Edge Streaming for 360-degree Videos

360-degree video streaming is one key element of many Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality (AR/VR) applications. The computing and networking demands pose great challenges for mobile devices and mobile networks, especially if a mobile device is the video source. The deployment of mobile edge computing offloads computing and networking demands on mobile devices and alleviates bandwidth demand in mobile networks. This project proposes a new streaming mechanism for 360-degree videos for AR/VR applications by leveraging the advantages of edge computing and Software Defined Networking (SDN, a new networking paradigm for Quality-of-Service guarantee). The new mechanism will effectively reduce computing and networking demand on mobile devices and the stress in mobile networks. The success development of this project will reduce the operation costs of AR/VR applications for service providers and enhance the Quality-of-Experience for users. The research findings will inspire design of resource-efficient and highly-responsive immersive AR/VR applications in mobile networks.

Faculty Supervisor:

Mea Wang

Student:

Kyle Jorgensen

Partner:

TCL Research America

Discipline:

Computer science

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

University of Calgary