The field of Extended Reality (XR) is rapidly evolving, driven by advances in streaming technologies, new XR platforms, and a growing diversity of XR devices. This tutorial provides an overview of the current state of XR streaming and its increasing importance for delivering immersive experiences across headsets and emerging smart glasses.

We will begin by examining the key technological trends shaping XR streaming, including cloud and edge rendering, low‑latency networks, and adaptive streaming techniques, and discuss their implications for scalable XR content delivery. The tutorial will then explore the role of XR streaming in supporting next‑generation XR experiences, with a focus on media, interactive applications, and virtual environments.

In the context of XR platforms and devices, we will discuss how Android XR and recent developments in Spatial Computing are influencing XR streaming architectures. In addition, the tutorial will provide an update on the latest XR devices, with particular emphasis on smart glasses and display‑enabled wearables, such as Meta Ray‑Ban Display glasses and upcoming Android XR‑based devices including Samsung Galaxy XR.

Topics include:

• Tech Trends in XR Streaming: cloud and edge rendering, low-latency networks, and hardware

• Next-Gen Immersive Experiences: delivery of high-fidelity media, interactive applications, and virtual environments

• XR Platforms & Architectures: Android XR and recent developments in Spatial Computing

• Evolving Device Landscape: latest hardware trends, including smart glasses, and display-enabled wearables

Connected Media Experiences powered by Open Standards and Open-Source

Improving the efficiency of streaming over satellite networks by unequal error protection of mABR streams

Latest Updates on 5G Broadcast

Features in 5G-Advanced for media services

Towards XR application awareness in 3GPP networks

5G in PSM – Where do we stand today

Spotlight on Volumetric Video: Use Cases, Standards and Implementation

Latest developments of 5G-MAG XR tools

XR and wearables: Current state and perspectives on upcoming 5G/6G features

The concept of Virtual Worlds is rapidly evolving, driven by groundbreaking initiatives and technological advancements. This tutorial will explore the transformative impact of Virtual Worlds on the media industry, highlighting real-world examples that showcase their potential.

We will begin by examining the key initiatives propelling the development of Virtual Worlds, discussing their implications for media production, distribution, and consumption. The tutorial will then delve into the technology enablers that make these immersive experiences possible, with a focus on Extended Reality (XR) and Spatial Computing.

In the realm of Spatial Computing, we will explore how Apple’s VisionOS and the newly announced Android XR are set to revolutionize Virtual Worlds. Additionally, we will cover state-of-the-art technologies for capturing photorealistic environments and human representations, including Neural Radiance Fields (NeRF), 3D Gaussian Splatting (3DGS), and advanced avatar animations such as Apple Personas on Apple Vision Pro and Meta Pixel Codec Avatars for Meta Quest headsets.

Topics

• Virtual Worlds Initiatives
• Virtual Worlds in the Media Industry
• Technology Enablers
  • Gaming Engines (Unity, Unreal Engine)
  • Extended Reality (Apple Vision Pro, Meta Quest, …)
  • Spatial Computing (visionOS, Android XR)
  • Photorealistic Capturing (NeRF, 3DGS)
  • Avatar Animations (Apple Persona, Meta Pixel Codec Avatars)

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