder of the Immersion & Real Time department. It was then submitted for public consultation.

(For more details, see below - The CST, organization and operation)

The RT-047 has two purposes:

propose a series of good practices intended for creators of VR experiences to simplify operation (starting the experience, tutorial, keyboard shortcuts, etc.);
provide a standardized format for a technical sheet, summarizing all the useful elements for the technician and the mediator.

This technical sheet is intended to circulate systematically with the executable of the experiment:

Sending from the producer / distributor of the piece to the curator and the technical department of the exploitation venue;
It should be printed with any appendices on the exhibition booth.

Here is an example of a technical sheet, for Ayahuasca - Kosmik Journey, the VR experience by Jan Kounen.

*The Higher Technical Commission for Sound and Images (CST) was the first ever association of film and audio-visual technicians in France. It was founded in 1944 and it promotes quality in technique and in the restitution of the cinematographic work seen by spectators. The association is based on three pillars: