A depth camera based approach for automatic control of video cameras in lecture halls. Issue 3 (19th August 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Winkler, Michael; Höver, Kai Michael; Mühlhäuser, Max
• Editors: Ketterl, Markus
• Is Part Of: Interactive technology and smart education. Volume 11:Issue 3(2014)
• Publication Date: 2014-08-19
• Subjects: Interactive multimedia -- Periodicals; Educational technology -- Periodicals; 006.7
• DOI: 10.1108/ITSE-06-2014-0012
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1741-5659

Abstract

Abstract : Purpose: Talks, presentations, and lectures are often captured on video to give a broad audience the possibility to (re-)access the content. As presenters are often moving around during a talk, it is necessary to steer recording cameras. We present a depth information based solution for automatic camera control depending on the presenter's moving positions. Design/methodology/approach: We use depth information from Kinect to implement a prototypical application to automatically steer multiple cameras for recording a talk. Findings: We present our experiences with the system during actual lectures at a university. We found out that Kinect is applicable for tracking a presenter during a talk robustly. Nevertheless our prototypical solution reveals potential for improvements, which we discuss in our future work section. Originality/value: Tracking a presenter is based on a skeleton model extracted from depth information instead of using 2D motion- or brightness-based image processing techniques. The solution uses a scalable networking architecture based on publish/subscribe messaging for controlling multiple video cameras.