KR20150093507A - Method and system for providing adaptive video streaming service based on viewing distance - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method and a system for providing an adaptive video streaming service based on a viewing distance, assuring user satisfaction while reducing network traffic by adaptively selecting and providing a resolution and a quality of a video image according to a viewing distance between a user and a user terminal in a wireless network environment where a network resource is limited. For this, the present invention defines the relationship between the viewing distance between the user and the user terminal and a user′s quality of experience. A server determines and adaptively streams the resolution and the quality of the video image according to the viewing distance, once the user terminal measures the viewing distance between the users and transmits the measured distance, the screen resolution of the terminal, and network information to the server.

Description

[0001] METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PROVIDING ADVANCED VIDEO STREAMING SERVICE [0002] BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003]

More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and system for providing a video streaming service, and more particularly, to a video streaming service providing method and system for adaptively selecting a resolution and quality of a video image according to a distance between a user and a user terminal in a wireless network environment Based adaptive video streaming service providing method and system.

Recently, the demand for video streaming service is increasing due to the development of network technology and smart devices.

Since the video streaming service generally requires high bandwidth to guarantee the real time property, the quality of the video image is deteriorated or the reproduction is delayed in the wireless network environment where the network resources are limited.

Particularly, as the number of users of video streaming service increases with the rapid spread of mobile terminals, the video traffic is further increased. The mobile terminal has various environments such as the connected network state and the screen size, and it becomes inefficient if the server outputs the same video stream. To prevent this, related companies provide equipment using MVO (Mobile Video Optimization) technology or transmit video using HAS (HTTP Adaptive Streaming) method.

Recently, LTE-A service which supports 150Mbps high transmission rate has been introduced to improve the environment for providing video streaming service for mobile terminals. However, when operators transmit high-resolution and high-quality images compared to network resources, the quality of service is likely to deteriorate. That is, there is a problem that the quality of the service is deteriorated.

Accordingly, there is a need for techniques to handle the increasing video traffic.

One embodiment of the present disclosure relates to ensuring user satisfaction while reducing network traffic.

To this end, the system according to the first aspect of the present invention comprises: a user terminal for measuring a distance between a user and a terminal; And a controller for determining a resolution of an image based on the screen resolution of the user terminal and the measured distance information from the user terminal, and a streaming unit for, when receiving a request to reproduce an image from the user terminal, Server.

Meanwhile, the user terminal according to the second aspect of the present invention includes: a distance measuring module that periodically measures a distance between a user and a terminal; A network monitoring module for monitoring the network type and status of the terminal; A feedback control module for receiving the distance information measured by the distance measuring module, the terminal information including the screen resolution, the network type and the status information of the terminal detected through the network monitoring module, and feeding back to the streaming server; And a streaming module for receiving and reproducing the video image adaptively converted according to the viewing information, the terminal information, the network type of the terminal, and the status information from the streaming server.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a streaming server comprising: a feedback monitoring module for collecting feedback information about a distance between a user and a terminal, a screen resolution of the terminal, and network information from the user terminal; A resolution determining module that determines a resolution of an image to be streamed based on the viewing information and the screen resolution from feedback information collected through the feedback monitoring module; A quality adjustment module for adjusting quality of an image based on the network information of the terminal among the feedback information collected through the feedback monitoring module with respect to the image whose resolution is determined in the resolution determination module; And a streaming module for streaming the converted image through the resolution determining module or the quality adjusting module to the user terminal.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for providing a video-based adaptive streaming service for a user terminal in a user terminal, the streaming service providing method comprising: Measuring a distance between the terminal and the terminal; Monitoring the network type and status of the terminal; Collecting the distance information, the network information, and the screen resolution of the terminal and periodically feeding back the information to the streaming server; Receiving, from the streaming server, an image adaptively converted in resolution or quality based on feedback information fed back to the streaming server; And reproducing the image transmitted from the streaming server by the user terminal.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of providing a distance-based adaptive video streaming service, the method comprising: a streaming server collecting feedback information of a distance between a user and a terminal, a screen resolution of the terminal and network information; Determining a resolution of an image to be streamed based on the viewing information and the screen resolution of the streaming server in the collected feedback information; Adjusting the quality of the video based on the network information of the terminal in the collected feedback information; And a streaming server streaming the resolution and quality determined video to the user terminal when a video playback request is received from the user terminal.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, it is possible to improve the efficiency and stability of a network by reducing a load occupied by video traffic in a wireless network environment in which network resources are limited.

In addition, according to an embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to provide an image with a quality suited to a user environment and to guarantee quality of service (QoS).

1 is a block diagram of a system for providing a distance-based adaptive video streaming service according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a user terminal in a system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a streaming server in a system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a flowchart illustrating a method of providing a distance based adaptive video streaming service according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The method and apparatus construction according to the embodiments of the present invention and the operation and effect thereof will be clearly understood from the following detailed description. Before describing the detailed description of the present invention, the same components will be denoted by the same reference numerals as much as possible even if they are shown in different drawings, and a detailed description of known configurations will be omitted if it is determined that the gist of the present specification may be blurred Please note.

In this specification, a video, an image, or a video image may be mixed with the same term as a meaning of a streaming content.

The Viewing Distance refers to the distance between a person and a display device when a person views a display device with a mobile phone, a computer monitor, or other display function. The distance may vary depending on the type of device, the arm length of a person, or other circumstances. For example, if a user has a long arm, the viewing distance may be longer. Also, the viewing distance of a 50 inch monitor is generally longer than the viewing distance of a 5 inch sized portable terminal. The viewing distance may be the distance between the display of the display device and the user's eye. Hereinafter, the term "distance" used in this specification without any particular description shall be taken to mean "distance ".

1 is a block diagram of a system for providing a distance-based adaptive video streaming service according to an embodiment of the present invention.

A system based on a distance-based adaptive video streaming service according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a user terminal 100, a streaming server 200, and a network 300 for connecting communication therebetween.

The user terminal 100 requests the streaming server 200 for a desired video image to be reproduced, and receives the video image from the streaming server 200 in response to the request.

In particular, in the present embodiment, the user terminal 100 measures the distance between the user and the terminal and receives the video image from the streaming server 200 with an optimal quality according to the distance.

The user terminal 100 mainly uses mobile devices such as smart phones, phablets, tablets, and the like. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and any terminal capable of performing the streaming playback function and the distance measuring function such as a PC, a notebook, a TV, and a telephone can be applied regardless of the type.

The streaming server 200 stores video images of various types according to resolution, quality, and the like for one video image, and streams the corresponding video image at the request of the user terminal 100. At this time, the streaming server 200 receives the distance information between the user and the terminal from the user terminal 100, selects the video image of the optimum resolution and quality suitable for the received distance, and streams the selected video image to the user terminal 100.

The network 300 includes a core and an access network for connecting the user terminal 100 and the streaming server 200 to transmit and receive video images. For example, the network 300 may be a mobile communication network of various generations such as 2G, 3G, 4G, WiBro, WiMax, and LTE, or a wireless communication network such as a wireless LAN (WLAN), a Wi-Fi, a Bluetooth, a Zigbee A local area network, or a proximity communication network such as a radio frequency identification (RFID) or an NFC (Near Field Communication).

Accordingly, the system configured as described above adaptively provides video images according to the distance between a user and a terminal in a wireless network environment where network resources are limited. This minimizes the traffic load on streaming video images. For example, compared to providing high quality video images at all times, regardless of the viewing distance, providing a video image with a relatively low resolution or quality at a close range, and providing a relatively high resolution or quality image at a long distance Providing can reduce the amount of network traffic.

2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a user terminal in a system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, the user terminal 100 includes a distance measurement module 110, a network monitoring module 120, a feedback control module 130, and a stream reproduction module 140.

The distance measuring module 110 measures the distance between the user and the terminal periodically. For this purpose, the viewing distance measurement module 110 may comprise a camera or a distance measuring sensor. That is, the distance measurement module 110 detects the distance between the terminal and the user's face / pupil by a technique of recognizing the face or the pupil of the user using the camera, or detects the distance between the terminal and the user The distance between the face and the pupil can be measured.

The network monitoring module 120 monitors the network type and status of the user terminal 100. The network types include High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), WiFi, and Long Term Evolution (LTE). The network conditions include bandwidth, transmission delay, and jitter.

The feedback control module 130 controls the viewing distance measured by the distance measurement module 110 and the network type and status information (hereinafter referred to as network information) of the terminal detected through the network monitoring module 120 and the screen resolution And feeds back the information to the streaming server.

The stream playback module 140 receives the video image adaptively converted according to the viewing distance information, the network information of the terminal, and the screen resolution from the streaming server and plays it.

3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a streaming server in a system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The streaming server 200 includes a feedback monitoring module 210, a resolution determination module 220, a quality adjustment module 230, and a streaming module 240 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The feedback monitoring module 210 receives and collects the viewing information, the network information of the terminal, and the screen resolution from the user terminal, respectively, in cooperation with the feedback control module 130 of the user terminal 100 of FIG.

The resolution determination module 220 determines the resolution of the video image to be streamed based on the viewing information and the screen resolution of the terminal among the feedback information collected through the feedback monitoring module 210. For example, if the distance is long, a video image having a relatively high resolution can be determined, and a video image having a relatively low resolution can be determined when the distance is close to the average.

The resolution determination can use a table that defines the relationship of user perceived quality according to the distance. That is, the resolution determining module 220 defines the user's perceived quality, which indicates the degree of quality of the image that the user can perceive according to the viewing distance, and detects the user's perceived quality, Determine the resolution to be satisfied,

The quality adjustment module 230 adjusts the quality of the video image based on the network information of the terminal among the feedback information collected through the feedback monitoring module 210. At this time, the quality adjustment module 230 adjusts the quality of the video image whose resolution is determined in the resolution determination module.

For example, quality control can adjust quality by changing the codec, resolution, and transmission rate of a video image according to a rating.

When a request for a video image to be reproduced is received from the user terminal, the streaming module 240 streams the resolution and quality-determined video image to the user terminal through the resolution determination module 220 or the quality adjustment module 230. In the streaming, the streaming module 240 may transmit a video image using a hierarchical coding technique, a real-time transcoding technique, or a method of pre-encoding and transmitting an image classified according to various qualities.

Based on the above system configuration, a service method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

4 is a flowchart illustrating a method of providing a distance based adaptive video streaming service according to an embodiment of the present invention.

First, the user terminal 100 periodically measures the distance between the user and the terminal through the distance measurement module (S101). The measurement method can be estimated by using a distance measuring sensor or by using a camera-based recognition technology.

Then, the user terminal 100 periodically monitors the network type and status through the network monitoring module (S102).

Then, the user terminal 100 collects the distance information measured by the distance measurement module and the network information of the terminal detected through the network monitoring module, and feeds back the collected network information to the streaming server 200 (S103). At this time, the user terminal 100 feeds back the device information (terminal information) including the screen resolution of the terminal together.

Thereafter, the user terminal 100 requests the streaming server for a video image desired to be reproduced (S104). For example, the requesting method may be executed by an operation of selecting a desired image to be reproduced from the image list displayed on the screen of the user terminal.

Thereafter, when the user terminal 100 receives the video image from the streaming server 200, the resolution and quality are adjusted adaptively according to the viewing information periodically fed back in the previous process, the network information of the terminal, and the terminal information And receives a video image (S105).

Thereafter, the user terminal 100 reproduces the received video image (S106).

Meanwhile, the streaming server 200 monitors whether there is feedback from the user terminal 100, and when the user terminal 100 transmits the viewing information, the network information of the terminal, and the terminal information, the streaming server 200 collects the feedback information and collects it (S201).

Then, the streaming server 200 determines the resolution and quality of the video image based on the feedback information (S202, S203).

That is, the resolution of the video image is adaptively determined based on the viewing distance information and the terminal information (screen resolution) fed back from the user terminal 100.

In addition, the quality of the video image is adaptively adjusted according to the network information fed back from the user terminal 100. The quality adjustment process is optional and can be performed on the video image subjected to the resolution determination process.

Thereafter, when a request for a video image to be reproduced is received from the user terminal 100, the streaming server 200 selects a video image adaptively adjusted in resolution and quality and transmits the selected video image to the user terminal 100 (S204).

Through this process, the streaming server 200 can reduce the network traffic occupied by the video image and provide the video streaming service at a level at which the quality of the video does not deteriorate even though the user feels the satisfaction of the user.

The above description is only illustrative of the technical idea of the present invention, and various modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the technical idea of the present invention. Accordingly, the embodiments disclosed herein are not intended to limit the present invention. The scope of the technical idea of the present invention should be interpreted by the following claims, and all the techniques within the scope of the technical idea should be interpreted as being included in the technical idea of the present specification.

100: user terminal 200: streaming server
300: Network 110: Viewing distance measurement module
120: network monitoring module 130: feedback control module
140: Stream playback module 210: Feedback monitoring module
220: resolution determining module 230: quality adjusting module
240: Streaming module

Claims (12)

A user terminal for measuring a distance between the user and the terminal; And
A streaming server for determining a resolution of an image based on the screen resolution of the user terminal and the measured distance information from the user terminal and for streaming an image according to the determined resolution upon receiving a request to reproduce the image from the user terminal, Based adaptive video streaming service providing system. The method according to claim 1,
The streaming server includes:
Wherein the network information of the terminal is periodically fed back from the user terminal to collect and provide adaptively adjusted video quality based on the collected feedback information. The method according to claim 1,
The streaming server includes:
Wherein the resolution is determined to be the lowest resolution within a range in which the user's perceived quality is ensured by using a table defining the user's perceived quality according to the viewing distance. A distance measurement module for periodically measuring the distance between the user and the terminal;
A network monitoring module for monitoring the network type and status of the terminal;
A feedback control module for receiving the distance information measured by the distance measuring module, the terminal information including the screen resolution, the network type and the status information of the terminal detected through the network monitoring module, and feeding back to the streaming server; And
And a stream replay module for receiving and reproducing the adaptively converted video image from the streaming server according to the viewing information, the terminal information, the network type of the terminal, and the status information. 5. The method of claim 4,
The viewing distance measurement module includes:
A camera for recognizing a face or a pupil of a user, and a distance measuring sensor for measuring a distance, and a user terminal for a distance-based adaptive video streaming service. A feedback monitoring module for collecting feedback information of the distance information between the user and the terminal, the screen resolution of the terminal and the network information from the user terminal;
A resolution determining module that determines a resolution of an image to be streamed based on the viewing information and the screen resolution from feedback information collected through the feedback monitoring module;
A quality adjustment module for adjusting quality of an image based on the network information of the terminal among the feedback information collected through the feedback monitoring module with respect to the image whose resolution is determined in the resolution determination module; And
And a streaming module for streaming the converted image through the resolution determining module or the quality adjusting module to the user terminal. The method according to claim 6,
The resolution determination module
And determining a lowest resolution within a range in which a user's perceptual quality is guaranteed by using a table that defines a relationship of a user's perceived quality according to a viewing distance. The method according to claim 6,
The streaming module may use a hierarchical coding scheme, a real-time transcoding scheme, or a transmission method of selecting a video image that is pre-encoded according to various qualities according to feedback information collected through the feedback monitoring module Streaming server for adaptive video streaming service based on distance. A streaming service providing method in a user terminal that receives and reproduces a video image from a streaming server,
Measuring the distance between the user terminal and the user terminal;
Monitoring the network type and status of the terminal;
Collecting the distance information, the network information, and the screen resolution of the terminal and periodically feeding back the information to the streaming server;
Receiving, from the streaming server, an image adaptively converted in resolution or quality based on feedback information fed back to the streaming server; And
And reproducing the image transmitted from the streaming server by the user terminal. 10. The method of claim 9,
Wherein the step of measuring the distance between the user and the terminal comprises:
A method of recognizing a face or a pupil of a user through a camera, or measuring a distance between the user and a terminal using a distance measuring sensor, and a method of providing a video-based adaptive video streaming service at a user terminal. The streaming server collecting the distance information between the user and the terminal, the screen resolution of the terminal and the network information from the user terminal by feedback;
Determining a resolution of an image to be streamed based on the viewing information and the screen resolution of the streaming server in the collected feedback information;
Adjusting the quality of the video based on the network information of the terminal in the collected feedback information; And
And a streaming server for streaming a resolution-and-quality-determined video to the user terminal when a video playback request is received from the user terminal. 12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein the step of determining the resolution of the image comprises:
And determining a lowest resolution within a range in which a user's perceptual quality is ensured by using a table defining a relationship of a user's perceptual quality according to a viewing distance.

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