A computer-implemented process for compressing video data comprising sequential sets of contemporaneous video frames wherein the video frames in a set depict the same scene from different viewpoints, and each frame of which is represented by at least a main layer and a boundary layer, wherein: the main layer comprises pixels exhibiting background colors and background disparities associated with correspondingly located pixels of depth discontinuity areas, as well as pixels exhibiting colors and disparities associated with correspondingly located pixels of the frame not found in the depth discontinuity areas and the boundary layer comprises pixels exhibiting foreground colors, foreground disparities and alpha values associated with the correspondingly located pixels of the depth discontinuity areas, said depth discontinuity areas corresponding to prescribed sized areas surrounding depth discontinuities in said each frame, said process comprising using a computer to perform the following process actions: designating one or more keyframes for each set of contemporaneous frames such that each designated keyframe in any one set of contemporaneous frames has a viewpoint that is the same as a designated keyframe in all the other sets of contemporaneous frames; and for each set of contemporaneous video frames in time sequence order, compressing the main layer of each keyframe using a non-predictive intra-frame compression technique for the main layer of the first keyframe and the main layer of other subsequent keyframes on a prescribed periodic basis and using a temporal prediction compression technique for the main layer of the keyframes that are not compressed using said non-predictive intra-frame compression technique; compressing the main layer of each non-keyframe using a spatial prediction compression technique using spatial prediction from nearby reference views; and compressing the boundary layer of each frame using a non-predictive intra-frame compression technique. the main layer comprises pixels exhibiting background colors and background disparities associated with correspondingly located pixels of depth discontinuity areas, as well as pixels exhibiting colors and disparities associated with correspondingly located pixels of the frame not found in the depth discontinuity areas and the boundary layer comprises pixels exhibiting foreground colors, foreground disparities and alpha values associated with the correspondingly located pixels of the depth discontinuity areas, said depth discontinuity areas corresponding to prescribed sized areas surrounding depth discontinuities in said each frame, said process comprising using a computer to perform the following process actions: designating one or more keyframes for each set of contemporaneous frames such that each designated keyframe in any one set of contemporaneous frames has a viewpoint that is the same as a designated keyframe in all the other sets of contemporaneous frames; and for each set of contemporaneous video frames in time sequence order, compressing the main layer of each keyframe using a non-predictive intra-frame compression technique for the main layer of the first keyframe and the main layer of other subsequent keyframes on a prescribed periodic basis and using a temporal prediction compression technique for the main layer of the keyframes that are not compressed using said non-predictive intra-frame compression technique; compressing the main layer of each non-keyframe using a spatial prediction compression technique using spatial prediction from nearby reference views; and compressing the boundary layer of each frame using a non-predictive intra-frame compression technique. designating one or more keyframes for each set of contemporaneous frames such that each designated keyframe in any one set of contemporaneous frames has a viewpoint that is the same as a designated keyframe in all the other sets of contemporaneous frames; and for each set of contemporaneous video frames in time sequence order, compressing the main layer of each keyframe using a non-predictive intra-frame compression technique for the main layer of the first keyframe and the main layer of other subsequent keyframes on a prescribed periodic basis and using a temporal prediction compression technique for the main layer of the keyframes that are not compressed using said non-predictive intra-frame compression technique; compressing the main layer of each non-keyframe using a spatial prediction compression technique using spatial prediction from nearby reference views; and compressing the boundary layer of each frame using a non-predictive intra-frame compression technique. compressing the main layer of each keyframe using a non-predictive intra-frame compression technique for the main layer of the first keyframe and the main layer of other subsequent keyframes on a prescribed periodic basis and using a temporal prediction compression technique for the main layer of the keyframes that are not compressed using said non-predictive intra-frame compression technique; compressing the main layer of each non-keyframe using a spatial prediction compression technique using spatial prediction from nearby reference views; and compressing the boundary layer of each frame using a non-predictive intra-frame compression technique.