Skip to main content
Standards

Beyond 2D Video

Evaluating stereoscopic, multiview and volumetric video formats and codecs delivered over 5G.

Overview​

Beyond 2D Video covers media formats that go past a flat single-camera picture, such as stereoscopic 3D, multiview, depth-enhanced and volumetric video. 3GPP studied how these formats and their codecs perform over 5G in the feasibility study FS_Beyond2D, captured in TR 26.956. 5G-MAG tracks this work because it sets the evaluation baseline for delivering richer-than-2D experiences. This page lists the related 3GPP work item and technical report, and is for anyone assessing how immersive and 3D video will be carried over 5G. For acronyms used here, see the Glossary.

Technology & Analysis

The Beyond 2D scenarios (stereoscopic, multiview plus depth, volumetric) and how they map to codecs.

What the study covers​

FS_Beyond2D is a feasibility and characterisation study, not a normative specification. It covers four format families:

  • Stereoscopic video, a left and right view giving a fixed 3D effect without free viewpoint, with extensions for depth and alpha metadata;
  • Multiview and multi-view plus depth (MV+D), several camera views (with depth) that support a limited change of viewpoint;
  • Dense dynamic point clouds, a volumetric representation of an object or person captured in 3D;
  • Dynamic meshes, a volumetric representation using time-varying textured 3D meshes.

The report also surveys formats under research (neural radiance fields, light fields, 3D Gaussian splatting) without evaluating them.

See the Beyond 2D Video Tech page for the per-family and per-scenario detail.

Codecs and how they map to the formats​

The study evaluates each format with the codecs that are practical for it today; for stereoscopic video, simulcast HEVC serves as the baseline:

Format familyCoding approaches evaluatedRelation to V3C
StereoscopicSimulcast HEVC (baseline) and MV-HEVCNot V3C-based
Multi-view plus depthThe MIV profile of V3C; the report also notes MV-HEVC as a coding optionMIV is ISO/IEC 23090-12 (a V3C profile)
Dense dynamic point cloudV-PCC; no anchor codec exists for the format, G-PCC is noted as a related technologyV-PCC is part of ISO/IEC 23090-5
Dynamic meshV-DMC, described alongside V-PCC for the volumetric scenarioV-DMC is ISO/IEC 23090-29 (video-based, V3C-related)

This connects to the Volumetric Video with MPEG V3C topic: the volumetric and multi-view-plus-depth scenarios are the cases where V3C (V-PCC and MIV) is one of the coding approaches under evaluation.

Relationship to 5G Media Streaming​

The study assesses these formats against the existing 5G Media Streaming delivery framework (TS 26.501 architecture, TS 26.512 protocols and APIs). See the Beyond 2D Video Tech page for the detailed analysis.

The work item that drove the Beyond 2D Video feasibility study, the technical report it produced, and the 5G Media Streaming specifications the formats are assessed against. The work-item link downloads a .zip contribution package.

SpecificationTitleLayer
FS_Beyond2DFeasibility Study on Beyond 2D Video (FS_Beyond2D)the work item that drove the study; the link downloads a .zip contribution packageWork item
TR 26.956Evaluation and Characterization of Beyond 2D Video Formats and Codecsthe output of FS_Beyond2D, giving the evaluation and characterisation of the formats and codecs in scopeTechnical report
TS 26.5015G Media Streaming (5GMS); General description and architecturethe framework the formats are assessed againstDelivery framework
TS 26.5125G Media Streaming (5GMS); Protocols and APIsthe framework the formats are assessed againstDelivery framework

5G-MAG tracking and contribution focus​

5G-MAG tracks FS_Beyond2D as it establishes the evidence base for carrying richer-than-2D formats over 5G Media Streaming, ahead of any later normative SA4 work. The technical detail is on the Beyond 2D Video Tech page.

note

Refer to the Standards repository to contribute to this documentation.