R&I group

Media Technologies

The Media Technologies Research Group transforms cutting-edge academic research into interactive, immersive experiences, empowering users across sectors. We research volumetric capture systems towards the production of lifelike 3D representations of people and environments in real time, develop holographic communication platforms, and integrate extended reality (XR) features that blend physical and digital worlds. Our work also includes streaming high-quality 360º video to enable immersive storytelling and remote participation, and leveraging remote rendering technologies to seamlessly deliver complex interactive experiences through the web. Our multidisciplinary team of researchers, engineers, and designers collaborates with industry and academic partners to ensure innovations are validated through user-centric pilots, scientific publications, and successful technology transfer. By bridging the gap between theoretical advances and market-ready applications, MediaTech drives forward the adoption of next-generation media solutions that enhance collaboration, training, remote presence, and entertainment.

Research lines

Media Networks: This research line focuses on research and software development for synchronized, low-latency media delivery across diverse formats and platforms. With expertise in protocols like NTP, PTP, WebRTC, and MPEG-DASH, the team enhances network performance and real-time content processing using scalable cloud and edge computing infrastructures. Its innovations support live production and interactive events by enabling adaptive delivery architectures, XR session management, and advanced media synchronization. Key research areas include 6G Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) APIs, remote and cloud-based rendering, and media distribution technologies tailored for lightweight devices and variable network conditions.
Media Processing & Optimization: This research line pioneers advanced techniques for volumetric video compression and distribution, aimed at enabling real-time AR/VR experiences across a wide range of devices. Specializing in GPU-accelerated encoding, the team has developed real-time streaming solutions for dense point clouds and 3D Gaussian Splatting, significantly reducing bandwidth and storage requirements. These technologies are crucial for high-quality 3D content creation, digital twins, and volumetric streaming. Their work directly impacts sectors like industry, healthcare, education, and entertainment by making immersive content more efficient and accessible.
Media Capture & Reconstruction: This research line develops high-fidelity, multi-camera volumetric capture systems using RGB-D setups for real-time and offline human reconstruction. Their GPU-accelerated solutions enable seamless applications such as holoportation, immersive telepresence, and volumetric recordings. The team explores cutting-edge methods like Gaussian Splatting to enhance realism and scalability in human and environment reconstruction. These innovations support next-generation applications in immersive storytelling, virtual collaboration, and interactive experiences, advancing the capabilities of volumetric media in real-world scenarios.

Innovation lines

Smart city: Large Scale PC and GS compression for landscape visualization Technologies
Real-time multi-user holoportation
Immersive video
Volumetric video
Scalable communications
Point Cloud Compression
Gaussian Splatting Compression
Stream Synchronization
Multi-camera 3D reconstruction
Supersampling and denoising
Quality of Experience
Adaptive and low-latency streaming

Group leader

Sergi Fernandez

Areas

Immersive & Interactive Multimedia Technologies

Media Technologies

Projects

Media Technologies

Publications

Multiuser Immersive Cultural Experiences enabled by 5G, AI and Free-Viewpoint Video

Javier Usón, César Díaz, Isabel Rodríquez, Victoria Muñoz, Ferran Cañellas, Mario Montagud, Julián Cabrera, “Multiuser Immersive Cultural Experiences enabled by 5G, AI and Free-Viewpoint Video”, Multimedia Systems, Accepted for Publication in August 2026

NetXRate: Network-Assisted Rate Recommendation for XR Service Optimization

A. Lopez Garcia, A. A. AbdelNabi, M. Catalan-Cid, M. Montagud, C. Sarathchandra, and D. Camps-Mur, “NetXRate: Network-assisted rate recommendation for XR service optimization,” IEEE Transactions on Broadcasting, 2026.

Augmenting TV broadcast content with live multi-cam VR360 experiences: technology and large-scale validation

Miguel Fernández, Sergi Fernández, Francesc Mas, Josep Paradells, Mario Montagud, “Augmenting TV broadcast content with live multi-cam VR360 experiences: technology and large-scale validation”, IEEE Transactions on Broadcasting, 2026

Multimodal and Social Virtual Reality (VR): exploring and validating promising enablers for next-generation interactive and group-based virtual visits

Mohamad Hjeij, Mario Montagud, David Rincón-Rivera, Sergi Fernández Langa, “Multimodal and Social Virtual Reality (VR): exploring and validating promising enablers for next-generation interactive and group-based virtual visits”, Applied Sciences, 2026

OTT-MNO collaboration for a Network-layer ML-based QoE Prediction for Video Streaming over 5G O-RAN  

González, C. C., Pupo, E. F., Floris, A., Porcu, S., Murroni, M., & Atzori, L. (2026). OTT-MNO collaboration for a Network-layer ML-based QoE Prediction for Video Streaming over 5G O-RAN. Computer Networks, 112152.

Interactive digital twins enabling responsible extended reality applications. (Nature, Scientific Reports)

Antoun, M., Elhajj, I. H., Sayour, M., Papadopoulos, P. K., Zarpalas, D., Rizk, A., Huerta, I., Toledo, L., … & Asmar, D. (2025). Interactive digital twins enabling responsible extended reality applications. Scientific Reports, 15(1), 34539 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-17855-9

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Media Technologies