VR Streaming Server Extended Area Encoding for Latency Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Virtual reality (VR) content streaming experiences high latency when users change their field of view (FOV), leading to motion sickness due to the need for redefining and transmitting new FOV areas, which causes delays in image data retrieval.
Innovation Solution
A server defines and transmits image data for multiple extended areas adjacent to the FOV area in each image frame, allowing user devices to independently decode and combine these areas for seamless viewing area changes, reducing latency by dynamically adjusting the size of each extended area based on viewing direction, speed, and object location.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the server redefines and transmits new FOV area image data when users change viewing direction, then the VR content accuracy is improved, but the latency increases causing motion sickness
Solution Approach 1:
The server pre-divides the VR image data into multiple tile units covering areas beyond the current FOV. When the user changes viewing direction, the user device can immediately select and display the relevant tile units without waiting for the server to generate and transmit new FOV data, thereby reducing latency while maintaining accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The VR image data is segmented into multiple tile units that can be independently selected and displayed. This segmentation allows the user device to quickly switch between different viewing areas by selecting pre-prepared tile units, avoiding the latency associated with generating and transmitting new FOV data.
2Productivity
If the server provides only FOV area image data, then the data transmission efficiency is improved, but the viewing area switching latency increases
Solution Approach 1:
The server performs preliminary processing by dividing the VR image data into multiple tile units and transmitting them to the user device in advance. This allows the user device to have multiple viewing area data ready locally, enabling fast switching without requiring additional server processing time when the user changes viewing direction.
Solution Approach 2:
By segmenting the VR image data into multiple tile units, the system enables efficient transmission and selective display. The user device can transmit selection information indicating specific tile units to the server or display them directly, achieving fast viewing area switching while maintaining efficient data transmission.
3Speed
If the server encodes and transmits multiple extended areas independently, then the viewing area switching speed is improved, but the encoding complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The server divides the VR image data into multiple tile units covering extended areas beyond the current FOV. Each tile unit is independently encoded and transmitted to the user device, enabling fast switching by simply selecting and displaying the relevant tile units without complex real-time encoding operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The server performs the encoding of multiple extended area tile units in advance before the user actually switches viewing direction. This preliminary encoding action reduces the real-time processing burden and enables faster viewing area switching, as the encoded data is already prepared and available for immediate display.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided are providing a virtual reality (VR) contents streaming service. For providing the VR contents, a server may be configured to receive a request message for requesting a predetermined VR contents from a user device through a communication network, determine a field of view (FOV) area in each image frame of the predetermined VR contents and a plurality of extended areas adjacent to the FOV area, receive a viewing area switching request from the user device, wherein the viewing area switching request includes information on a viewing area switching direction and a viewing area switching speed, calculate a size of each extended area based on at least one of the viewing area switching direction, the viewing area switching speed, and a location of an object to be displayed in each extended area, redecide a FOV area and a plurality of extended areas based on the calculated size of each extended area, and encode image data of the redecided FOV area and image data of the plurality of redecided extended areas and transmitting the encoded image data to the user device.