Abstract: A display method is provided using a display that is operable to display an image to a viewer. The display method includes detecting one or both of an initial position and/or orientation of the viewer's head, and generating an image for display according to the detected position and/or orientation. A current position and/or orientation of the viewer's head are detected at a time at which the image is to be displayed. The method also includes re-projecting the generated image according to any differences between the initial position and/or orientation and the current position and/or orientation of the viewer's head, and displaying the re-projected image using the display.

Abstract: A method of encoding an input image captured using a wide-angle lens is provided. The method includes, for at least some of a set of image regions, increasing or decreasing the size of those image regions relative to other ones of the set of image regions according to an encoder mapping between image region size in the input image and image region size in an encoded image. And a method of decoding the encoded image includes rendering a given image according to a decoder mapping between selected regions of the encoded image and selected regions of a rendered image. The decoder mapping is complimentary to the encoder mapping.

Abstract: A method generates an image for display by deriving an expected depth of field for the image and by generating the image for display by the display device by applying a blurring function. The expected depth of field is derived with respect to a point of focus in the image, in response to lighting conditions of the environment represented by the image. The blurring function is applied to simulate the expected depth of field of the image by blurring as a function of apparent spatial depth within the image. The degree of blurring applied to a closer depth region, in an apparent depth direction, to the point of focus is lower than the degree applied to a further depth region from the point of focus. Variation of the blurring function with respect to depth separation from the point of focus depends upon the expected depth of field.

Abstract: A display method using a display operable to display an image to a viewer is provided. The method includes detecting an initial position and/or orientation of an image view. Foreground portions of an image are rendered according to the detected initial position and/or orientation. Background portions of the image are rendered according to the detected initial position and/or orientation, at an image rendering rate. The following are performed at an image display rate higher than the image rendering rate: (i) detecting a current position and/or orientation of the image view; (ii) re-projecting the background portions of a most recent image according to any differences between the initial position and/or orientation and the current position and/or orientation of the image view; and (iii) combining the foreground portions and the re-projected background portions to generate an image for display.

Abstract: An image processing method for a head mounted display device is provided, operable in respect of an image generated for display by the head mountable display device according to at least one of an initial position or orientation of a viewpoint. The method includes detecting one or both of a current position or orientation of the head mountable display device depending upon a display time at which the image is to be displayed. The method further includes processing the image using pixel position mappings in which at least a subset of pixels of the image are displaced by respective pixel displacements dependent upon a difference between at least one of the initial position and the detected current position, or the initial orientation and the detected current orientation at the time at which the image is to be displayed.

Abstract: An image processing method includes capturing an image of the head of a user of a head mountable display device. The position of the head mountable display device is detected in the image captured by a camera. A region of the user's face that is occluded by the head mountable display device is identified. The portion of the captured image corresponding to the head mountable display device is at least partially replaced with a corresponding portion of a 3D facial model, to provide a modified version of the captured image.

Abstract: A head mountable display (HMD) is provided that has an upward facing camera associated with a wide angle (such as a fisheye) lens arranged to capture images of the environment of the HMD. The HMD also includes an image comparator arranged to derive an indication of yaw of the HMD from images captured by the upward facing camera at different points in time. The image comparator may be configured to perform two or more detection techniques to detect HMD yaw, and to combine the results of the two or more detection techniques. The HMD may also include a tilt detector. Here, the image comparator may be configured to ignore one or more portions of a captured image in dependence upon a current tilt of the HMD as detected by the tilt detector.

Abstract: A head mountable display (HMD) system comprises an eye position detector comprising one or more cameras configured to detect the position of each of the HMD user's eyes; a dominant eye detector configured to detect a dominant eye of the HMD user; and an image generator configured to generate images for display by the HMD in dependence upon the HMD user's eye positions, the image generator being configured to apply a greater weight to the detected position of the dominant eye than to the detected position of the non-dominant eye.

Abstract: A method of encoding an input image captured using a wide-angle lens is provided. The method includes, for at least some of a set of image regions, increasing or decreasing the size of those image regions relative to other ones of the set of image regions according to an encoder mapping between image region size in the input image and image region size in an encoded image. And a method of decoding the encoded image includes rendering a given image according to a decoder mapping between selected regions of the encoded image and selected regions of a rendered image.

Abstract: An image encoding method includes, for each of left and right images of an image stereo pair, identifying a region of interest (ROI) in an input image, generating multiple representations of that input image such that one representation is a high field of view (FOV) representation including substantially all of the input image and another representation is a low FOV representation having a lower FOV than the high FOV representation and including at least the ROI. The relationship between pixel resolution and image size for the high and low FOV representations is such that, in relation to the ROI, the low FOV representation provides more image detail than the high FOV representation. The method also includes generating one or more multiplexed images by juxtaposing portions of the left and right, high and low FOV representations so as to include all image content thereof in fewer than four multiplexed images.

Abstract: Aspects of the technology encompass image encoding, which includes generating image content according to a viewpoint defined by image viewpoint data. Successive output images are generated such that each output image includes image content generated according to one or more viewpoints, and encoding metadata associated with each output image which indicates each viewpoint relating to image content contained in that output image, and which defines which portions of that output image were generated according to each of those viewpoints. An image display method for generating successive display images from successive input images is also provided, which includes re-projecting portions of each input image to form a respective display image, according to any differences between a desired display viewpoint and a particular viewpoint defined for that portion by metadata associated with a respective input image. The metadata indicating viewpoints relating to image content contained in the respective input images.

Abstract: A display method is provided using a display that is operable to display an image to a viewer. The display method includes detecting one or both of an initial position and/or orientation of the viewer's head, and generating an image for display according to the detected position and/or orientation. A current position and/or orientation of the viewer's head are detected at a time at which the image is to be displayed. The method also includes re-projecting the generated image according to any differences between the initial position and/or orientation and the current position and/or orientation of the viewer's head, and displaying the re-projected image using the display.

Abstract: A head mountable display (HMD) comprises an infrared light source operable to illuminate foreground objects but not background objects greater than a threshold distance from the HMD; one or more cameras operable to capture infrared illuminated images and visible light illuminated images; and an image processor operable to detect, from the infrared illuminated images, foreground objects in the visible light illuminated images.

Abstract: A method of operation of a head mountable display (HMD) system, in which stereoscopic images are displayed with respect to a virtual display screen (VDS) position, is provided. The method includes setting a VDS position for a stereoscopic image for display in response to a depth parameter of a region of interest (ROI) in respect of the stereoscopic image for display. The method also includes generating the stereoscopic image for display having an image parallax appropriate to the VDS position set by the setting step.

Abstract: A display method using a display operable to display an image to a viewer is provided. The method includes detecting an initial position and/or orientation of an image view. Foreground portions of an image are rendered according to the detected initial position and/or orientation. Background portions of the image are rendered according to the detected initial position and/or orientation, at an image rendering rate. The following are performed at an image display rate higher than the image rendering rate: (i) detecting a current position and/or orientation of the image view; (ii) re-projecting the background portions of a most recent image according to any differences between the initial position and/or orientation and the current position and/or orientation of the image view; and (iii) combining the foreground portions and the re-projected background portions to generate an image for display.

Abstract: An image processing method includes capturing an image of the head of a user of a head mountable display device. The position of the head mountable display device is detected in the image captured by a camera. A region of the user's face that is occluded by the head mountable display device is identified. The portion of the captured image corresponding to the head mountable display device is at least partially replaced with a corresponding portion of a 3D facial model, to provide a modified version of the captured image.

Abstract: A method generates an image for display by deriving an expected depth of field for the image and by generating the image for display by the display device by applying a blurring function. The expected depth of field is derived with respect to a point of focus in the image, in response to lighting conditions of the environment represented by the image. The blurring function is applied to simulate the expected depth of field of the image by blurring as a function of apparent spatial depth within the image. The degree of blurring applied to a closer depth region, in an apparent depth direction, to the point of focus is lower than the degree applied to a further depth region from the point of focus. Variation of the blurring function with respect to depth separation from the point of focus depends upon the expected depth of field.

Abstract: A head mountable display (HMD) is provided that has an upward facing camera associated with a wide angle (such as a fisheye) lens arranged to capture images of the environment of the HMD. The HMD also includes an image comparator arranged to derive an indication of yaw of the HMD from images captured by the upward facing camera at different points in time. The image comparator may be configured to perform two or more detection techniques to detect HMD yaw, and to combine the results of the two or more detection techniques. The HMD may also include a tilt detector. Here, the image comparator may be configured to ignore one or more portions of a captured image in dependence upon a current tilt of the HMD as detected by the tilt detector.

Abstract: A head mountable display (HMD) includes a camera operable to capture images of a peripheral and/or control device in use by a wearer of the HMD. A detector of the HMD is configured to detect occlusions in a captured image of the peripheral and/or control device. And an image renderer of the HMD is configured to render a virtual version of the peripheral and/or control device for display to the HMD wearer and to render a representation of a user's hand at a position of a detected occlusion.

Abstract: A head mountable display (HMD) system comprises an eye position detector comprising one or more cameras configured to detect the position of each of the HMD user's eyes; a dominant eye detector configured to detect a dominant eye of the HMD user; and an image generator configured to generate images for display by the HMD in dependence upon the HMD user's eye positions, the image generator being configured to apply a greater weight to the detected position of the dominant eye than to the detected position of the non-dominant eye.