The MPEG Avatar Representation Format, Scene Description integration and the 3GPP IVAS immersive audio codec.
Overview
5G-MAG tracks standardisation of avatar communications and the associated immersive voice and audio in 5G systems: the Avatar Representation Format (ARF), an MPEG format for interoperable 3D avatars, MPEG-I Scene Description integration, and Immersive Voice and Audio Services (IVAS), the 3GPP immersive audio codec used alongside them. For the technical analysis of how avatar communication works, see the Tech page linked below. For acronyms used here, see the Glossary.
Technology & Analysis
The implementer-facing analysis of the MPEG Avatar Representation Format.
Specifications by Role
The standardisation spans MPEG (avatar representation and scene placement) and 3GPP/IETF (real-time transport and immersive audio). The table groups the key specifications by the part of the system they govern; see Avatar Communication with MPEG ARF for the technical analysis of how these pieces fit together.
| Role | Specifications |
|---|---|
| Avatar representation | ISO/IEC 23090-39 (ARF) |
| Scene placement | ISO/IEC 23090-14 and Amendment 2 (MPEG-I Scene Description) |
| Real-time media transport | TS 26.114, TS 26.506, draft-ietf-avtcore-rtp-avatar |
| Immersive audio | TS 26.250 to TS 26.258 (IVAS) |
Key Specifications
The MPEG, 3GPP and IETF deliverables behind avatar communications, filterable by the role they play. Search matches the specification number, its title and any scope note.
ISO/IEC 23090-39 (ARF) defines interoperable storage, carriage and animation of 3D avatars, and is designed to work with MPEG-I Scene Description (ISO/IEC 23090-14; see the XR page for the full Scene Description treatment, including the amendment that adds avatar support). See Avatar Communication with MPEG ARF for the ARF data model and end-to-end procedure.
IVAS is the 3GPP immersive voice and audio codec developed by working group SA4. Its deliverables span the general overview, the fixed- and floating-point C code, test material, the detailed algorithmic description (including the RTP payload format and SDP parameters used to negotiate the codec in a session), rendering, error concealment, and jitter buffer management.
16 of 16 specifications
| Specification | Title | Layer |
|---|---|---|
| ISO/IEC 23090-39 | Coded representation of immersive media; Part 39: Avatar representation format (ARF)interoperable storage, carriage and animation of 3D avatars; storage containers are ISOBMFF (ISO/IEC 14496-12) and Zip-based (ISO/IEC 21320-1) | Avatar representation |
| ISO/IEC 23090-14 | Coded representation of immersive media; Part 14: Scene descriptionpublished in 2023 as a set of extensions to Khronos glTF 2.0 | Scene placement |
| ISO/IEC 23090-14 Amd 2 | Support for haptics, augmented reality, avatars, interactivity, MPEG-I audio, and lightingthe amendment that adds avatar support to Scene Description | Scene placement |
| TS 26.114 | IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS); Multimedia Telephony; Media handling and interaction (MTSI) | Real-time media transport |
| TS 26.506 | 5G Real-time Media Communication Architecture (Stage 2)the stage-2 architecture for RTC over 5G | Real-time media transport |
| draft-ietf-avtcore-rtp-avatar | RTP payload format for ARF (ISO/IEC 23090-39) avatar animationsIETF work in progress, not a 3GPP or MPEG deliverable | Real-time media transport |
| TS 26.250 | Codec for Immersive Voice and Audio Services (IVAS); General overview | Immersive audio |
| TS 26.251 | Codec for Immersive Voice and Audio Services (IVAS); C code (fixed-point) | Immersive audio |
| TS 26.252 | Codec for Immersive Voice and Audio Services (IVAS); Test sequences | Immersive audio |
| TS 26.253 | Codec for Immersive Voice and Audio Services (IVAS); Detailed Algorithmic Description including RTP payload format and SDP parameter definitions | Immersive audio |
| TS 26.254 | Codec for Immersive Voice and Audio Services (IVAS); Rendering | Immersive audio |
| TS 26.255 | Codec for Immersive Voice and Audio Services (IVAS); Error concealment of lost packets | Immersive audio |
| TS 26.256 | Codec for Immersive Voice and Audio Services (IVAS); Jitter Buffer Management | Immersive audio |
| TS 26.258 | Codec for Immersive Voice and Audio Services (IVAS); C code (floating-point) | Immersive audio |
| TR 26.813 | Avatar Representation and Communication | Studies |
| TR 26.928 | Extended reality (XR) in 5Gincludes avatar and presence use cases | Studies |
References to verify
One identifier on this page is not confirmed against a primary source: the exact edition of ISO/IEC 14496-12 (ISOBMFF) intended by the ARF text. ISO/IEC 23090-39 is at DIS stage and its text is not publicly accessible; confirm the referenced ISOBMFF edition against the published standard when available. All other citations on this page (IVAS titles, TR 26.813, TS 26.506, ISO/IEC 21320-1) have been verified against the 3GPP portal, the ISO catalogue and the MPEG ARF site.
5G-MAG tracking and contribution focus
5G-MAG follows the standardisation of avatar communications and the associated immersive voice and audio work (ARF, MPEG-I Scene Description, IVAS, and the related 3GPP/IETF transport work) as it develops; check the Standards repository for the current status.
Related Standards Work
- Standards: XR and MPEG-I Scene Description
- Standards: Real-Time Communications (RTC)
- Feedback and Requirements: how 5G-MAG submits feedback and requirements to SDOs
Refer to the Standards repository to contribute to this documentation.