Smoothness of viewpoint transitions in multiview video systems

The smoothness of viewpoint transitions in a test-bed for stereoscopic multiview systems was studied to evaluate the effect of head velocity and number of stereoscopic viewpoints. The judgments of apparent smoothness as a function of viewpoint density were scaled according to a logarithmic function. A minimum of four stereoviews per cm are required for good perceived smoothness, while exceeding six yields very little improvement. Smoothness ratings were higher at the faster head velocity, suggesting that with faster movements, lower viewpoint densities might be tolerated. A second goal was to compare methods for subjective evaluation of smoothness: the double-stimulus-continuous-quality scale (DSCQS), double stimulus impairment scale variant II (DSIS II), and magnitude estimation (ME). In order to evaluate the effect of context on different scales, each scale was used to rate the same video sequences. The least contextual effects occurred with ME, suggesting that this may be the best scale to use.