Abstract: An exemplary method includes a virtual reality media provider system acquiring, from a plurality of capture devices physically disposed at different vantage points in relation to a scene, a distinct set of two-dimensional (2D) color data and depth data (2D data) for each capture device included in the plurality of capture devices, each distinct set of 2D data representing a distinct unmeshed view of the scene from a respective vantage point of a respective capture device included in the plurality of capture devices, acquiring metadata for each distinct set of 2D data, packaging each distinct set of 2D data into a transport stream such that the transport stream includes data representing each distinct unmeshed view of the scene from each respective vantage point of each respective capture device, and providing the metadata and the transport stream for streaming to a media player device.

Abstract: An exemplary extended reality audio processing system accesses first and second audio streams representative, respectively, of first and second virtual sounds within an extended reality world being experienced by a user by way of a media player device. The system also accesses acoustic propagation data representative of characteristics that affect the propagation of the first and second virtual sounds to an avatar of the user. Based on the first and second audio streams and the real-time acoustic propagation data, the system renders a composite binaural audio stream representative of a composite virtual sound that comprises a combination of simulated reproductions of the first and second virtual sounds that are customized to account for the characteristics that affect the propagation. The system further transmits the composite binaural audio stream to the media player device for presentation to the user as the user experiences the extended reality world.

Abstract: An exemplary virtual reality presentation system streams virtual reality data representative of a persistent three-dimensional (“3D”) virtual reality world configured to be experienced by a user using a media player device while the virtual reality data is streaming. The persistent 3D virtual reality world is configured for one-to-many streaming and to dynamically persist independently of whether the user is experiencing the persistent 3D virtual reality world. The virtual reality presentation system further accesses video data representative of two-dimensional (“2D”) video content and integrates the video data with the virtual reality data while the virtual reality data is streaming. The video data and the virtual reality data are integrated such that the 2D video content is viewable by the user within the persistent 3D virtual reality world as the user experiences the persistent 3D virtual reality world. Corresponding methods are also disclosed.

Abstract: An exemplary scene customization system detects a selection, by a user of an artificial reality device, of a customization scheme to be applied to an original immersive scene. The system generates a custom immersive scene based on an application of the selected customization scheme to the original immersive scene. This generating of the custom immersive scene includes identifying, within a dynamic volumetric model of the original immersive scene, a particular object that is of a particular object type and is included in the original immersive scene. This generating of the custom immersive scene also includes replacing, within the dynamic volumetric model and in accordance with the applied customization scheme, the particular object with a custom object that is predetermined within the applied customization scheme to correspond to the particular object type. The system also presents the custom immersive scene to the user by way of the artificial reality device.

Abstract: An exemplary system directs a camera included within a mobile device to capture a video feed, directs the mobile device to display the video feed within a display screen of the mobile device, and identifies a plurality of adjacent pixel blocks within the display screen that have signal characteristics that uniformly vary by more than a threshold amount over a predetermined time period. Based on the uniformly varying signal characteristics, the system determines that a pixel region constituted by the pixel blocks corresponds to a position of a display device within a field of view of the camera. The system identifies a media content instance being displayed by the display device, identifies augmented reality content associated with the media content instance, and directs the mobile device to display the augmented reality content within the pixel region of the display screen.

Abstract: An exemplary system receives a composite digital asset in a first hierarchical data format, the composite digital asset including a plurality of grouped components, converts the composite digital asset to a second hierarchical data format by breaking out the grouped components into individual components and representing the individual components as a plurality of nodes and hierarchical relationships between the nodes in a graph database, and uses the composite digital asset in the second hierarchical data format to generate and stream one or more of the individual components of the composite digital asset in a flat data format over a network to a client device in response to a request, from the client device, to access the one or more of the individual components of the composite digital asset.

Abstract: An exemplary system generates a plurality of different content files each including data representative of content of a virtual reality world, and provides the plurality of different content files to a media player device via a network. In particular, the generated and provided plurality of different content files comprises at least one of a plurality of uniform-resolution content files and a plurality of mixed-resolution content files. The plurality of uniform-resolution content files are each associated with a different respective center point within the virtual reality world. The plurality of mixed-resolution content files each correspond to one respective content sector of a plurality of partially overlapping content sectors that together form a view of the virtual reality world associated with a single center point, the one respective content sector being encoded in a high resolution while a remainder of the content sectors are encoded in a low resolution.

Abstract: An exemplary virtual reality media provider system identifies a viewable pixel data subset and an unviewable pixel data subset within pixel data representative of a set of pixels that constitute a particular scene to be transmitted to a media player device. The media player device includes a head-mounted display screen worn by a user to view the particular scene. The viewable pixel data subset is representative of pixels corresponding to non-overlapping portions of two overlapping shapes arranged on the head-mounted display screen, while the unviewable pixel data subset is representative of pixels corresponding to an overlapping portion of the two overlapping shapes arranged on the head-mounted display screen. The virtual reality media provider system transmits the identified viewable pixel data subset to the media player device, and abstains from transmitting the identified unviewable pixel data subset to the media player device. Corresponding systems and methods are also disclosed.

Abstract: An exemplary virtual reality media system presents a field of view of an immersive virtual reality world on a display screen of a media player device associated with a user. The field of view includes content of the immersive virtual reality world and dynamically changes in response to user input provided by the user as the user experiences the immersive virtual reality world. Additionally, the virtual reality media system detects that a gaze of the user is directed for a predetermined amount of time at a gaze target included within the field of view. In response to the detection, the virtual reality media system presents an interactive user interface associated with the gaze target. The interactive user interface is presented within the field of view together with the content of the immersive virtual reality world. Corresponding methods and systems are also described.

Abstract: An exemplary system directs a camera included within a mobile device to capture a video feed, directs the mobile device to display the video feed within a display screen of the mobile device, and identifies a plurality of adjacent pixel blocks within the display screen that have signal characteristics that uniformly vary by more than a threshold amount over a predetermined time period. Based on the uniformly varying signal characteristics, the system determines that a pixel region constituted by the pixel blocks corresponds to a position of a display device within a field of view of the camera. The system identifies a media content instance being displayed by the display device, identifies augmented reality content associated with the media content instance, and directs the mobile device to display the augmented reality content within the pixel region of the display screen.

Abstract: An exemplary scene customization system detects a selection, by a user, of a customization scheme to be applied to an original immersive scene throughout a scene customization session to be experienced by the user by way of an artificial reality device. The system dynamically generates a custom immersive scene based on an application of the selected customization scheme to the original immersive scene by receiving data representative of the original immersive scene, developing a dynamic volumetric model of the original immersive scene based on the received data representative of the original immersive scene, identifying one or more objects included in the original immersive scene, and replacing the one or more objects with one or more custom objects in accordance with the applied customization scheme. The system also presents the custom immersive scene to the user by way of the artificial reality device throughout the scene customization session.

Abstract: An exemplary device renders, within a field of view of an immersive virtual reality world (“world”) presented on a display screen, content of the world based on a stream of a first content file comprising a first content sector of the world encoded in a high resolution and a second content sector encoded in a low resolution. The device detects user input to shift additional content included in the second content sector but not the first content sector into the field of view. In response, the device switches from receiving a stream of the first content file to receiving a stream of a second content file comprising the first content sector encoded in the low resolution and the second content sector encoded in the high resolution. The device then renders the additional content from the second content sector in the high resolution based on the second content file.

Abstract: An exemplary method includes a media player device (“device”) providing a user with an immersive virtual reality experience in accordance with a specification file corresponding to the immersive virtual reality experience. The specification file includes data that defines a plurality of elements included in the immersive virtual reality experience by providing a plurality of links for use by the device in acquiring the plurality of elements while providing the user with the immersive virtual reality experience. The method further includes the device detecting, while the immersive virtual reality experience is being provided to the user, real-world input associated with the user, and integrating the real-world input into the immersive virtual reality experience by updating the specification file to further include data that defines the real-world input as a user-specific element that is specific to the user and that is included in the immersive virtual reality experience.

Abstract: An exemplary virtual reality presentation system streams virtual reality data representative of a persistent three-dimensional (“3D”) virtual reality world configured to be experienced by a user using a media player device while the virtual reality data is streaming. The persistent 3D virtual reality world is configured for one-to-many streaming and to dynamically persist independently of whether the user is experiencing the persistent 3D virtual reality world. The virtual reality presentation system further accesses video data representative of two-dimensional (“2D”) video content and integrates the video data with the virtual reality data while the virtual reality data is streaming. The video data and the virtual reality data are integrated such that the 2D video content is viewable by the user within the persistent 3D virtual reality world as the user experiences the persistent 3D virtual reality world. Corresponding methods are also disclosed.

Abstract: An exemplary system includes a cloud server configured to provide a service to a client device by way of a network. The cloud server implements a batch layer of a data-processing architecture. The system further includes an edge computing device configured to provide a latency-sensitive task of the service to the client device by way of the network in response to a request from the client device to offload the latency-sensitive task. The edge computing device is separate from and communicatively coupled to the cloud server, is located at an edge of the network such that a latency of data communications between the edge computing device and the client device is lower than a latency of data communications between the cloud server and the client device, and implements a speed layer of the data-processing architecture at the edge of the network.

Abstract: An exemplary virtual reality media provider system differentiates static objects depicted in two-dimensional video data from dynamic objects depicted in the two-dimensional video data. Based on the differentiating of the static objects from the dynamic objects, the virtual reality media provider system generates dynamic volumetric models of the surfaces of the static objects and the dynamic objects. The virtual reality media provider system updates the dynamic volumetric models of the surfaces of the static objects with a lower regularity or on an as-needed basis, and the virtual reality media provider system separately updates the dynamic volumetric models of the surfaces of the dynamic objects with a higher regularity. The higher regularity is higher than the lower regularity and keeps the dynamic volumetric models of the surfaces of the dynamic objects up-to-date with what is occurring in the two-dimensional video data. Corresponding methods and systems are also disclosed.

Abstract: An exemplary depth data generation system accesses first and second depth maps of a real-world scene, the depth maps independently captured using first and second depth map capture techniques, respectively. The first and second depth maps include, respectively, first and second depth data points both representative of a same physical point on a surface of an object in the real-world scene. Based on the first and second depth map capture techniques and based on an attribute of the surface of the object, the system assigns a first confidence value to the first depth data point and a second confidence value to the second depth data point. Based on the first and second confidence values, the system converges the first and second depth maps to form a converged depth map of the real-world scene that includes a third depth data point representing the physical point on the surface of the object.

Abstract: An exemplary virtual reality media provider system receives two-dimensional (“2D”) video data for surfaces of first and second objects located in a natural setting. The 2D video data is captured by first and second capture devices disposed at different positions with respect to the objects. The system distinguishes the first object from the second object by performing a plurality of techniques in combination with one another. The plurality of techniques include determining that the first object is moving in relation to the second object; and determining that, from a vantage point of at least one of the different positions, a representation of the first object captured within the 2D video data does not overlap with a representation of the second object. Based on the received 2D video data and the distinguishing of the first and second objects, the system generates an individually-manipulable volumetric model of the first object.

Abstract: An exemplary virtual object presentation system accesses depth data for surfaces of a three-dimensional (“3D”) virtual object. The system determines, based on the depth data, a set of element configuration operations that, when performed by field formation elements included within an array of reconfigurable field formation elements, form a field in accordance with the depth data. Specifically, the field formed is to be haptically perceptible to a user using a field perception apparatus. The system may direct the field formation elements included within the array of reconfigurable field formation elements to perform the set of element configuration operations to thereby form the haptically perceptible field. In this way, the array of reconfigurable field formation elements generates a haptically perceptible virtual object representative of the 3D virtual object for perception by the user using the field perception apparatus. Corresponding methods are also disclosed.

Abstract: An exemplary device renders, within a field of view of an immersive virtual reality world (“world”) presented on a display screen, content of the world based on a stream of a first content file comprising a first content sector of the world. The device predicts that a user will provide user input representative of a request to shift additional content included in a second content sector of the world but not the first content sector into the field of view. Based on the prediction, the device requests and begins receiving a stream of a second content file comprising the second content sector. The device then detects the predicted user input from the user and, in response, switches from rendering the content included in the first content sector based on the first content file to rendering the additional content included in the second content sector based on the second content file.