Optimizing 360 video delivery over cellular networks

Abstract

As an important component of the virtual reality (VR) technology, 360-degree videos provide users with panoramic view and allow them to freely control their viewing direction during video playback. Usually, a player displays only the visible portion of a 360 video. Thus, fetching the entire raw video frame wastes bandwidth. In this paper, we consider the problem of optimizing 360 video delivery over cellular networks. We first conduct a measurement study on commercial 360 video platforms. We then propose a cellular-friendly streaming scheme that delivers only 360 videos' visible portion based on head movement prediction. Using viewing data collected from real users, we demonstrate the feasibility of our approach, which can reduce bandwidth consumption by up to 80% based on a trace-driven simulation.