VR Content Synchronization via Segmented Streaming
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional virtual reality devices lack social interaction for multiple users, limiting the ability to co-watch digital content such as movies or TV shows, as they are designed for solitary use and require significant setup and costs for synchronized playback.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a system that allows multiple users to co-watch digital content by using a third-party content application, where each user can stream content directly from their device, with synchronization models like 'host-guest', 'server', and 'omni' models to manage playback control and ensure synchronized viewing across virtual reality devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional VR devices are used for digital content consumption, then immersive visual and auditory experience is provided for one user, but social interaction between multiple users is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the content delivery system into independent segments: each user's VR device independently streams content from third-party applications, rather than requiring a centralized host device. This segmentation enables multiple users to consume content simultaneously without requiring complex centralized coordination, resolving the contradiction between enabling social interaction and reducing system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces third-party content applications as intermediaries between content sources and VR devices. These applications act as mediators that handle content streaming and synchronization independently on each device, eliminating the need for complex centralized hosting while enabling multi-user social viewing experiences.
2Reliability
If a single server streams digital content directly to each user device, then synchronized playback is achieved, but significant time and money are required for setup and content rights management
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables each user device to independently stream content from third-party applications without requiring centralized server intervention for content delivery. Users can independently manage their own content streaming and synchronization, eliminating the need for extensive setup time and money that would be required for centralized rights management and content hosting.
3Ease of operation
If centralized hosting is used for digital content streaming, then playback control is simplified, but costs and complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments playback control into individual user devices, where each device independently manages its own content streaming from third-party applications. This eliminates the need for complex centralized hosting infrastructure while maintaining ease of operation through local device control, resolving the contradiction between simplified playback control and reduced hosting complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
In one embodiment, a method includes receiving playback statuses from one or more second client computing devices that are in a synchronous presentation session with a first client computing device. Content presented on the first client computing device and the one or more second client computing devices may be determined to be out of synchronization. A plurality of synchronization options for synchronization of the content may be displayed on the first client computing device. The plurality of synchronization options may be based on the playback statuses associated with the first client computing device and the one or more second client computing devices. A particular synchronization option may be selected from the plurality of synchronization options. The content on the first client computing device may be synchronized with the one or more second client computing devices based on the particular synchronization option.