Apparatus and associated method for presenting data

Abstract

A device is configured to: receive presentation data, the presentation data including first content and second content for continuous presentation, the first content and the second content being associated with corresponding first and second spatial areas and corresponding first and second presentation positions; determine whether a current location of a presenter user is within at least one of the first spatial area or the second spatial area; if the presenter user is within the first spatial area, provide presentation of the first content at the first presentation position in virtual reality by a presentation device of a consumer user; if the presenter user is within the second spatial area, provide presentation of the second content at the second presentation position by the presentation device; and wherein the presentation of the first content and the second content is independent of the location of the consumer user.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality presentation. In particular, the present disclosure relates to presentation of presentation data in virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality, and associated devices, methods, and computer programs. Background Art

[0002] The presentation of virtual reality spaces or environments is becoming popular, with content creators providing more and more content for exploration. There is also a separate desire to share ideas and present those ideas to others in a slideshow type presentation.

[0003] The listing or discussion of a previously published document or any background in this specification should not necessarily be taken as an admission that such document or background is prior art or common general knowledge. One or more aspects / examples of the present disclosure may or may not address one or more background issues. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In a first example aspect, there is provided an apparatus comprising components configured to:

[0005] receiving presentation data, the presentation data comprising at least first content and second content for continuous presentation, the first content and the second content being associated with respective first and second spatial regions and respective first and second presentation positions, the first and second spatial regions comprising different portions of a space, the first and second presentation positions comprising different positions in the space;

[0006] receiving presenter location information, the presenter location information indicating a current location of a presenter user in a space;

[0007] determining, from the presenter location information, whether a current location of the presenter user is within at least one of the first spatial area or the second spatial area;

[0008] If it is determined that the current location is within the first spatial area, the component is configured to provide signaling to at least one presentation device for presentation of the first content by the at least one presentation device at the first presentation location, the presentation device being configured to present the first content to a consuming user in one of virtual reality or augmented reality, the consuming user being different from the presenting user;

[0009] If the current location is determined to be within the second spatial area, the component is configured to provide signaling to at least one presentation device for presentation of the second content at the second presentation location by the at least one presentation device, the presentation device being configured to present the second content to a consuming user other than the presenting user in one of virtual reality or augmented reality; and

[0010] Wherein presentation of the first content is independent of the location of the consuming user, and presentation of the second content is independent of the location of the consuming user.

[0011] Thus, in one or more examples, the presentation data can be compared to a slideshow presentation, where the first content and the second content comprise slides of the slideshow. However, given that the first content and the second content are intended to be presented in virtual reality or augmented reality (or any variants thereof), the first content and the second content can include more than two-dimensional slides and can include text, image(s), video(s), audio, three-dimensional models that can be virtually presented in three dimensions rather than as two-dimensional representations of the three-dimensional models. It should be understood that just as a slideshow can include any number of slides, the presentation data can include multiple content instances, where the first content and the second content include two instances of potentially multiple content instances.

[0012] In one or more examples, the space includes a virtual reality space for presenting in virtual reality to a presenter user and one or more consuming users.

[0013] In one or more examples, the corresponding spatial region comprises a discrete region of the virtual reality space. In one or more examples, the presenter position information indicates a current virtual position in the virtual reality space and is received from a virtual reality device configured to present the virtual reality space to a presenter user. In one or more examples, the virtual reality device is part of a system having the device.

[0014] In one or more examples, it should be understood that the respective presentation of the first content and the second content by the at least one presentation device includes presenting the first content and the second content in response to viewing direction information indicating that the respective consuming user is viewing in the direction of the respective first presentation location and the second presentation location. In examples where the space includes a virtual reality space, presenting the first content and the second content by the at least one presentation device may include including the first content and the second content in the virtual reality space for viewing by the consuming user when looking in the direction of the respective first presentation location and the second presentation location.

[0015] In one or more examples, at least one rendering device is part of the apparatus.

[0016] In one or more examples, the component is configured to, if it is determined that the current location is not within any of the corresponding spatial regions, perform at least one of the following:

[0017] not providing signaling to present any further instances of at least the first content and the second content that have not already been presented by the presentation device; or

[0018] Signaling is provided to at least one presentation device for removing any of at least the first content or the second content from presentation.

[0019] In one or more examples, the signaling to present the second content also includes signaling to remove presentation of the first content.

[0020] In one or more examples, the space includes a virtual reality space for presenting in virtual reality to a presenter user and one or more consuming users, wherein when signaling for presentation of first content is provided, the virtual reality space has a first volumetric limit, the first volumetric limit including a spatial extent of the virtual reality space for the consuming user, and the first volumetric limit including a first presentation location but not a second presentation location, wherein if it is determined that the current location is within the second spatial area, the component is configured to provide signaling for increasing the spatial extent of the virtual reality space for the consuming user from the first volumetric limit to a larger second volumetric limit, the second volumetric limit including the first presentation location and the second presentation location.

[0021] Thus, in one or more examples, the device is configured to provide signaling to the rendering device to render the virtual space with a limited spatial extent based on the presenter user's current location, which represents their selected control over the rendering of the presentation data. This advantageously controls the extent of the virtual space and, therefore, the range of virtual locations available to the consuming user when exploring the virtual space using their rendering device.

[0022] In one or more examples, the virtual reality space for the presenter user is not subject to the spatial extent limitation provided by the first volume limitation.

[0023] In one or more examples, the apparatus is configured to:

[0024] Signaling is provided to a presentation device of one of the consumer users to re-present the first content based on consumer user location information, the consumer user location information indicating that the one of the consumer users is within a first spatial area, and a current location specified by the presenter location information indicates that the presenter user is within a spatial area other than the first spatial area in the spatial area of ​​the presentation data and was previously already in the first spatial area.

[0025] In one or more examples, the first content includes content that progresses over time, and the re-presentation of the first content includes presentation of the first content from a start time point of the first content.

[0026] In one or more examples, the component is further configured to provide a presentation of the virtual reality space to the presenter user.

[0027] In one or more examples, the current location of the presenter user includes a virtual location controlled by the presenter user using a user input device, or the current location of the presenter user includes a physical real-world location of the presenter user obtained using one or more position sensors, and wherein the physical real-world location is converted by the device into a virtual location in the virtual reality space.

[0028] In one or more examples, the signaling for presentation of the first content is configured to locate a virtual location of at least one consuming user within a threshold distance of the first presentation location; and

[0029] The signaling for presentation of the second content is configured to locate a virtual location of at least one consuming user within a threshold distance of the second presentation location.

[0030] In one or more examples, the components are configured to:

[0031] receiving audio data from a microphone used by a presenter user;

[0032] Determine the first spatial area and the second spatial area based on the presenter location information

[0033] A spatial region associated with audio data;

[0034] Receiving consuming user location information indicating a location of each of the consuming users in the space; and one or both of:

[0035] (i) providing a live presentation of the audio data using a presentation device of at least one consuming user, the at least one consuming user being determined to be within a spatial region associated with the audio data at the time the audio data was received using consuming user location information; or

[0036] (ii) providing for recording of the audio data and subsequently providing for presentation of the recorded audio data using a presentation device of the at least one consuming user based on the consuming user location information indicating that the at least one consuming user has entered a spatial region associated with the audio data.

[0037] .In one or more examples, the component is configured to provide signaling to cause the first content and the second content to continue to be presented in the space, respectively, after the presenter location information indicates that the presenter user's current location has left one of the first spatial area and the second spatial area, so that the consumer user can reaccess the first or second content.

[0038] In one or more examples, providing signaling to the presentation device to provide presentation of the second content is conditional on the presenter position information indicating that the presenter user moves from the first spatial region to the second spatial region.

[0039] In one or more examples, an apparatus includes a device configured to provide a conference between a virtual reality device used by a presenter user and at least one presentation device used by a consuming user, the conference including a shared presentation of presentation data in virtual reality.

[0040] In one or more examples, the presentation data includes first and second content and metadata defining first and second spatial regions and first and second presentation locations.

[0041] In one or more examples, the apparatus includes components configured to generate presentation data based on user input.

[0042] In one or more examples, the space includes a real-world space around each of the consuming user and the at least one presenting user to present the first content and the second content in augmented reality for the presenting user and the one or more consuming users. In one or more examples, the corresponding spatial region includes a discrete region of the real-world space around each corresponding user. In one or more examples, the presenter location information is received from one or more location sensors, and the one or more location sensors are configured to determine the current location of the presenting user in the real world around the presenting user. In one or more examples, the one or more location sensors may include part of the device.

[0043] In a second example aspect, there is provided a method comprising:

[0044] Receive presentation data, the presentation data including at least first content and second content for continuous presentation, the first content and the second content being associated with respective first and second spatial regions and respective first and second presentation positions, the first and second spatial regions comprising different portions of space, the first presentation position

[0045] and the second presentation location comprises a different location in space;

[0046] Receive presenter location information, the presenter location information indicates the presenter user is

[0047] Current position in space;

[0048] determining, from the presenter location information, whether a current location of the presenter user is within at least one of the first spatial area or the second spatial area;

[0049] If it is determined that the current location is within the first spatial area, providing signaling to at least one presentation device for presentation of the first content at the first presentation location by the at least one presentation device, the presentation device being configured to present the first content to a consuming user in one of virtual reality or augmented reality, the consuming user being different from the presenting user;

[0050] If the current location is determined to be within the second spatial area, providing signaling to at least one presentation device for presentation of the second content by the at least one presentation device at a second presentation location, the presentation device being configured to present the second content to a consuming user other than the presenting user in one of virtual reality or augmented reality; and

[0051] Wherein presentation of the first content is independent of the location of the consuming user, and presentation of the second content is independent of the location of the consuming user.

[0052] In a third exemplary aspect, a computer readable medium is provided, comprising computer program code stored thereon, the computer readable medium and the computer program code being configured to, when executed on at least one processor, perform the following method:

[0053] Receive presentation data, the presentation data including at least first content and second content for continuous presentation, the first content and the second content being associated with respective first and second spatial regions and respective first and second presentation positions, the first and second spatial regions comprising different portions of space, the first presentation position

[0054] and the second presentation location comprises a different location in space;

[0055] Receive presenter location information, the presenter location information indicates the presenter user is

[0056] Current position in space;

[0057] determining, from the presenter location information, whether a current location of the presenter user is within at least one of the first spatial area or the second spatial area;

[0058] If it is determined that the current location is within the first spatial area, providing signaling to at least one presentation device for presentation of the first content at the first presentation location by the at least one presentation device, the presentation device being configured to present the first content to a consuming user in one of virtual reality or augmented reality, the consuming user being different from the presenting user;

[0059] If it is determined that the current location is within the second spatial area, signaling is provided to at least one presentation device for presentation of the second content at the second presentation location by the at least one presentation device, the presentation device being configured to present the second content to a consuming user other than the presenting user in one of virtual reality or augmented reality; and

[0060] Wherein presentation of the first content is independent of the location of the consuming user, and presentation of the second content is independent of the location of the consuming user.

[0061] In a fourth example aspect, there is provided an apparatus comprising:

[0062] at least one processor; and

[0063] at least one memory including computer program code,

[0064] The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least perform the following operations:

[0065] Receive presentation data, the presentation data including at least first content and second content for continuous presentation, the first content and the second content being associated with respective first and second spatial regions and respective first and second presentation positions, the first and second spatial regions comprising different portions of space, the first presentation position

[0066] and the second presentation location comprises a different location in space;

[0067] Receive presenter location information, the presenter location information indicates the presenter user is

[0068] Current position in space;

[0069] determining, from the presenter location information, whether a current location of the presenter user is within at least one of the first spatial area or the second spatial area;

[0070] If the current location is determined to be within the first spatial area, the component is configured to provide signaling to at least one presentation device for presentation of the first content at the first presentation location by the at least one presentation device, the presentation device being configured to present the first content to a consuming user in one of virtual reality or augmented reality, the consuming user being different from the presentation user.

[0071] Current users;

[0072] If the current location is determined to be within the second spatial area, the component is configured to provide signaling to at least one presentation device for presentation of the second content at the second presentation location by the at least one presentation device, the presentation device being configured to present the second content to a consuming user other than the presenting user in one of virtual reality or augmented reality; and

[0073] Wherein presentation of the first content is independent of the location of the consuming user, and presentation of the second content is independent of the location of the consuming user.

[0074] The optional features of the first aspect are also applicable to the apparatus of the fourth aspect. In addition, the functions provided by the optional features of the first aspect may be executed by the method of the second aspect and the code of the computer-readable medium of the third aspect.

[0075] The present invention includes one or more corresponding aspects, examples or features, individually or in various combinations, whether or not explicitly stated (including claimed) in that combination or individually. Corresponding components and corresponding functional units (e.g., function enablers, AR / VR graphics renderers, display devices) for performing one or more functions discussed are also included in the present invention.

[0076] Corresponding computer programs for implementing one or more of the disclosed methods are also within the scope of the present disclosure and encompassed by one or more of the described examples.

[0077] The foregoing summary is intended to be illustrative only and non-limiting. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0078] A description will now be given, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0079] Figure 1 An example apparatus for providing presentation of presentation data in virtual reality or augmented reality or any variant thereof is described;

[0080] Figure 2 schematically illustrating a space (such as a virtual reality space) in which presentation data first, second, and third content are visible and spatial regions associated with the first, second, and third content;

[0081] Figure 3 Shown in presentation mode Figure 2 A space including a presenter user and multiple consumer users in a first space area;

[0082] Figure 4 showing a presenter user having moved from a first spatial area to a second spatial area;

[0083] Figure 5showing a presenter user providing audio data in a second spatial region;

[0084] Figure 6 showing a presenter user and a plurality of consuming users having moved from a second spatial area to a third spatial area;

[0085] Figure 7 showing expanding the spatial extent of the space from a first volumetric limit to a second volumetric limit based on the presenter user moving to a different spatial region;

[0086] Figure 8 showing a change in space based on the presenter user moving to a different spatial region;

[0087] Figure 9 A flow chart illustrating an example method is shown; and

[0088] Figure 10 Computer readable media is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0089] Virtual reality (VR) can use a VR display, including a head-mounted device such as glasses or goggles or a virtual retinal display, or one or more display screens that surround a user to provide the user with an immersive virtual experience. The VR device, which may or may not include a VR display, can provide a function for presenting VR content representing a VR space to the user, simulating the user being within the VR space. Accordingly, in one or more examples, the VR device can provide signaling to the VR display for presenting the VR content to the user, while in one or more other examples, the VR device can be part of the VR display (e.g., part of the head-mounted device). The VR space can be generated from VR content. The VR space can include a virtual three-dimensional space. The VR content can thus logically define the VR space and the arrangement of images, objects, audio, and any other content within the VR space. Thus, the user is immersed in the space as if they were there, and can look around the VR space to view elements of the VR content displayed / presented around them. VR can be used to replicate real-world scenes to simulate a user physically being at a real-world location, or it can be used to present computer-generated content or a combination of computer-generated and real-world content in a VR space. The real-world device may thus generate a virtual three-dimensional space in which to present images, audio, and / or other content of the VR content.One or more examples herein may relate to the provision of virtual reality.

[0090] The spatial extent of a VR space is typically larger than a portion of the VR space that a user can view at any one time using a VR display. Therefore, a virtual reality device can provide a user with a virtual reality view of the VR space displayed on a VR display, where the VR view only shows the spatial content of the VR space that is viewable at any one time. The virtual reality device can provide tracking around the VR view in the VR space (e.g., the direction of viewing) based on the movement of the user's head or other user input. The virtual reality device can provide translational movement of the viewpoint position in the virtual reality space and provide a corresponding VR view in the VR scene based on the sensed movement of the user's head or other user input.

[0091] Augmented reality (AR) can use an AR display, such as glasses or goggles, or a virtual retinal display, to augment a real-world view (e.g., looking through the glasses or goggles) with computer-generated content. An AR device, which may or may not include an AR display, can provide a presentation of multimedia AR content configured to be overlaid on a user's view of the real world. Thus, an AR user can view the real-world environment surrounding them, augmented or supplemented by content provided by the AR device, which may be overlaid on their real-world view and / or aurally overlaid on an audible real-world scene they can hear. The content can include multimedia content such as images, photos, videos, charts, textual information, auditory content, and the like. Thus, while AR may provide a direct view of the real world with additional computer-generated graphics and / or audio content, a VR user may only be able to see content presented on the VR display of the VR device, essentially unable to directly view the real world. One or more examples herein may relate to the provision of AR.

[0092] VR content integrated with a virtual reality device can be configured to enable users to freely explore the virtual reality space. Therefore, the virtual reality device can allow users to freely position their viewpoints within the virtual reality space along a free viewing direction. This type of VR is also referred to as six-degree-of-freedom (6DoF) VR or volumetric VR for those skilled in the art. Therefore, in 6DoF VR, users can freely view around the VR space in different directions by changing their viewing direction, and they can also freely change their viewpoint position by translating along one or more of the orthogonal x, y, and z axes. View direction modification can be provided by sensed physical movement of the user's head. Viewpoint position modification can be provided by sensed physical movement of the user. Available movements in a 6DoF virtual reality space can be divided into two categories: rotational and translational movements (each with three degrees of freedom). Rotational movements allow users to turn their heads to change their viewing direction. The three rotational movements are about the x-axis (roll), about the y-axis (pitch), and about the z-axis (yaw). Translational movement means that the user also changes their viewpoint in space to view the VR space from different virtual positions, i.e., moving along the x, y, and z axes as they wish. Using terminology derived from the motion of a ship, translational movement can be referred to as surge (x), sway (y), and heave (z).

[0093] In another example, virtual reality may include predefined viewing position VR or three degrees of freedom (3DoF), where the user's viewpoint position in the VR space may be fixed or follow a predefined path. Thus, the user can freely change their viewpoint position relative to the VR imagery displayed around them within the VR space, but they cannot freely change their viewpoint position within the VR space to explore the VR space. Predefined viewing direction VR content may provide the user with three degrees of freedom in the VR space, including rotation about the viewing direction along any of the x, y, and z axes, and may therefore be referred to as three degrees of freedom VR (3DoF VR). In other examples, VR content integrated with a virtual reality device may be configured to implement 3DoF VR but with limited translational movement within the VR space. For example, VR views may be renderable from a default viewpoint position as well as from viewpoint positions within a threshold distance. This type of VR may be referred to as 3DoF+.

[0094] One or more examples herein relate to providing one or more types of virtual reality, including 6DoF, 3DoF, and 3DoF+.

[0095] Mixed reality is similar to augmented and virtual reality and includes the use of a three-dimensional model of a real-world environment to enable virtual objects, including visual and audio objects, to appear to interact with real-world objects based on one or more of their movement, presentation (e.g., audio presentation), and appearance. For example, a virtual ball may appear to roll along a real-world surface because the geometry of the real-world surface may be captured or otherwise modeled in mixed reality. In other examples, the acoustic properties of a real-world room may be modeled, and audio may be presented using effects that simulate the acoustic properties of the real-world room in which the user is located. In this disclosure, mixed reality is considered to be a subset of virtual reality and a subset of augmented reality. Accordingly, the examples described herein that specify their application to virtual reality or augmented reality also relate to providing mixed reality content.

[0096] Spatial audio includes audio presented to a user in such a way that each audio source can be perceived as originating from specific locations, as if the individual sources of the audio were located at those specific locations. Spatial audio content includes audio intended to be presented as spatial audio, and as such typically includes audio with directional information (explicitly specified as metadata, for example, or inherently present in the way the audio is captured), such that the spatial audio can be presented such that its component audio is perceived as originating from one or more points or one or more directions based on the directional information. For example, audio rendering can take into account modeled early reflections and reverberation, depending on the virtual or real space in which the audio presentation occurs.

[0097] Thus, virtual reality content can be provided with spatial audio having directional properties such that the audio is perceived as originating from points in VR space, which can be linked to the imaging of the VR content. Augmented or mixed reality content can be provided with spatial audio such that the spatial audio is perceived as originating from real-world objects visible to the user and / or from augmented reality graphics overlaid on the user's view.

[0098] Spatial audio can be presented independently of visual virtual reality or augmented reality content. In some examples, spatial audio can be considered augmented reality content because it enhances the auditory scene perceived by the user. As an example of independent presentation of spatial audio, a user can wear headphones and, as they explore the real world, they can be presented with spatial audio so that the audio appears to originate from specific locations associated with real-world objects or locations. For example, a city tour can be provided by a device that tracks the user's location in the city and presents audio describing points of interest as spatial audio, so that the audio is perceived as originating from points of interest around the user's location. One or more embodiments described herein can present spatial audio.

[0099] Spatial localization of spatial audio can be provided through 3D audio effects, such as those that utilize head-related transfer functions to create a spatial audio space (aligned to real-world space in the case of augmented reality), where the audio can be localized for the presenting user. Spatial audio can be presented through headphones using head-related transfer function (HRTF) filtering techniques or for speakers using vector-based amplitude panning techniques to localize the perceived auditory origin of the spatial audio. Spatial audio can use volume differences, time differences, and batch differences in the audible presentation to each user's ear to create the perception that the audio originates at a specific location or direction in space. The perceived distance from the perceived origin of the audio can be rendered by controlling the amount and gain of the echo to indicate proximity or distance to the perceived spatial audio source. It should be understood that spatial audio presentation as described herein can involve audio presentation with only a perceived direction toward its origin, as well as audio presentation that causes the origin of the audio to have a perceived location, for example, including a perception of distance from the user.

[0100] It may be necessary to provide a presentation in virtual reality, augmented reality, or mixed reality. Below, for the sake of brevity, descriptions will be given as presentations in virtual reality, rather than listing VR, AR, and MR separately. Therefore, unless the context dictates otherwise, it can be assumed that references to virtual reality may refer to any of virtual reality, augmented reality, or mixed reality. Representations can be logically represented as presentation data.

[0101] The presentation data may include multiple "slides" for sequential display, similar to those displayed via traditional slideshow presentation software. However, presenting traditional slideshows in virtual reality may limit the benefits of the virtual reality experience, as the viewer or consumer is restricted to a location or virtual location within the virtual reality space where the presentation is provided. Furthermore, the use of virtual reality enables presentations beyond just two-dimensional slideshows of text and images. Virtual or augmented reality can enable the content presented to include any of slideshows (e.g., text), images (e.g., photos or other visual content), video, audio (e.g., mono, stereo, or spatial audio), and static or animated volumetric models (e.g., three-dimensional virtual objects). Furthermore, the content may include another virtual reality space within the virtual reality space for presenting the content of the presentation data. Thus, another virtual reality space can be presented based on the consumer virtually "stepping into" an area within the presented virtual reality space. Therefore, providing presentations using virtual reality may be advantageous compared to traditional two-dimensional slideshows due to the opportunity to present a wider variety of content. Thus, a "slideshow" of a presentation configured for virtual reality presentation may include multiple instances of content for sequential presentation, such as a first content, a second content, a third content, and so on.

[0102] The provision of the presentation may be controlled by first user input received from a first user, or "presenter user." The presentation may be provided for consumption in virtual reality by one or more other users, referred to as "consuming users."

[0103] In summary, the use of virtual reality or augmented reality (or variations thereof) to provide a presentation that includes presentation data for content presented continuously may allow for the use of richer and more diverse content, but the presentation in said reality may hinder the ability of the consumer to interact with the content and the broader virtual space. Thus, in augmented reality, presentation data may be presented at a fixed real-world location, while in virtual reality, presentation data may be configured to appear at a fixed virtual location. For example, a virtual reality space may include a virtual museum, and the presentation may be about a collection of exhibits. The consumer's need to remain at the virtual location to view the presentation is limited in their exploration of the collection of exhibits. Therefore, the presentation of content in virtual reality may hinder the consumer's interaction with the content or other content in the virtual or augmented reality space.

[0104] Figure 1 An example apparatus 100 for providing presentation data is shown. The presentation data may be received from a presentation data generating apparatus (not shown) used by a content creator, which may include a presenter user. Apparatus 100 is configured to receive presenter position information, for example, from a presentation apparatus, which may include a virtual reality apparatus 101. Virtual reality apparatus 101 may be used by a presenter user who wishes to present presentation data to a consumer user. In one or more examples, virtual reality apparatus 101 may include one or more position sensors for determining the presenter user's position in real-world space, which may be converted by virtual reality apparatus 101 into a position in virtual reality space. One or more sensors may be part of a head-mounted device 102, which virtual reality apparatus 101 may utilize to display the content of the presentation data to the presenter user. In other examples, the audio / visual presentation functionality of head-mounted device 102 may be separate from one or more sensors. Thus, presenter position information may be provided by one or more sensors and / or virtual reality apparatus 101. It should be understood that in other examples, the presenter user may control their position in virtual space through means other than sensed real-world movement, such as using a user input device. Thus, presenter location information may be provided by the virtual reality device 101 or other device that a presenter user may use to explore the virtual reality space in which the presentation content is configured for display.

[0105] Apparatus 100 may be configured to present content representing presentation data to a consuming user using at least one presentation device. In this example, two presentation devices 103 and 104 are shown, but it should be understood that any number of presentation devices may be present, enabling any number of consuming users to consume the presentation data. Each of presentation devices 103 and 104 includes a head-mounted device 105 and 106, which may include a virtual reality headset if the presentation data is intended for presentation in virtual reality or augmented reality, or glasses if the presentation data is intended for presentation in augmented reality or mixed reality. Head-mounted devices 105 and 106 may include position sensors or other input devices to detect the position of the consuming user or enable the consuming user to change their position. Thus, in virtual reality or augmented reality, position sensors may be used to translate real-world user movements into positions in the virtual space or augmented reality presentation, so that they appear at a given real-world location. In other examples, user input may be used to control the user's position in virtual reality.

[0106] In one or more examples, presentation devices 103, 104 can provide presentations for more than one consumer user. Thus, more than one head-mounted device can be connected to a single presentation device 103, 104 for use by a corresponding number of consumer users. Even though a single presentation device can serve multiple users, it can be considered to be performing the functions of multiple presentation devices. Thus, references to multiple presentation devices can equally refer to a single presentation device serving two or more users.

[0107] The head-mounted devices 102, 105, 106 may include sensors for monitoring head and / or eye positioning so that corresponding viewing direction can be provided for virtual reality, or for positioning augmented reality content in the real-world space around the user (e.g., world-locked augmented reality).

[0108] While the head mounted devices 105, 106 are disclosed for consuming content presenting data, it should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to head mounted displays for use by consuming users. In one or more other examples, a smartphone can be used to consume content in augmented reality.

[0109] Device 100 can be considered an intermediary device to facilitate a virtual conference between a presenter user who can use virtual reality device 101 and one or more consumer users who can use rendering devices 103 and 104. In one or more examples, device 100 can include a server that can be connected to rendering devices 101, 103, and 104 via one or more networks (e.g., the Internet). In other examples, the functionality of device 100 can be distributed or located elsewhere, such as within or distributed between any one or more of virtual reality device 101, rendering devices 103, 104, and the server. The conference can provide for a shared presentation of presentation data and, optionally, at least one of voice or text communication between users.

[0110] It should also be understood that, while different terms are used to distinguish between the virtual reality device 101 and the presentation devices 103 and 104, they can have the same functionality. Thus, in one or more examples, a user of the presentation device 103 can be designated as a presenter, and thus their presentation device 103 can be given control of the virtual reality device 101 as described herein. Therefore, in this regard, the terms "virtual reality device" and "presentation device" are used to understand, but not to imply, specific functionality performed by these devices.

[0111] However, the device 100 may be implemented, for example, as a server or as part of one or more devices 101, 103, or 104. The virtual reality device 101 may include or be connected to a processor 107 and a memory 108 and may be configured to execute computer program code. The device 100 may have only one processor 107 and one memory 108, but it should be understood that other embodiments may utilize more than one processor and / or more than one memory (e.g., of the same or different processor / memory types). Furthermore, the device 100 may be an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

[0112] The processor may be a general purpose processor dedicated to executing / processing information received from other components, such as from the virtual reality or presentation devices 101, 103, 104 (and / or their sensors), in accordance with instructions stored in the form of computer program code in the memory. Output signaling generated by such operation of the processor is provided onward to other components, such as the presentation devices 101, 103, 104.

[0113] The memory 108 (not necessarily a single memory unit) is a computer-readable medium (solid-state memory in this example, but may be other types of memory such as a hard drive, ROM, RAM, flash memory, etc.) that stores computer program code. The computer program code stores instructions that are executable by the processor when the program code is run on the processor. In one or more example embodiments, the internal connection between the memory and the processor can be understood as providing an active coupling between the processor and the memory to allow the processor to access the computer program code stored on the memory.

[0114] In this example, the respective processors and memories are electrically connected internally to each other to allow electrical communication between the respective components. In this example, all components are located adjacent to each other so as to be formed together into an ASIC, in other words, so as to be integrated together as a single chip / circuit that can be installed in an electronic device. In some examples, one or more or all components may be located separately from each other.

[0115] In this example, apparatus 100 includes a virtual reality device 101 for presenting a virtual reality space having content with presentation data arranged therein. However, such presentation can also be performed in augmented reality. In this example, presentation devices 103, 104 include virtual reality devices for presenting a virtual reality space in which the content with presentation data is arranged for consuming users. However, such presentation can also be performed in augmented reality. It will be understood that when considering implementation in augmented reality, reference to the virtual reality space can refer to the space surrounding the users, such that the augmented reality content appears to have a location in the space surrounding each respective user.

[0116] Under the control of signaling from the device 100, the device 100 or the rendering devices 103, 104 can provide (multiple) consuming users with display of presentation data in virtual / augmented reality. Under the control of signaling from the device 100, the device 100 or the virtual reality device 101 can provide the presenting user with display of presentation data in virtual / augmented reality.

[0117] Example Figure 2A space 200 is shown that includes a virtual reality space, which can be viewed as a virtual three-dimensional volume in which presentation data can be created or viewed, for example, by a presenter user 201. The presenter user 201 is shown as an avatar to illustrate the position (and rotation) of the presenter user 201 in the space 200. The avatar of the presenter user 201 may or may not be visible to the consuming user. While in this example, the space 200 is a virtual reality space, in other examples, it may include a real-world space in which augmented reality objects representing presentation content can be positioned as if they existed in the space. The device 100 may provide signaling to cause the virtual reality device 101 to present the space 200 to the presenter user 201.

[0118] The presentation data in this and other examples may include first content 202, second content 203, and third content 204 for sequential presentation. The first through third content represent a logically ordered collection of individual instances of content that presenter user 201 may wish to present in a manner similar to a slideshow presentation. In this example, first content 202 comprises a bar graph representing some statistical information, second content 203 comprises an image of a cat, and third content 204 comprises a three-dimensional model 204 represented by three spheres. Content 202, 203, 204 may be presented in three dimensions, allowing a consuming user to move around the model, image, or "slide," which appears to float within space 200. Thus, three-dimensional content such as third content 204, as well as conventional two-dimensional content such as first 202 and second 203 content, may be configured to be displayed in three dimensions, allowing consuming user(s) to experience the content from different perspectives (e.g., tilted angles), from the front, and from the back. Presenting content in this manner may facilitate more natural and engaging content consumption and take advantage of presentations in space 200 using virtual reality or augmented reality.

[0119] Each of the first content 202, the second content 203, and the third content 204 is associated with a corresponding first spatial region 205, a second spatial region 206, and a third spatial region 207, each of which includes a different discrete portion of the space 200. The spatial regions 205-207 are shown as regions, although in other examples they may include discrete volumes of the space 200. The spatial regions 205-207 can be arranged adjacent to each other. The spatial regions 205-207 can be non-overlapping or partially overlapping in terms of the area or volume of the space 200 occupied by the spatial regions 205-207. The spatial regions 205-207 can be used to trigger the presentation of the associated content when the presenter user 201 enters the associated content, which will be described in more detail below.

[0120] Each of the first content 202, the second content 203, and the third content 204 can be logically associated with a respective first 208, second 209, and third rendering location 210, each rendering location 210 comprising a different location in the space 200. The rendering locations 208, 209, 210 can comprise logically defined locations in the space 200 at which the first content 202, the second content 203, and the third content 204 are to be rendered. Thus, for visual content, this can comprise a location where the content would be visible to a consuming user if they were looking toward that location, provided there were no intervening virtual or real-world objects that would obstruct the view of the rendering locations 208, 209, 210. For audio content, the rendering locations 208, 209, 210 can comprise locations for spatial audio rendering, and thus can comprise locations from which a consuming user(s) would perceive the audio as originating from the space 200. In other examples, the audio can be rendered in stereo or mono. The audio content can comprise volumetric audio content. The audio content may include an arrangement of audio sources around the presentation locations 208, 209, 210, where the audio sources may be presented as spatial audio or ambient audio. For example, the audio content may include a 7.1+4 channel-based audio bed surrounding or centered on the presentation content 202, 203, 204, the presentation locations 208, 209, 210, or within the spatial regions 205, 206, 207. The audio content may only be audio for consuming users within a predetermined distance of the presentation locations 208-210 or within the associated spatial regions 205-207.

[0121] In one or more examples, the presentation data includes metadata defining a spatial region and a representation location.

[0122] In this example and one or more other examples, the presentation locations 208, 209, 210 are located within the respective first spatial region 205, second spatial region 206, and third spatial region 207. However, this need not be the case, and in other examples, the locations of the spatial regions can be independent of the locations of the associated presentation locations. In one or more examples, positioning the presentation locations outside of their associated spatial regions can be advantageous because the presenter user 201 can appear in the virtual space, for example, as represented by an avatar, without potentially preventing the viewing or consumption of associated content, as will be more fully understood in the following description.

[0123] The presentation of the first content 202 , the second content 203 , and the third content 204 may be provided to one or more consuming users at different times based on the location of the presenting user 201 in the space 200 relative to the corresponding first spatial area 205 , second spatial area 206 , and third spatial area 207 .

[0124] Thus, the apparatus 100 may be configured to receive presenter position information indicating the current position of the presenter user 201 in the space 200. As described above, the position information may be received from the virtual reality apparatus 101 used by the presenter user 201 or a sensor associated therewith.

[0125] Example Figure 3 The same space 200 and the locations of the space regions 205-207 are shown. Figure 3 Also shown are two consuming users 301, 302 at different locations in the space 200. The first consuming user 301 may use the first rendering device 103 and the second consuming user 302 may use the second rendering device 104 to experience the space 200 and the rendering data for rendering therein.

[0126] Although the example Figure 2 The layout of all presentation data in space 200 is shown, but the example Figure 3 It may be viewed as illustrating a presentation mode, wherein the presentation of presentation data is controlled by input from the presenter user 201 , the input being based on presenter location information.

[0127] The apparatus 100 is configured to determine, based on the presenter location information, whether the presenter user's current location is within any of the corresponding spatial regions 205-207. If the presenter location information indicates that the presenter user 201 does not have a location within any of the corresponding spatial regions 205-207, the apparatus 100 is configured to provide signaling or not provide signaling such that the first content 202, the second content 203, and the third content 204 of the presentation data are not transitioned from non-presented to presented during the period when the presenter user 201 does not have a location within any of the corresponding spatial regions 205-207. Therefore, no triggering of content presentation is provided outside of the spatial regions.

[0128] exist Figure 3 In the example of FIG, the presenter user 201 is shown as being within the first spatial area 205. Therefore, the presenter position information will indicate the presenter user 201 having such a position in the space 200.

[0129] In direct response to the presenter user 201 being within or having entered the current location of the first spatial area, the apparatus 100 may provide signaling to the presentation apparatuses 103, 104 to present the first content 202 at the first presentation location 208 for consumption by the consuming users 301, 302. The consuming users 301, 302 may thus experience the presentation of the first content in virtual reality or augmented reality, or any variant thereof.

[0130] The presentation of the content of the presentation data is independent of the location of the consuming users 301, 302 in the space 200. Thus, the second consuming user 302 will not be presented with the third content 204 when approaching the third spatial area 207 until the presenter user 201 has entered the third spatial area 207, as indicated by the presenter location information.

[0131] The signaling provided by device 100 can be considered as activating the associated first content 202, second content 203, or third content 204 in space 200 and presenting it to one or more consuming users 301, 302 based on them looking toward their associated presentation locations 208-210. In one or more examples, device 100 can be configured to at least receive viewing direction information indicating a viewing direction of a consuming user 301, 302. If the viewing direction information indicates that the associated consuming user is looking toward first presentation location 208, device 100 can provide display of the first content 202 for the consuming user using presentation devices 103, 104. In other examples, device 100 can signal that the first content is available for presentation, and presentation devices 103, 104 can be configured to determine when to display the content based on the viewing direction information. In one or more examples, once device 100 signals that the first content is available for presentation, presentation devices 103, 104 can be configured to determine when to display the first content based on the consuming user's distance from presentation location 208 relative to a threshold distance. In other examples, to provide timely presentation, the first content 208 may be presented within a predetermined time after being signaled as available, regardless of whether the consuming user arrives within a threshold distance of the presentation location 208. For the first, second, and third content comprising audio content, the one or more consuming users 301, 302 may or may not need to look toward the first presentation location 208 where the audio content is to be presented.

[0132] Example Figure 4 It is shown that the presenter user 201 has moved 400 in the space 200 from the first spatial area 205 to the second spatial area 206. Therefore, the apparatus 100 will receive presenter position information indicating that the presenter user 201 has a current position within the second spatial area 206.

[0133] In direct response to the current location of the presenter user 201 being within the second spatial area or having entered the second spatial area, the apparatus 100 may provide signaling to the first and second presenter devices 103, 104 for the presentation apparatus 103, 104 to present the second content 203 at the second presentation location 209 for consumption by the consuming users 301, 302. The consuming users 301, 302 may thus experience the presentation of the second content in virtual reality or augmented reality, or any variant thereof.

[0134] The presentation of the second content 203 of the presentation data is independent of the location of the consuming users 301, 302 in the space 200. Thus, again, the second consuming user 302 is not presented with the third content 204 when approaching the third spatial area 207 until the presenter user 201 has entered the third spatial area 207, as indicated by the presenter location information.

[0135] The signaling provided by device 100 can be considered as activating the second content 203 in space 200 and can be presented to one or more consuming users 301, 302 based on them looking toward presentation location 209. In one or more examples, device 100 or presentation device 103, 104 can be configured to receive at least viewing direction information indicating a viewing direction of consuming user 301, 302. If the viewing direction information indicates that the associated consuming user is looking toward second presentation location 209, any one or a combination of devices 100, 103, 104 can provide display of the second content 203 for the consuming user. For the first, second, and third content including audio content, one or more consuming users 301, 302 may or may not be required to look toward the associated presentation location 208 to be presented with the audio content.

[0136] Thus, in one or more examples, the presentation data can be considered to include a slideshow presentation of spatially distributed content. Furthermore, the presentation of the content of the presentation data can be considered to be controlled by the position of the presenter user 201 relative to the spatial regions 205, 206 associated with the content 202, 203 of the presentation data. This can provide an experience that better utilizes the spatial freedom of the virtual or augmented space to provide the presentation without hindering the presenter user 201's management of the presentation of the presentation data. Thus, the presenter user 201 maintains control over the presentation of the content while giving the consumer user the freedom to move around the space 200. It should be understood that, just as a slideshow can include any number of slides, the presentation data can include multiple content instances, where the first, second, and third content comprise three instances of a potentially multiple content instances. In one or more examples, one of the content instances can include audio, and a subsequent content instance can include information that provides a continuation of the audio from the previous content instance. In one or more examples, the content includes information indicating the manner in which the audio is presented. Thus, in one or more examples, one of the content instances can include audio with a first speaker configuration, and a subsequent content instance can include information that provides a continuation of the audio from the previous content instance but with a second, different speaker configuration. Thus, in one or more examples, for example, the second content may include instructions to modify the presentation of the first content, eg, whether the first content includes audio or visual content.

[0137] The apparatus 100 can be configured to provide the same space 200, i.e., the same space 200 in this example, to the presenter user 201 and the first and second consuming users 301, 302 so that they experience the same virtual environment. In one or more examples, the users 301, 302, 201 can be represented by markers or avatars and can be visible to each other in the space 200. In one or more examples, the presenter user 201 can be visually hidden from one or more consuming users 301, 302. This prevents the presenter user from interfering with or blocking the view of the consuming users 301, 302, which can be important because the consuming users can freely move to different vantage points in the space 200.

[0138] The position of the presenter user 201 in the space 200 provides control over the content to be "revealed" based on its position in relation to the spatial regions. However, if it is determined that the current position is not within any of the corresponding spatial regions 205, 206, 207, the device 100 can be configured to perform a different action. In one or more examples, the device can be configured to not present any further instances of content of the presentation data. Signaling can be provided to prevent the presentation devices 103, 104 from making such presentations, or no signaling can result in such an effect. In one or more other examples, the device 100 can provide signaling to at least one presentation device 103, 104 to remove one or more of the first content and the second content from presentation in the space 200. This can be advantageous because the space 200 may not be cluttered with content 202, 203, 204, which makes it difficult for the consuming users 301, 302 to navigate the space.

[0139] exist Figure 4In the example of FIG. 2 , a presenter user 201 moving from a first spatial area to a second spatial area 206 leaves the first content 202 presented in the space 200. Thus, if the consuming users 301, 302 want to revisit or refresh their understanding of the first content 202, they can move through the space 200, with the first content 202 being presented before the second content 203 currently "activated" or presented by the presenter user 201. However, in one or more other examples, the signaling for presenting the second content 203 may also include signaling for removing the presentation of the first content 202. Thus, only the most recently "triggered" or presented content is presented in the space 200. In one or more examples, a combination of these examples may be provided. Thus, the presentation data may include content persistence information associated with each of the first, second, and third content therein to define whether the content persists in the space 200 or whether the content is removed from presentation when subsequent content is activated by the presenter user 201 moving to a subsequent spatial area. In one or more examples, the device can be configured to generate content persistence information from presenter (or consumer) user input received during presentation, which can be combined with or replace the persistence information of the presentation data (if available). Thus, the device can be configured to, based on the persistence information, provide some content to continue to be visible after the presenter user has moved to the next spatial area, and provide other content to be removed from the presentation. If the presenter user skips one of the content instances by moving to a spatial area that is not directly continuous with the previous spatial area, the device can be configured to allow the consumer user to trigger the presentation of the skipped content through user input, which can include determining that the consumer has moved to the spatial area associated with the skipped content.

[0140] Example Figure 5 The presenter user 201 is shown within the second spatial area 206 and providing voice comments regarding the second content 203, as indicated by the speech bubble 500. Thus, for any instance of the content 202, 203, 204, the presenter user 201 and optionally the consuming users 301, 302 may be able to provide voice or text comments.

[0141] Thus, in one or more examples, the device 100 can be configured to receive audio data from a microphone for use by the presenter user 201. The microphone can be part of the head-mounted device 102. The audio data can be logically encoded voice information of the presenter user's voice. The device 100 can be configured to determine which spatial area the presenter user 201 is currently in from the presenter location information so that the audio data can be associated with the spatial area or related content. It should be understood that although the presentation data can include audio as part of the content, the audio data described in this example includes audio received during the presentation mode rather than during the presentation data creation or editing mode for creating or editing the presentation data.

[0142] Example Figure 5 The apparatus 100 is shown providing real-time rendering of audio data using rendering apparatus 103, 104. Thus, as the audio data is received subject to any network data transmission delays or processing overhead, the audio data is provided to the rendering apparatus 103, 104 for rendering.

[0143] In one or more examples, consumer user location information can be used to determine the current location of the consumer user. Similar to the presenter location information, the head-mounted device 105, 106 or a location sensor can be used to determine the current location of the consumer user to provide the consumer user location information to the device 100. In one or more examples, the real-time presentation of audio data can be conditional on the corresponding consumer user being determined to be currently in the spatial area associated with the audio data when the audio data is received. This may be advantageous because in the space 200 that allows consumer users 301, 302 to move freely, their current presence in the relevant spatial area helps to ensure that they understand the content that the voice data may be related to (i.e., the content in the spatial area). Therefore, the device 100 may not provide real-time presentation of audio data to any consumer user who is not in the spatial area associated with the audio data.

[0144] The apparatus 100 may be configured to provide a recording of audio data received from the presenter user 201. It should be understood that while audio data received from the presenter user 201 is described, the audio data may equally include textual data. Regardless of whether the data is audio data or textual data, it may be used to enable the presenter user to describe / present / explain the content, similar to a traditional presentation where a presenter describes their slides during a presentation. Therefore, references to audio data described below may also be considered references to textual data, such as by progressively displaying the text of the textual data.

[0145] Example Figure 6The presenter user 201 is shown having moved 600 from the second spatial area 206 to the third spatial area 207. However, the first consuming user 301, who may have been following the presenter user 201, has returned to the second spatial area 206, perhaps to revisit the second content 203. In other examples, the first consuming user 301 may be following the presenter user 201, but at a slower pace, and thus may have arrived at the second spatial area 206 after the presenter user 201. In either example, the first consuming user 301 has entered the second spatial area 206 at least after the apparatus 100 begins receiving audio data from the presenter user 201.

[0146] In this case, and in one or more examples, the apparatus 100 can be configured to provide a presentation of the recorded audio data 601 using the presentation apparatus 103 of the first consuming user 301 entering the second spatial region 206 associated with the recorded audio data. Thus, the consuming user location information is received by the device and indicates that the first consuming user 301 has entered the second spatial region 206, which provides a presentation of the recorded audio data to the first consuming user 301.

[0147] As mentioned above, the example Figure 6 The presenter user 201 is shown having moved 600 to a third spatial area 207. Thus, when the consuming users 301, 302 have a viewing direction in the direction of the third presentation position 210, the third content 204 included in the space 200 is provided for presentation to the consuming users 301, 302 using the presentation devices 103, 104.

[0148] It will be appreciated that the spatial arrangement of the first, second and third content 202, 203, 204 provides a convenient and intuitive experience that allows the consuming users 301, 302 to revisit content that was provided for presentation prior to the content that the presenting user 201 may have most recently provided for presentation. Figure 6 , the presenter user 201 recently triggered the presentation of the third content 204 by entering the third spatial region 207. However, the first consuming user 301 may have returned to the second spatial region or any previous spatial region that the presenter user 201 had visited during the presentation of the presentation data.

[0149] The apparatus 100 may be configured to provide signaling to the presentation apparatus 103 of the first consuming user 301 to re-present the second content 203 based on the consuming user location information, the consuming user location information indicating that the first consuming user 301 is within the second spatial area, and the current location of the presenter location information indicating that the presenter user 201 is within a spatial area (in this example, the third spatial area 207) other than the second spatial area 206 of the spatial area of ​​the presentation data and has previously been within the second spatial area 206. Thus, when first presented, the presentation of at least the first content and the second content may be independent of the location of the consuming user(s), as previously described, based on the current location of the presenter user, and thereafter, a determination that the location of one of the consuming users is within one of the spatial areas previously visited by the presenter user is configured to cause the content associated with the revisited spatial area to be re-presented for the consuming user who revisits the spatial area.

[0150] Re-rendering any instance of content may include providing a presentation of content that may have been hidden since the initial presentation. In one or more other examples, the re-accessed second content 203 includes content that progresses over time, such as a video or an animated model, and re-rendering the content includes presenting the content from the start time of the first content. For a video, this may include starting from the initial time of the video. For an animated model, this may include starting from the start of the animation.

[0151] In the above example, the presentation of the first, second, and third 202, 203, 204 content can be based on the presenter user 201 entering the associated spatial regions. However, in other examples, the presentation of the first, second, and third content can also be conditioned on the path taken by the presenter user 201 through each spatial region. Thus, signaling to the presentation devices 103, 104 to provide the presentation of the second content 203 can be conditioned on presenter location information indicating that the presenter user 201 has moved from the first spatial region 205 to the second spatial region 206. Similarly, signaling to the presentation devices 103, 104 to provide the presentation of the third content 204 can be conditioned on presenter location information indicating that the presenter user has moved from the first spatial region 205 to the second spatial region 206 and to the third spatial region 207. This can be advantageous because it can help present content in an expected order, particularly if the presenter user moves actively within the space 200, which may result in unintended entry into spatial regions.

[0152] For presentation data that includes multiple content instances, the space 200 can be large to accommodate the spatial regions associated with these multiple content instances. The consuming users 301, 302 can freely explore the space 200, that is, they can freely obtain any location within the space 200, and they may not know where the presentation of the presentation data in the space 200 can start. The consuming users may not know the location of the first spatial region 205 / first presentation position 208. The first spatial region 205 / first presentation position 208 may not be easy to understand or indicate at all. Therefore, when the presentation mode begins and the presenter user "triggers" the presentation of the first content 202, the (multiple) consuming users 301, 302 may be far away from the first content 202, and they may have difficulty locating the first content 202 or reaching the first content 202 in time to follow the presentation.

[0153] In one or more examples, device 100 can apply volume restrictions 701, 702 to space 200 to limit where a consuming user can move in space 200. Furthermore, in one or more examples, when presenter user 201 moves to the next area of ​​space, the volume restrictions can be relaxed, and more space in space 200 can be available for exploration.

[0154] Example Figure 7 The expansion of the spatial extent of the space 200 is shown. Thus, on the left, a presenter user 201 is shown in a first spatial region 205. The device 100 has applied a first volumetric limit 701 to the space 200, so that a consuming user (not shown) can freely explore the space 200 only in the vicinity of the first spatial region 205. On the right, the presenter user 201 has provided an input for triggering the expansion of the spatial extent from the first volumetric limit 701 to a second, larger volumetric limit 702. This trigger may be provided by presenter location information indicating that the presenter user 201 has moved to a subsequent or second spatial region 206.

[0155] Thus, in summary, when signaling is provided for presenting first content (not shown), space 200 has a first volumetric limit 701. First volumetric limit 701 includes the spatial extent of space 200 for a consuming user (not shown), and includes first presentation location 208 but not second presentation location 209. Apparatus 100 may be configured to, if it is determined that the current location is within second spatial region 206, provide signaling to the consuming user (not shown) for increasing 703 the spatial extent of the virtual reality space from first volumetric limit 701 to a larger second volumetric limit 702 that includes both the first presentation location and the second presentation location.

[0156] It should be understood that in one or more examples, the presenter user 201 may not be subject to the spatial extent limitation provided by the first volume limitation 701. Thus, the volume limitations 701, 702 may only apply to the space 200 presented by the presentation devices 103, 104.

[0157] Example Figure 8 An alternative approach to applying volume constraints on space 200 is shown. Figure 8 On the left side of , a presenter user (not shown) is located in the first spatial area 205. The first consumer user 301 is also placed in the first spatial area 205 so that they can easily enjoy the first content (not shown). Figure 8 , a presenter user (not shown) has moved to the second spatial area 206. The first consuming user 301 is then teleported (e.g., virtually moved to be placed in the second spatial area 206) so that they can easily enjoy the second content (not shown). Thus, in this example, the space 200 can be small, and as the presenter user moves from spatial area to spatial area, the content of the space around the consuming user(s) changes. This example can be advantageous if the real-world space is limited because the consuming users do not have to move (e.g., through sensed physical movement in the real-world space) to affect movement in virtual reality. Instead, the space 200 changes around them to place them near the next first, second, or third content.

[0158] Thus, in one or more examples, the signaling for presenting the first content is configured to position the virtual location of at least one consumer user within a threshold distance 801 of the first presentation location; and the signaling for presenting the second content is configured to position the virtual location of at least one consumer user within a threshold distance 802 of the second presentation location.

[0159] As previously mentioned, the functionality of apparatus 100 has applications in both augmented reality and virtual reality, and thus, space 200 will comprise the real-world space surrounding presenter user 201 and each of consuming users 301, 302. Thus, while in virtual reality, space 200 may be the same virtual world in which all users exist, in augmented reality, space comprises the augmented environment created in augmented reality by presentation apparatuses 103, 104 around each of consuming users 301, 302. Thus, the first, second, and third content are presented to appear in the space surrounding the presenter user and one or more consuming users in augmented reality.

[0160] In one or more examples, the corresponding spatial region comprises a discrete region of real-world space surrounding each corresponding user. In one or more examples, the presenter position information is received from one or more position sensors (in some examples, part of head mounted device 102), the one or more position sensors configured to determine the current position of the presenter user in the real-world space surrounding the presenter user. In one or more examples, the one or more position sensors may comprise part of device 100.

[0161] Figure 9 A flow chart illustrating the following steps is shown:

[0162] Receiving presentation data 901, the presentation data comprising at least first content and second content for continuous presentation, the first content and the second content being associated with respective first and second spatial regions and respective first and second presentation positions, the first and second spatial regions comprising different portions of a space, the first and second presentation positions comprising different positions in the space;

[0163] Receive presenter location information 902 , where the presenter location information indicates the presenter user's current location in the space;

[0164] determining 903 from the presenter location information whether the presenter user's current location is within at least one of the first spatial area or the second spatial area;

[0165] If it is determined that the current location is within the first spatial area, signaling 904 is provided to at least one presentation device for presentation of the first content at the first presentation location by the at least one presentation device, the presentation device being configured to present the first content to a consuming user in one of virtual reality or augmented reality, the consuming user being different from the presenting user;

[0166] If it is determined that the current location is within the second spatial area, providing signaling 905 to at least one presentation device for presentation of the second content at the second presentation location by the at least one presentation device, the presentation device being configured to present the second content to a consumer user other than the presenter user in one of virtual reality or augmented reality; and

[0167] Wherein presentation of the first content is independent of the location of the consuming user, and presentation of the second content is independent of the location of the consuming user.

[0168] Figure 10Schematically illustrates a computer / processor readable medium 1000 that provides a program according to an example. In this example, the computer / processor readable medium is an optical disc such as a digital versatile disc (DVD) or a compact disc (CD). In some examples, the computer readable medium can be any medium that is programmed in a manner that implements the inventive functionality. The computer program code can be distributed across multiple memories of the same type, or across multiple memories of different types, such as ROM, RAM, flash memory, hard disk, solid state, etc.

[0169] The user input may be a gesture, including one or more of a tap, a swipe, a press, a hold, a rotation gesture, a static hover gesture near the device user interface, a moving hover gesture near the device, bending at least a portion of the device, squeezing at least a portion of the device, a multi-finger gesture, tilting the device, or flipping the control device. Additionally, the gesture may be any free-space user gesture using the user's body, such as their arm or a stylus or other element suitable for performing a free-space user gesture.

[0170] The devices shown in the above examples can be portable electronic devices, laptop computers, mobile phones, smartphones, tablet computers, personal digital assistants, digital cameras, smart watches, smart glasses, pen computers, non-portable electronic devices, desktop computers, displays, smart TVs, servers, wearable devices, virtual reality devices, or modules / circuits for one or more of them.

[0171] Any of the mentioned devices and / or other features of the specifically mentioned devices may be provided by a device that is arranged so that it is configured to perform the desired operation only when enabled (e.g., turned on). In this case, they may not necessarily load appropriate software into active memory when not enabled (e.g., in an off state), but only load appropriate software when enabled (e.g., in an on state). The device may include hardware circuits and / or firmware. The device may include software loaded onto a memory. These software / computer programs may be recorded on the same memory / processor / functional unit and / or one or more memories / processors / functional units.

[0172] In some examples, the specifically mentioned devices may be pre-programmed with appropriate software to perform the desired operations, and wherein the appropriate software may be enabled for use by a user who downloads the "key," e.g., to unlock / enable the software and its associated functionality. Advantages associated with these examples may include a reduced need to download data when further functionality is desired for the device, and this may be useful in instances where the device is deemed to have sufficient capacity to store such pre-programmed software for functionality that the user may not enable.

[0173] Any mentioned device / circuit / element / processor may have other functions in addition to the functions mentioned, and these functions may be performed by the same device / circuit / element / processor. One or more disclosed aspects may include associated computer programs and electronic distribution of computer programs (which may be source / transmission encoded) recorded on appropriate carriers (e.g., memory, signals).

[0174] Any "computer" described herein may include a collection of one or more separate processors / processing elements, which may or may not be located on the same circuit board, circuit board, or even in the same area / location on the same device. In some examples, one or more of the processors may be distributed across multiple devices. The same or different processors / processing elements may perform one or more of the functions described herein.

[0175] The term "signaling" may refer to one or more signals transmitted as a series of transmitted and / or received electrical / optical signals. The series of signals may include one, two, three, four, or more individual signal components or distinct signals to constitute the signaling. Some or all of these individual signals may be transmitted / received simultaneously, sequentially, and / or temporally overlapping with each other via wireless or wired communication.

[0176] With respect to any discussion of any reference to computers and / or processors and memory (e.g., including ROM, CD-ROM, etc.), these may include computer processors, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and / or other hardware components programmed in a manner to carry out the functionality of the invention.

[0177] Applicants hereby disclose each individual feature described herein, as well as any combination of two or more such features, in accordance with the common general knowledge of a person skilled in the art, so long as such feature or combination can be implemented based on this specification as a whole, regardless of whether such feature or combination of features solves any problem disclosed herein, but not limited to the scope of the claims. Applicants indicate that the disclosed aspects / examples may include any such individual feature or combination of features. In view of the foregoing description, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made within the scope of the present invention.

[0178] While the essential novel features as applied to the examples thereof have been shown, described and pointed out, it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions and changes in the form and details of the described apparatus and methods may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of this disclosure. For example, it is expressly intended that all combinations of those elements and / or method steps which perform substantially the same function in substantially the same manner to achieve the same results are within the scope of this disclosure. Furthermore, it will be recognized that, as a general matter of design choice, the structures and / or elements and / or method steps shown and / or described in connection with any disclosed form or example may be incorporated into any other disclosed form or example. Furthermore, in the claims, means-plus-function clauses are intended to cover structures described herein as performing the stated function and include not only structural equivalents but also equivalent structures. Thus, while a nail and a screw may not be structural equivalents because a nail uses a cylindrical surface to fasten wooden parts together while a screw uses a helical surface, in the context of fastening wooden parts, a nail and a screw may be equivalent structures.

Claims

1. An apparatus for presenting presentation data, comprising components, wherein the components are configured to: receiving presentation data, the presentation data comprising at least first content and second content for continuous presentation, the first content and the second content being associated with respective first and second spatial regions and respective first and second presentation positions, the first and second spatial regions comprising different portions of a space, the first and second presentation positions comprising different locations in the space; receiving presenter location information, the presenter location information indicating a current location of a presenter user in the space; determining, from the presenter location information, whether the current location of the presenter user is within at least one of the first spatial area or the second spatial area; If it is determined that the current location is within the first spatial area, the component is configured to provide signaling to at least one presentation device for presentation of the first content by the at least one presentation device at the first presentation location, the presentation device being configured to present the first content to a consuming user in one of virtual reality or augmented reality, the consuming user being different from the presenting user; If it is determined that the current location is within the second spatial area, the component is configured to provide signaling to the at least one presentation device for presentation of the second content by the at least one presentation device at the second presentation location, the presentation device being configured to present the second content to the consuming user different from the presenting user in the form of virtual reality or augmented reality; and wherein the presentation of the first content is independent of the location of the consuming user, and wherein the presentation of the second content is independent of the location of the consuming user.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the space comprises a virtual reality space for presenting the presenter user and the one or more consuming users in virtual reality.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the component is configured to: if it is determined that the current position is not in any of the corresponding spatial areas, perform at least one of the following: not providing signalling to present any further instances of said at least first content and second content that have not already been presented by said presentation means; or Signaling is provided to the at least one presentation device for removing any of the at least first content or second content from presentation.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the space comprises a virtual reality space for presenting in virtual reality to the presenter user and one or more of the consuming users, wherein when the signaling for the presentation of the first content is provided, the virtual reality space has a first volumetric limit, the first volumetric limit comprising a spatial extent of the virtual reality space for the consuming user, and the first volumetric limit comprising the first presentation position but not the second presentation position, wherein if it is determined that the current position is within the second spatial area, the component is configured to provide signaling for increasing the spatial extent of the virtual reality space for the consuming user from the first volumetric limit to a larger second volumetric limit, the second volumetric limit comprising the first presentation position and the second presentation position.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the virtual reality space for the presenter user is not subject to a spatial extent limitation provided by the first volume limitation.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the component is configured to: Signaling is provided to the presentation device of one of the consumer users to re-present the first content based on consumer user location information, the consumer user location information indicating that the one of the consumer users is within the first spatial area, and the current location specified by the presenter location information indicates that the presenter user is within a spatial area other than the first spatial area in the spatial area of ​​the presentation data and has previously been in the first spatial area. 7 . The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the first content comprises content that progresses over time, and the re-presentation of the first content comprises the presentation of the first content from a start time point of the first content.

8. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the component is further configured to provide a presentation of the virtual reality space to the presenter user.

9. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the signaling for the presentation of the first content is configured to locate a virtual location of at least one of the consuming users within a threshold distance of the first presentation location; and The signaling for the presentation of the second content is configured to locate the virtual location of at least one of the consuming users within a threshold distance of the second presentation location.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the component is configured to: receiving audio data from a microphone used by the presenter user; determining, from the renderer position information, one of the first spatial region and the second spatial region to be associated with the audio data; Receiving consumer user location information indicating the location of each of the consumer users in the space; and one or both of: (i) providing a live presentation of the audio data using the presentation device of at least one of the consuming users, at least one of the consuming users being determined to be within the spatial region associated with the audio data using the consuming user location information at the time the audio data was received; or (ii) providing a recording of the audio data and subsequently providing a presentation of the recorded audio data using the presentation device of at least one of the consumer users based on the consumer user location information indicating that the at least one consumer user has entered the spatial area associated with the audio data.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein providing the signaling to the presentation apparatus to provide the presentation of the second content is conditional on the presenter location information indicating that the presenter user moves from the first spatial area to the second spatial area.

12. An apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the apparatus comprises means configured to provide a conference between a virtual reality device used by the presenter user and the at least one presentation device used by the consuming user, the conference comprising a shared presentation of the presentation data in virtual reality.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein the space comprises a real-world space around each of the consuming user and at least one presenting user to present the first content and the second content in augmented reality for the presenting user and one or more consuming users.

14. A method for presenting presentation data, the method comprising: receiving presentation data, the presentation data comprising at least first content and second content for continuous presentation, the first content and the second content being associated with respective first and second spatial regions and respective first and second presentation positions, the first and second spatial regions comprising different portions of a space, the first and second presentation positions comprising different locations in the space; receiving presenter location information, the presenter location information indicating a current location of a presenter user in the space; determining, from the presenter location information, whether the current location of the presenter user is within at least one of the first spatial area or the second spatial area; If it is determined that the current location is within the first spatial area, providing signaling to at least one presentation device for presentation of the first content by the at least one presentation device at the first presentation location, the presentation device being configured to present the first content to a consuming user in one of virtual reality or augmented reality, the consuming user being different from the presenting user; If it is determined that the current location is within the second spatial area, providing signaling to the at least one presentation device for presentation of the second content by the at least one presentation device at the second presentation location, the presentation device being configured to present the second content to the consuming user different from the presenting user in the form of virtual reality or augmented reality; and wherein the presentation of the first content is independent of the location of the consuming user, and wherein the presentation of the second content is independent of the location of the consuming user.

15. A computer-readable medium comprising computer program code stored thereon, the computer-readable medium and the computer program code being configured to, when executed on at least one processor, perform the following method: receiving presentation data, the presentation data comprising at least first content and second content for continuous presentation, the first content and the second content being associated with respective first and second spatial regions and respective first and second presentation positions, the first and second spatial regions comprising different portions of a space, the first and second presentation positions comprising different locations in the space; receiving presenter location information, the presenter location information indicating a current location of a presenter user in the space; determining, from the presenter location information, whether the current location of the presenter user is within at least one of the first spatial area or the second spatial area; If it is determined that the current location is within the first spatial area, providing signaling to at least one presentation device for presentation of the first content by the at least one presentation device at the first presentation location, the presentation device being configured to present the first content to a consuming user in one of virtual reality or augmented reality, the consuming user being different from the presenting user; If it is determined that the current location is within the second spatial area, providing signaling to the at least one presentation device for presentation of the second content by the at least one presentation device at the second presentation location, the presentation device being configured to present the second content to the consuming user different from the presenting user in the form of virtual reality or augmented reality; and wherein the presentation of the first content is independent of the location of the consuming user, and wherein the presentation of the second content is independent of the location of the consuming user.

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