Streaming Panoramic Video Viewpoint Switching

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing streaming systems for panoramic videos face high bandwidth requirements when switching between multiple viewpoints, leading to potential interruptions in the user experience.

Innovation Solution

The proposed solution involves a streaming server that temporarily and simultaneously continues to stream shared video data while streaming viewpoint-specific video data when switching between panoramic video viewpoints, reducing the need to stream entire panoramic videos integrally.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If entire panoramic videos are streamed integrally when switching between viewpoints, then complete video content is delivered, but bandwidth requirements increase and switching time increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecompleteness of video contentVSAvoidbandwidth consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The panoramic video is divided into multiple viewports, each representing a different viewpoint of the scene. Instead of streaming the entire panoramic video when switching viewpoints, the system segments the video content and streams only the relevant viewport corresponding to the user's current viewpoint, thereby reducing bandwidth consumption while maintaining content completeness.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system extracts and streams only the necessary portion of the panoramic video (the specific viewport) rather than the entire video. When switching between viewpoints, only the extracted viewport data for the new viewpoint is transmitted, eliminating the need to send redundant video data and significantly reducing bandwidth requirements.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Reliability

If entire panoramic videos are streamed integrally when switching between viewpoints, then complete video content is delivered, but switching speed decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecompleteness of video contentVSAvoidviewpoint switching speed

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSSpeed

Solution Approach 1:

By segmenting the panoramic video into multiple viewports, the system enables rapid switching between viewpoints. Each viewport is an independent, pre-processable unit that can be decoded and displayed quickly, eliminating the delay associated with processing and streaming entire panoramic videos during viewpoint transitions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The panoramic video is pre-processed and divided into multiple viewports before streaming. This preliminary segmentation allows the client to quickly switch between viewpoints by simply switching between pre-prepared viewport segments, rather than waiting for entire videos to be processed and transmitted during the switching event.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Reliability

If multiple complete panoramic video streams are maintained for seamless switching, then uninterrupted viewing is achieved, but bandwidth requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveseamlessness of viewpoint switchingVSAvoidbandwidth consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments the panoramic video into multiple viewports and streams them as separate, independently decodable units. This segmentation allows the client to switch between viewpoints seamlessly by switching between viewport streams without requiring multiple complete panoramic video streams, as each viewport contains only the necessary visual information for its specific viewpoint.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The viewport-based streaming system provides multi-functionality by enabling seamless viewpoint switching while reducing bandwidth consumption. The same viewport segmentation approach serves multiple purposes: it enables fast switching, reduces bandwidth requirements, and maintains content completeness, making the system universally applicable to various panoramic video streaming scenarios.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS12309434B2Streaming panoramic video of a scene from multiple viewpoints

Publication Date: 2025.05.20 KONINK KPN NV

AI summary

A streaming server and a streaming client are described, with the streaming server being configured for streaming video data representing a panoramic video of a scene to the streaming client. The panoramic video may show the scene from a viewpoint within the scene, with the viewpoint being one of a plurality of viewpoints within the scene. When streaming first video data of a first panoramic video, and when starting to stream second video data of a second panoramic video, the streaming client may at least temporarily and simultaneously continue to stream at least part of the first video data by continuing to stream a part of the first video data which represents shared video content of the scene which is visible in the first panoramic video and in the second panoramic video, while additionally streaming second viewpoint-specific video data which represents viewpoint-specific video content of the scene.