Viewport Dependent Delivery for Omnidirectional Video
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current technologies for omnidirectional video transmission in conversational telepresence and conferencing scenarios are inefficient, as they do not support viewport-dependent delivery, leading to wastage of bandwidth and high latency, especially in conversational scenarios where only a portion of the omnidirectional video is viewed.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus for receiving omnidirectional video, determining the viewport of a user equipment, and encoding and transmitting only the relevant region based on the determined viewport and delivery mode, optimizing bandwidth usage and reducing latency by using viewport-dependent processing and delivery modes such as viewport-locked and sphere-locked delivery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If omnidirectional video is transmitted in full resolution and quality to all regions, then the video quality is maintained, but bandwidth consumption increases and latency increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by encoding the omnidirectional video at high quality only in the viewport region (region of interest) where the user is actually viewing, while encoding other regions at lower quality or skipping transmission entirely. This is achieved through viewport determination based on user equipment orientation and selective encoding parameters adjustment for different spatial regions, thereby maintaining video quality where needed while reducing overall bandwidth consumption
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the omnidirectional video into multiple regions including the viewport region and non-viewport regions. Different encoding strategies are applied to each segment: the viewport region receives full quality encoding while other regions receive reduced quality encoding. This segmentation allows differential bandwidth allocation based on actual viewing requirements
2Reliability
If omnidirectional video is transmitted in full resolution and quality to all regions, then the video quality is maintained, but transmission time increases
Solution Approach 1:
By applying local quality encoding focused on the viewport region, the patent reduces the total amount of data that needs to be transmitted and processed. This selective approach decreases transmission time and processing latency for the critical viewing area without sacrificing video quality, while non-critical regions use reduced encoding that also contributes to overall latency reduction
3Productivity
If only the viewport region is encoded and transmitted, then bandwidth usage is optimized and latency is reduced, but video quality in non-viewed regions is degraded
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by encoding and transmitting only the necessary portion of the omnidirectional video (the viewport region plus optional margin regions) at high quality, while providing reduced or no encoding for non-viewport regions. This partial approach is sufficient for the user's actual viewing needs, optimizing bandwidth efficiency while maintaining acceptable overall video quality for the intended purpose
Data Source
AI summary
A user equipment, media control unit, media resource function, or another device or function capable of receiving, manipulating, and transmitting data may be configured to: receive an omnidirectional video; determine a viewport of a user equipment; determining a delivery mode; determine a region of the omnidirectional video based, at least partially, on the determined viewport and the determined delivery mode; encode the determined region; packetizing the encoded region; and transmit the packetized region to the user equipment based, at least partially, on the determined delivery mode.