Streaming and playback of 16k 360° videos on the web

PubDate: June 2018

Teams: Fraunhofer FOKUS

Writers: Louay Bassbouss; Stefan Pham; Stephan Steglich

PDF: Streaming and playback of 16k 360° videos on the web

Abstract

Major platforms such as YouTube and Facebook have introduced 360° video streaming. We shortly introduce state-of-the art technology to deliver 360° video and limitations that come with it. Currently, most 360° videos offer SD (standard definition) Field of View (FOV), which significantly limits the immersive experience for the user. Bandwidth limitations, end device constraints and lack of higher resolution 360° cameras prevent FOV with better quality to be delivered. In this paper, we explain the content generation process for a 16k 360° equirectangular video, which enables a 4k FOV. We leverage MPEG DASH tools for efficient and interoperable playback of 360° videos across devices. We show that with this solution, 4k FOV can be efficiently delivered to various end devices already today such as TVs, smartphones and tablets.