Viewport-Adaptive Spatial Streaming for VR Quality Stability

The patent applies preliminary action by having the DASH client proactively request and buffer media segments for potential future viewports before they are actually needed. When viewport change information is received, the client checks whether media segments for the new viewport are already buffered, allowing immediate playback without quality degradation. This pre-fetching strategy eliminates the traditional delay between viewport change and content availability.

The patent implements dynamics by making the media segment buffering strategy adaptive to viewport change patterns. The system dynamically adjusts which viewports to pre-fetch based on received viewport change information, creating a responsive system that optimizes buffer usage according to actual user behavior rather than following a static pre-fetching schedule.

The patent applies local quality by transmitting media segments at different resolutions for different spatial regions. Viewport-centered regions are encoded at high resolution to match the human fovea's resolving capacity, while peripheral and non-viewport regions use lower resolution. This creates a quality gradient that optimizes bandwidth usage by concentrating high-quality content only where the user is actually looking.

The patent implements segmentation by dividing the spherical video content into multiple media segments corresponding to different spatial regions or viewports. Each segment can be independently encoded at appropriate quality levels and selectively buffered based on predicted viewport changes, allowing fine-grained control over bandwidth allocation across different spatial areas.

The patent resolves this contradiction by applying preliminary action through proactive buffering of media segments for potential future viewports. Before a viewport change occurs, the system uses received viewport change information to identify which segments will be needed and buffers them in advance. This eliminates the adaptation delay while maintaining bandwidth efficiency, as only necessary segments are pre-fetched rather than entire high-resolution spherical content.

The patent applies the skipping principle by rushing through the content acquisition process for new viewports using pre-buffered segments. Instead of waiting for sequential downloading after a viewport change, the system has already retrieved and stored the necessary media segments, allowing immediate playback resumption without quality degradation or visible loading artifacts.