Omnidirectional MediA Format (OMAF): Toolbox for Virtual Reality Services

Abstract: This paper provides an overview of the Omnidirectional Media Format (OMAF) standard, second edition, which has been recently finalized. OMAF specifies the media format for coding, storage, delivery, and rendering of omnidirectional media, including video, audio, images, and timed text. Additionally, OMAF supports multiple viewpoints corresponding to omnidirectional cameras and overlay images or video rendered over the omnidirectional background image or video. Many examples of usage scenarios for multiple viewpoints and overlays are described in the paper. OMAF provides a toolbox of features, which can be selectively used in virtual reality services. Consequently, the paper presents the interoperability points specified in the OMAF standard, which enable signaling which OMAF features are in use or required to be supported in implementations. Finally, the paper summarizes which OMAF interoperability points have been taken into use in virtual reality service specifications by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) and the Virtual Reality Industry Forum (VRIF).