Definition and Application of XR

1.Technology introduction

Extended reality refers to the use of hardware devices combined with a variety of technical means to integrate virtual content and real scenes, including AR (augmented reality), VR (virtual reality), and MR (mixed reality).

2.Develop history

In 1994, writer and producer Julie Martin (Julie Martin) applied augmented reality technology to the cultural entertainment industry for the first time,In the theatrical production titled Dancing in Cyberspace, acrobats dance with projected virtual objects on a physical stage.

In China around 2010, XR technology has been used in large-scale evening parties, performances and events. Represented by the national team, VR, AR, and holographic technologies have brought shocking visual experience to the audience in the live broadcast of the New Year's Eve and Spring Festival Gala.

Since then, XR technology has been used more and more frequently in domestic online live performances. Until the sudden outbreak of the epidemic in 2020, which had a huge impact on the performance industry, many offline performances were forced to shift to online.

Compared with offline live performances that use stages, lights, bands, etc. to create atmosphere, online channel performances relatively lack the creation of live atmosphere. In order to maximize the sensory experience for the audience, XR technology has naturally become the darling of online live concerts, holiday parties and brand launches.As a provider of XR content creation and interactive infrastructure, I believe that technology is also polishing its technological advantages into a magic weapon, helping companies in the game, entertainment, and film and television industries to build a bridge connecting the virtual and real worlds. Empower new content forms and promote the innovation and development of the entire industry.

3. Experience difference

With the current level of technology, the effects brought by XR technology are very different from offline and online experiences.

Compared with traditional offline performances and traditional online performances, in terms of content, the application of XR technology makes stage performances attach great importance to visual art, and the appeal and impact of the stage can bring direct stimulation to the audience in a short time.

Under normal circumstances, if you need to experience the shocking effect brought by XR technology in offline performances, the audience often needs to use certain hardware devices, such as VR glasses or mobile phones. This strong dependence on audience hardware equipment often becomes the reason why XR technology cannot be popularized in offline performances.

In the online live broadcast, the effect presented by XR technology is broadcasted through TV and the Internet, and the live audience cannot appreciate it with naked eyes.The special effects presented in the program require content design in the early stage, which expands the upper limit of the atmosphere created by lighting, stage art and LED screens in large open-air venues, and extends the visual boundaries of the audience.There are two main ways to realize the combination of online live performance and XR technology at this stage. One is to build a full virtual environment, where actors perform on a green screen background, and the image uses technical means to replace the green screen background with the visual scene with a visual scene environment.

The other is to synthesize the produced image with the real image in the real performance scene, and superimpose the visual effect.

In general, the underlying logic of the wider application of XR technology in online live performances is somewhat similar.Usually, 3D technology, image analysis, tracking technology, real-time rendering technology and other graphics and image processing technologies are used to fuse the real scenes or characters captured by the camera lens with the produced images through technical means to create a certain visual effect. , and communicated to the audience in front of the screen.

In terms of production, compared with movies or games, the XR images in online performance scenes tend to be short-term, low-frequency small-screen experiences, and do not have to withstand the test of the big screen. Therefore, during the viewing process, the audience has relatively high acceptance of the level of visual effects and much looser requirements. Of course, this by no means means that the virtual performances created by XR do not have technical content.