Accessibility in 360º video players

Hughes, CJ; Montagud, M

Abstract

Accessibility is a key requirement for any multimedia tool and application. With the current trend
towards immersive experiences, such as Virtual Reality (VR) and 360o video, it becomes key that these
environments are adapted to be fully accessible. However, until recently the focus has been mostly on
adapting the existing techniques to fit immersive displays, rather than considering new approaches for
accessibility designed specifically for these increasingly relevant media experiences.
This paper surveys a wide range of 360o video players and examines the features they include for dealing
with accessibility, such as Subtitles, Audio Description, Sign Language, User Interfaces and other
interaction features, like voice control and support for multi-screen scenarios. These features have been
chosen based on guidelines from standardization contributions, like in the World Wide Web Consortium
(W3C) and the International Communication Union (ITU), and from research contributions for making
360º video consumption experiences accessible. The in-depth analysis has been part of a research effort
towards the development of a fully inclusive and accessible 360º video player. The paper concludes by
discussing how the newly developed player has gone above and beyond the existing solutions and
guidelines, by providing accessibility features that meet the expectations for a widely used immersive
medium, like 360º video.

Citation

Hughes, C., & Montagud, M. (2021). Accessibility in 360º video players. Multimedia Tools and Applications, 80(20), 30993-31020. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11042-020-10088-0

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Oct 15, 2020
• Online Publication Date: Oct 22, 2020
• Publication Date: Aug 1, 2021
• Deposit Date: Oct 15, 2020
• Publicly Available Date: Oct 23, 2020
• Journal: Multimedia Tools and Applications
• Print ISSN: 1380-7501
• Electronic ISSN: 1573-7721
• Publisher: Springer Verlag
• Volume: 80
• Issue: 20
• Pages: 30993-31020
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11042-020-10088-0
• Publisher URL: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11042-020-10088-0
• Related Public URLs: http://link.springer.com/journal/11042
• Additional Information: Funders : Horizon 2020;Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities;ALMA Excellence Network; Projects : ImAc Project; Grant Number: 761974; Grant Number: IJCI-2017-34611; Grant Number: RED2018-102475-T