As virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) continue to grow so will the importance of standardisation in the industry. Today the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) – behind the DisplayPort and Embedded DisplayPort (eDP) standards – has announced the formation of a Special Interest Group (SIG), which look at standardising these immersive markets.
With its portfolio of display standards – these also include VGA, HDMI and other established interconnect standards – VESA is uniquely positioned to investigate AR/VR compatibility-related issues. The group was proposed by VESA member Analogix Semiconductor, Inc., and will be open to both VESA members and non-members, to allow a wide ranging discussion addressing the various needs of those in the VR/AR markets. The SIG will work with other VESA task groups, as well as other standards organizations, to help build a robust ecosystem that offers optimal benefits for end users.
“AR/VR products involve both software and hardware development, which requires that different companies in different areas work together to pursue a unified AR/VR standard,” said Greg Stewart, director of system architecture at Analogix Semiconductor and chair of the AR/VR SIG in a statement. “Not all of these required areas of expertise are currently being discussed in any existing VESA group, and we see a strong need and value in creating the AR/VR SIG to get the ball rolling. The SIG will explore the technology area and define recommendations for the requirements and scope of a possible standard, as well as set objectives and timelines so that a task group can move forward with more formal development and implementation.”
The VESA AR/VR SIG plans to tackle several key objectives:
- Establish the hierarchical structure for AR/VR services, including physical connections, data transfer protocols, software drivers and application layers
- Define the basic communication data structure and communication channel between the source and sink devices
- Study the related technologies and algorithms, and standardize them to enable economic and efficient implementation
- Suggest any changes to existing VESA standards that may be needed for better AR/VR support
- Work with other standards bodies to merge suggested changes into related standards
“It’s exciting to see the growth in the AR/VR market, evident in such venues as the Consumer Electronics Show, which this year featured more than 260 AR/VR exhibitors with more show floor space than ever before,” said Bill Lempesis, VESA’s executive director. “However, a key question remains—when and how will these products be able to play well with each other? To our knowledge, no other standards organization is currently addressing the key challenges associated with AR/VR product function and interoperability, and we look forward to leveraging our industry leadership to encourage dialogue among industry providers and ultimately help drive further adoption of this exciting technology.”
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