DIGITAL

Success in Horizon 2020: two new projects on media and content convergence

The Smart Media Solutions Team part of the research group Connected Computing of DIGITAL has won two projects investigating future entertainment formats for radio and 360° video.

Mobile and social media are important communication channels for radio
Foto: VRT Research & Innovation

Answering to a call for project proposals to investigate opportunities for new personal and immersive media experiences DIGITAL has submitted four proposals. Two of them were selected for funding by the European Commission as part of HORIZON 2020. This is exceptionally high, as the overall acceptance rate is around 15%.

MARCONI (Multimedia and Augmented Radio Creation: Online, iNteractive, Individual) is answering to the paradigm shift in radio production, focusing on user engagement, interaction and personalization. Many users are no longer only connected to a station through the linear broadcast channel, but interact through social media or apps. The project will develop an integrated solution for radio presenters to efficiently handle several digital platforms and social media channels simultaneously, linked to their editorial systems. The solution will be deployed as software-as-a-service, allowing both large and small radio stations to move their radio experiences forward.

The result of Hyper360 (Enriching 360° media with 3D storytelling and personalisation elements) will be a complete solution for the capture, production, enhancement, delivery and consumption of an innovative free viewpoint video (FVV) media format. Content created with this solution will be offered with additional audio-visual functionalities, and adapted according to the viewer’s preferences offering unique experiences upon content consumption.

In both projects the Smart Media Solutions team of DIGITAL’s Connected Computing Group will provide methods for audiovisual analysis such as visual quality analysis, content matching, visual concept classification, adapted to the specific requirements, and develop implementations that scale with the volume of media.

Contact

DI Georg Thallinger
DI(FH) Werner Bailer