Method, apparatus and system for facilitating navigation in an extended scene

An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory having stored instructions operative, when executed by the at least one processor to cause the apparatus to:

• obtain data representative of a timeline from a metadata component of a video content, wherein the timeline comprises information representative of a time and a location at which a sequence of interest appears within a virtual scene in the video content, wherein the data is obtained before the time at which the sequence of interest appears in the virtual scene, wherein a user navigates inside the virtual scene in the video content from a current location of a current viewpoint at a current time to a subsequent location of a subsequent viewpoint before the time at which the sequence of interest appears;
• process the timeline to identify the sequence of interest within the video content before the sequence of interest appears;
• determine at least one indicator to direct attention toward the subsequent viewpoint from which to view the sequence of interest within the virtual scene, the at least one indicator being determined according to the current viewpoint in the virtual scene and the location of the sequence of interest within the virtual scene, wherein the current viewpoint has the current location and a current viewing direction, and the subsequent viewpoint has the subsequent location and a subsequent viewing direction within the virtual scene and wherein the subsequent location is different from the current location of the current viewpoint;
• and
• render the at least one indicator within a current field of view inside the virtual scene while rendering the portion of the virtual scene, wherein the at least one indicator is rendered prior to the time at which the sequence of interest appears and in time for a user to move within the virtual scene following a trajectory from the current location of the current viewpoint to the subsequent location of the subsequent viewpoint before the event time at which the sequence of interest appears in the virtual scene.