Panoramic Video Encoding by Viewing Angle Segmentation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing video encoding methods for panoramic videos result in resource waste as they encode and decode all panoramic picture frames, even though users typically view angles around 150°, making the remaining encoded data ineffective.

Innovation Solution

Divide the panoramic video into non-overlapping viewing angle video sequences with the same horizontal viewing angles, encode each sequence separately, and transmit only the data corresponding to the user's determined viewing angle, avoiding the transmission and decoding of ineffective data.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of energy

If all panoramic picture frames are encoded and decoded, then complete panoramic video coverage is achieved, but resource waste increases due to transmission and decoding of ineffective data outside user viewing angles

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveresource wasteVSAvoideffective viewing data

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of energyVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The panoramic video is divided into multiple sub-regions based on different viewing angles. Each sub-region corresponds to a specific horizontal viewing angle range, allowing the system to segment the complete panoramic content into manageable portions that can be selectively transmitted based on user needs.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different regions of the panoramic video are treated differently based on their relevance to user viewing angles. The system identifies and prioritizes encoding regions that fall within typical user viewing angles (around 150°) while reducing or eliminating encoding of regions outside this range, thereby optimizing resource allocation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Productivity

If panoramic video is divided into multiple viewing angle sequences and only relevant data is transmitted, then transmission efficiency improves, but system complexity increases due to division and selection processes

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetransmission efficiencyVSAvoidencoding system complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The panoramic video is pre-divided into viewing angle sequences during the encoding phase, and metadata about these sequences is prepared in advance. This preliminary organization allows the decoding device to quickly select and process only the relevant sequences without requiring complex real-time analysis.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS10951818B2Video encoding method and apparatus, device, and storage medium

Publication Date: 2021.03.16 TENCENT TECHNOLOGY (SHENZHEN) CO LTD

AI summary

A method and apparatus are provided. The method includes obtaining a panoramic video formed by plural panoramic picture frames, each being formed to record a scenery of a viewing angle. The panoramic video is divided into N viewing angle video sequences, each sequence being formed by areas that are in the panoramic picture frames, that do not overlap with each other, and that have a same horizontal viewing angle. The sum of the viewing angles of the N video sequences is a total horizontal viewing angle of the panoramic picture frame, N being a positive integer. The N video sequences are respectively encoded to obtain N respective groups of encoded data, and a viewing angle is determined. A viewing angle video sequence whose viewing angle comprises the determined viewing angle is selected, and encoded data of the selected viewing angle video sequence is transmitted.