Viewport Prediction for 360-Degree Content Streaming

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing systems face challenges in efficiently predicting and generating a viewport for spherical media content items, particularly in reducing bandwidth and processing power requirements while minimizing delays and spikes in resource utilization.

Innovation Solution

The system determines user preferences for characters or genres within spherical media content items, predicts future viewports based on these preferences and user movements, and transmits tiles at appropriate resolutions to optimize bandwidth and processing efficiency.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If all tiles are streamed at full resolution, then viewport quality is improved, but bandwidth consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveviewport qualityVSAvoidbandwidth consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The spherical media content item is divided into multiple tiles, allowing selective streaming of only those tiles that will be included in the future viewport. This segmentation enables the system to transmit a fraction of the total tiles at full resolution while preparing others at lower resolutions, thereby reducing overall bandwidth consumption while maintaining viewport quality.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary actions by identifying and transmitting tiles that are predicted to be part of future viewports before they are actually needed. By using viewport prediction algorithms based on user preferences and movement patterns, the system proactively prepares and streams relevant tiles in advance, ensuring high-quality display when the viewport changes while minimizing unnecessary data transmission.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Loss of time

If more tiles are pre-streamed, then viewport generation delay is reduced, but processing power requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveviewport generation delayVSAvoidprocessing power

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of timeVSPower

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system dynamically changes the resolution parameter for different tiles based on their predicted importance. Tiles that are predicted to be in future viewports are streamed at full resolution, while other tiles are streamed at lower resolutions or not at all. This parameter adjustment optimizes the balance between viewport generation speed and processing power consumption.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Loss of energy

If viewport prediction accuracy is improved, then bandwidth utilization is optimized, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebandwidth utilizationVSAvoidsystem complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of energyVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system incorporates feedback mechanisms by analyzing user preferences, head movement patterns, and gaze data to continuously improve viewport prediction accuracy. This feedback loop allows the system to learn from actual user behavior and adjust its prediction algorithms accordingly, optimizing bandwidth utilization by streaming the right tiles at the right resolutions without requiring overly complex systems.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The system introduces an intermediary viewport prediction module that acts as a mediator between the spherical media content and the streaming process. This intermediary analyzes user behavior and generates predictions about future viewports, enabling optimized tile selection and resolution assignment without requiring the entire system to become significantly more complex.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS12212730B2Systems and methods for improved delivery and display of 360-degree content

Publication Date: 2025.01.28 ADEIA GUIDES INC

AI summary

Systems and methods are provided for generating a viewport for display. A user preference for a character and/or a genre of a scene in a spherical media content item is determined, wherein the spherical media content item comprises a plurality of tiles. A tile of the plurality of tiles is identified based on the determined user preference. A viewport to be generated for display at a computing device is predicted, based on the identified tile. A first tile to be transmitted to a computing device at a first resolution is identified, based on the predicted viewport to be generated for display. The tile is transmitted, to the computing device, at the first resolution.