Spatially Adaptive Video Encoding for VR Viewports
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing technologies are inadequate for efficiently providing high-quality panoramic and virtual reality video content to resource-limited devices due to high data rates and computational requirements, leading to inadequate processing and transmission capabilities.
Innovation Solution
A system that partitions high-bitrate video content into image portions based on viewport dimensions, encoding each portion with specific quality distributions to provide enhanced quality where needed and baseline quality elsewhere, allowing for efficient use of limited resources.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If high bitrate video content is transmitted to resource-limited devices, then video quality is improved, but bandwidth consumption and processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The video content is divided into multiple image portions or tiles, allowing selective transmission and processing. Only the viewport region and its surrounding areas are encoded and transmitted at high quality, while other regions use lower quality settings, reducing overall bandwidth consumption while maintaining perceived video quality in the visible area.
Solution Approach 2:
Different quality levels are applied to different spatial regions of the video content. The viewport region receives enhanced quality encoding with finer detail, while peripheral regions use coarser encoding. This local quality differentiation maintains high perceived quality where the user is actually looking while reducing total bandwidth requirements.
2Manufacturing precision
If full resolution video content is processed on resource-limited devices, then video quality is improved, but computational capacity requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The video stream is segmented into multiple tiles or image portions, allowing the device to process only the relevant viewport region at high resolution while using lower resolution for other regions. This segmentation reduces the computational burden on resource-limited devices while maintaining high quality in the visible area.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of processing the entire video frame at full resolution, the system applies full resolution processing only to the necessary viewport region and uses reduced resolution for peripheral areas. This partial action approach maintains high quality where needed while significantly reducing computational requirements.
3Manufacturing precision
If enhanced quality encoding is applied to all image portions, then overall video quality is improved, but transmission efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
Enhanced quality encoding is applied selectively only to the viewport region and its immediate surroundings, while peripheral regions use baseline quality encoding. This local quality approach maintains high overall perceived quality while improving transmission efficiency by reducing the total bitrate required.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies enhanced quality encoding to only the necessary portion of the video content (the viewport region) rather than the entire frame. This partial application of enhanced encoding maintains transmission efficiency while still delivering high quality where the user is actually viewing.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for providing video content using spatially adaptive video encoding. Panoramic and/or virtual reality content may be viewed by a client device using a viewport with viewing dimension(s) configured smaller than available dimension(s) of the content. Client device may include a portable media device characterized by given energy and/or computational resources. Video content may be encoded using spatially varying encoding. For image playback, portions of panoramic image may be pre-encoded using multiple quality bands. Pre-encoded image portions, matching the viewport, may be provided and reduce computational and/or energy load on the client device during consumption of panoramic content. Quality distribution may include gradual quality transition area allowing for small movements of the viewport without triggering image re-encoding. Larger movements of the viewport may automatically trigger transition to another spatial encoding distribution.