Methods and systems for creating and providing a real-time volumetric representation of a real-world event

A method comprising:

• capturing, in real time by a virtual reality media provider system that includes a configuration of synchronous video cameras and depth capture devices disposed at fixed positions surrounding a stage space where a real-world event is taking place and outside of a boundary around the stage space, two-dimensional video data and depth data for surfaces of static objects and dynamic objects located inside the boundary and associated with the real-world event taking place within the stage space;
• differentiating, in real time by the virtual reality media provider system and based on the captured two-dimensional video data, the static objects at the real-world event from the dynamic objects at the real-world event;
• generating, in real time by the virtual reality media provider system and based on the captured depth data and the captured two-dimensional video data, a real-time volumetric data stream representative of dynamic volumetric models of the surfaces of the static objects and the dynamic objects located inside the boundary around the stage space, the generating of the real-time volumetric data stream including
• generating and updating, with a lower regularity or on an as-needed basis, the dynamic volumetric models of the surfaces of the static objects, and
• separately generating and updating, with a higher regularity that is higher than the lower regularity and that keeps the real-time volumetric data stream up-to-date with what is occurring at the real-world event, the dynamic volumetric models of the surfaces of the dynamic objects;
• and
• providing, in real time by the virtual reality media provider system for display on a head-mounted display screen and based on the real-time volumetric data stream, virtual reality media content representative of the real-world event as experienced from a dynamically selectable viewpoint corresponding to an arbitrary location within the boundary around the stage space where the real-world event is taking place, the dynamically selectable viewpoint selected by a user wearing the head-mounted display screen while the real-world event is taking place and the user is experiencing the real-world event by way of the head-mounted display screen.

A system comprising:

• a configuration of synchronous video cameras and depth capture devices disposed at fixed positions at a real-world event and that capture, in real time, two-dimensional video data and depth data for surfaces of static objects and dynamic objects at the real-world event;
• and
• a data processing system communicatively coupled to the configuration of video and depth capture devices and that
• differentiates, in real time and based on the captured two-dimensional video data, the static objects at the real-world event from the dynamic objects at the real-world event,
• generates, in real time and based on the captured depth data and the captured two-dimensional video data, a real-time volumetric data stream representative of dynamic volumetric models of the surfaces of the static objects and the dynamic objects at the real-world event, the generation of the real-time volumetric data stream performed by
• generating and updating, with a lower regularity or on an as-needed basis, the dynamic volumetric models of the surfaces of the static objects, and
• separately generating and updating, with a higher regularity that is higher than the lower regularity and that keeps the real-time volumetric data stream up-to-date with what is occurring at the real-world event, the dynamic volumetric models of the surfaces of the dynamic objects, and
• provides, in real time to a media player device and based on the real-time volumetric data stream, virtual reality media content representative of the real-world event as experienced from a dynamically selectable viewpoint corresponding to an arbitrary location at the real-world event, the dynamically selectable viewpoint selected by a user of a media player device while the user is experiencing the real-world event using the media player device.