Rendering extended video in virtual reality

1. A method for transforming video data for display in virtual reality, the method comprising:

receiving digital video data for display on a center screen and two auxiliary screens;

accessing, by a computer executing a rendering application, data that defines virtual screens including a center screen and auxiliary screens, wherein tangent lines to each of the auxiliary screens at their respective centers of area intersect with a tangent line to the center screen at its center of area at equal angles in a range of 75 to 105 degrees, each of the virtual screens is characterized by a having a cylindrical radius of curvature ‘R’ in a plane parallel to top and bottom edge of each virtual screen and a ratio R/z 2 wherein ‘z 2 ’ indicates height of each of the virtual screens is in a range of 1 to 4;

preparing virtual video data at least in part by rendering the digital video on corresponding ones of the virtual screens; and

saving the virtual video data in a computer memory.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the data that defines the virtual screens further defines each of the auxiliary screens as having parallel tangents at their respective centers.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising accessing data that defines a virtual floor plane parallel to and located a distance ‘z 1 ’ below the bottom edge of each virtual screen, wherein z 1 is equal to or within 20% of 0.9*z 2 .

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the data that defines the virtual screens further defines that each of the virtual screens has a width ‘W’ measured along its respective one of the tangent lines such that a ratio W/z 2 is in a range of 1.8 to 3.6.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the data that defines the virtual screens further defines that the auxiliary screens face each other and are spaced apart a distance ‘2C’ measured at their respective centers of area, wherein a ratio of 2C/W is in a range of 1 to 1.5.

6. An apparatus for transforming video data for display in virtual reality, comprising:

a processor, a memory coupled to the processor, and a stereoscopic display device coupled to the processor, wherein the memory holds instructions that when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to perform the operations of:

receiving digital video data for display on a center screen and two auxiliary screens;

accessing, by a computer executing a rendering application, data that defines virtual screens including a center screen and auxiliary screens, wherein tangent lines to each of the auxiliary screens at their respective centers of area intersect with a tangent line to the center screen at its center of area at equal angles in a range of 75 to 105 degrees, each of the virtual screens is characterized by a having a cylindrical radius of curvature ‘R’ in a plane parallel to top and bottom edge of each virtual screen and a ratio R/z 2 wherein ‘z 2 ’ indicates height of each of the virtual screens is in a range of 1 to 4;

preparing virtual video data at least in part by rendering the digital video on corresponding ones of the virtual screens; and

saving the virtual video data in a computer memory.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the memory holds further instructions that defines each of the auxiliary screens as having parallel tangents at their respective centers.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the memory holds further instructions that defines each of the virtual screens having a width ‘W’ measured along its respective one of the tangent lines such that a ratio W/z 2 is in a range of 1.8 to 3.6, that the auxiliary screens face each other and are spaced apart a distance ‘2C’ measured at their respective centers of area, wherein a ratio of 2C/W is in a range of 1 to 1.5.

9. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the memory holds further instructions that defines a virtual floor plane parallel to and located a distance ‘z 1 ’ below the bottom edge of each virtual screen, wherein z 1 is equal to or within 20% of 0.9*z.

10. An apparatus for processing video data for display by a virtual reality display apparatus, comprising:

a processor, a memory coupled to the processor, and a stereoscopic display device coupled to the processor, wherein the memory holds instructions that when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to perform:

accessing virtual video data for display that defines virtual screens including a center screen and auxiliary screens, wherein tangent lines to each of the auxiliary screens at their respective centers of area intersect with a tangent line to the center screen at its center of area at equal angles in a range of 75 to 105 degrees, each of the virtual screens is characterized by a having a cylindrical radius of curvature ‘R’ in a plane parallel to top and bottom edge of each virtual screen and a ratio R/z 2 wherein ‘z 2 ’ indicates height of each of the virtual screens is in a range of 1 to 4; and

outputting the virtual video data for display using a stereographic display system of the VR headset.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the memory holds further instructions that define orientation of each of the auxiliary screens such that their tangents are parallel.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the memory holds further instructions that define a virtual floor plane parallel to and located a distance ‘z 3 ’ below the bottom edge of each virtual screen, wherein z 3 is equal to or within 20% of 0.9*z 2 .

13. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the memory holds further instructions that define each of the virtual screens has a width ‘W’ measured along its respective one of the tangent lines such that a ratio W/z 2 is in a range of 1.8 to 3.6.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the memory holds further instructions that define that the auxiliary screens face each other and are spaced apart a distance ‘2C’ measured at their respective centers of area, wherein a ratio of 2C/W is in a range of 1 to 1.5.