KR102524987B1 - Method and Apparatus for Providing and Storing Streaming Contents - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for providing streaming content and an apparatus for the same, wherein an image captured through a 360-degree camera is divided into pieces according to a preset angular range and stored, and a video within a certain range based on the current viewing coordinates of a user is stored. By transmitting the video in high quality and the remaining video in low quality, it is possible to reduce the traffic burden of the mobile network while reducing the amount of data generated when providing 360-degree video service.

Description

Streaming content providing method, streaming content storage method and device therefor {Method and Apparatus for Providing and Storing Streaming Contents}

The present invention relates to a method for providing streaming content and an apparatus for the same, and more particularly, when providing a VR (Virtual Reality) video streaming service based on a panoramic image or a 360 VR image, based on viewing coordinates that a user is watching A method and apparatus for reducing the amount of data generated when providing a 360 video service by transmitting different image quality for each angle.

The contents described in this part merely provide background information on the present embodiment and do not constitute prior art.

Recently, demand for virtual reality (VR) services that can experience what is possible inside a software program of a computer as if it were real through human senses such as vision and hearing using special glasses and gloves is increasing. there is.

In particular, as cameras that can shoot 360-degree videos have recently been developed and spread, interest in 360-degree VR services has become active. The use of the service is rapidly expanding.

However, the current 360-degree video streaming service requires at least three times the amount of data compared to existing video services, so data consumption generated by transmitting 360-degree video to mobile networks is burdensome.

At the same time, when a streaming service of relatively large-capacity 360-degree video is activated, there is also a problem that the traffic of the mobile network increases, and a solution to this problem is required.

Korea Patent Registration No. 10-1634966 (Title: Video tracking system using VR-based object recognition information, and video tracking method, 2016.06.24.)

The present invention has been proposed to satisfy the above-mentioned needs, and when transmitting a 360 degree image divided into one or more fragment images, the image quality level of each fragment image is differentiated based on the user's current viewing coordinates. However, it is intended to provide a streaming content providing method and apparatus for reducing the traffic burden of a mobile network while reducing the amount of data generated when providing a video service.

However, the object of the present invention is not limited to the above object, and other objects not mentioned will be clearly understood from the description below.

In order to achieve the above object, the content providing method according to an embodiment of the present invention is a content providing method for a streaming server to provide an image divided into a plurality of image pieces according to a preset angular range in a streaming manner, Receiving viewing coordinates of an image that the user is watching from a video reproducing device that has requested content transmission from the streaming server, and at least one image fragment corresponding to an angle within a predetermined range based on the viewing coordinates, with a first quality. and providing the remaining image fragments at a quality lower than the first quality.

At this time, if a content provision request is received from the video reproducing device before the receiving step, at least one image fragment corresponding to an angle within a certain range from the basic coordinates is provided with the first quality, and the remaining image fragments are provided as the above. The method may further include providing an image quality lower than the first image quality, and the providing may perform synchronization between at least one image fragment provided with the first image quality and the remaining image fragments.

In addition, after the receiving step, calculating a change rate of viewing coordinates based on the viewing coordinates received from the video reproducing device and the previous viewing coordinates received from the video reproducing device before that, and the calculated change The method may further include adjusting the predetermined range based on speed, and the providing may include providing at least one image piece corresponding to an angle within a first range with the first quality based on the viewing coordinates; , At least one image fragment corresponding to an angle within the second range may be provided with a second quality lower than the first quality, and the remaining image fragments may be provided with a third quality lower than the second quality.

On the other hand, the above-described content providing method may be provided as a computer-readable recording medium on which a program for executing the above-described method is recorded, and a computer program implemented to execute the above-described method and stored in the computer-readable recording medium may be provided.

A video content storage method according to the present invention for achieving the above object is the step of receiving, by a streaming server, an image captured in a panoramic form through an image capturing device, and a plurality of images according to a preset angular range. It may include dividing the image into pieces and storing the image.

In this case, the storing may include inserting time information into each of the divided image fragments, performing synchronization based on the inserted time information, and storing the divided image fragments. It can be converted into multiple quality and saved.

Streaming server according to the present invention for achieving the above object is a communication module for transmitting and receiving data with an image reproducing device through a communication network, a storage module for storing an image divided into a plurality of image pieces according to a preset angular range, and When receiving the first viewing coordinates of the video that the user is watching from the video reproducing device that has requested content transmission through the communication module, at least one video fragment corresponding to an angle within a certain range is provided based on the first viewing coordinates. It may include a control module that controls to provide a first quality and provide the remaining image fragments with a quality lower than the first quality.

According to the present invention, an image captured by a 360-degree camera is divided into pieces according to a predetermined angular range and stored, an image within a certain range based on the user's current viewing coordinates is transmitted in high quality, and the remaining images are By transmitting in low quality, it is possible to reduce the traffic load of the mobile network while reducing the amount of data generated when providing 360-degree video service.

In addition, various effects other than the above effects may be disclosed directly or implicitly in detailed descriptions according to embodiments of the present invention to be described later.

1 is a diagram showing the main configuration of a content providing system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a data flow diagram for explaining an embodiment of a content providing method according to the present invention.
Figure 3 is a block diagram for explaining the main configuration of the video reproducing apparatus according to the present invention.
Figure 4 is a block diagram for explaining the main configuration of the streaming server according to the present invention.
Figure 5 is a flow chart for explaining the operating process of the streaming server according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6A to 6C are exemplary diagrams for explaining an embodiment according to the present invention.

In order to clarify the characteristics and advantages of the problem solving means of the present invention, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to specific embodiments of the present invention shown in the accompanying drawings.

However, detailed descriptions of well-known functions or configurations that may obscure the gist of the present invention will be omitted in the following description and accompanying drawings. In addition, it should be noted that the same components are indicated by the same reference numerals throughout the drawings as much as possible.

The terms or words used in the following description and drawings should not be construed as being limited to a common or dictionary meaning, and the inventor may appropriately define the concept of terms for explaining his/her invention in the best way. It should be interpreted as a meaning and concept consistent with the technical idea of the present invention based on the principle that there is. Therefore, the embodiments described in this specification and the configurations shown in the drawings are only one of the most preferred embodiments of the present invention, and do not represent all of the technical ideas of the present invention. It should be understood that there may be equivalents and variations.

In addition, embodiments within the scope of the present invention include computer-readable media having or conveying computer-executable instructions or data structures stored thereon. Such computer readable media can be any available media that can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer system. By way of example, such computer readable media may be in the form of RAM, ROM, EPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage, or computer executable instructions, computer readable instructions or data structures. physical storage media such as, but not limited to, any other medium that can be used to store or convey any program code means in a computer system and which can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer system. .

In the following description and claims, it is assumed that an image transmitted according to the present invention is a 360-degree VR (Virtual Reality) image.

However, even if it is not a 360-degree video, if one image such as a panoramic image can be divided into at least one image fragment and stored, any image can be an image transmitted from a streaming server to a video playback device according to an embodiment of the present invention. .

Meanwhile, viewing coordinates described in the present invention may be expressed based on various types of coordinate systems. For example, in one embodiment, it may be expressed in a three-dimensional orthogonal coordinate system and transmitted in the form of (x, y, z), or it may be transmitted as angle information based on a spherical coordinate system. In addition, in the present invention, viewing coordinates are information representing a region viewed by a viewer in a 360-degree video, and may be defined as center coordinates of an image being played in the video reproducing apparatus 300.

In the present invention, for convenience of description, it is described that information of an angle corresponding to viewing coordinates is transmitted to a streaming server.

However, when transmitted in the form of (x, y, z), the streaming server may change the coordinates into angle information.

Now, a method for providing content and a method for storing video content according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a system for storing and providing content in a streaming service according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1 , a system for storing and providing content according to the present embodiment may include an image capturing device 200, an image reproducing device 300, and a streaming server 400, and may reproduce the image. The device 300 and the streaming server 400 may transmit and receive data through the communication network 100 .

Then, with reference to FIG. 1, each component will be schematically described.

First, the communication network 100 serves to transmit data for data transmission and reception between the video playback device 300 and the streaming server 400, and depending on the system implementation method, Ethernet, xDSL (ADSL, VDSL), HFC (Hybrid Fiber Coaxial Cable), FTTC (Fiber to The Curb), FTTH (Fiber To The Home), etc. Wireless communication methods such as Wimax, High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), Long Term Evolution (LTE), and Long Term Evolution Advanced (LTE-A) may be used. In addition to the above communication methods, other widely known or future It can include all types of communication methods to be developed.

The image capture device 200 refers to a device that captures images and transmits them to the streaming server 400 .

In particular, the image photographing device 200 in the present invention may be a 360 camera. This 360 camera captures images of surroundings according to the angle of view of each camera through a plurality of cameras installed on the top, bottom, left and right sides of the 360 camera device, respectively, A single image is created by combining these, and the user can be provided with an image at a point in time that the user wants to see.

In addition, the image capture device 200 in the present invention is not limited to the 360 camera, and any camera can be used as the image capture device 200 in the present invention as long as it can capture a panoramic image.

The image capturing device 200 according to the present invention may divide a captured image into at least one image fragment according to a predetermined angular range and transmit the image to the streaming server 400, or may not divide the image into one entire image. may be transmitted to the streaming server 400.

The video reproducing device 300 refers to a user's device capable of transmitting and receiving various data to and from the streaming server 400 through the communication network 100 according to a user's manipulation.

Such an image reproducing apparatus 300 can perform voice or data communication through the communication network 100, a memory for storing programs and protocols for transmitting and receiving and processing data, and a microcomputer for calculating and controlling various programs by executing them. A processor or the like may be provided. In addition, the video reproducing apparatus 300 of the present invention may be implemented in various forms. For example, the video reproducing apparatus 300 described herein is a mobile terminal such as a smart phone, a tablet PC, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a portable multimedia player (PMP), or an MP3 player. Of course, a fixed terminal such as a smart TV, a laptop computer, or a desktop computer may be used, and any device capable of transmitting and receiving data according to the present invention may be used as an embodiment of the present invention. It can be used as the video reproducing apparatus 300 according to.

Meanwhile, the video reproducing apparatus 300 according to the present invention may request content transmission to the streaming server 400 according to a user's input and receive the content from the streaming server 400 in a streaming manner.

In particular, the video reproducing apparatus 300 transmits the viewing coordinates of the video currently being watched by the user to the streaming server 400 periodically or whenever it detects that the viewing coordinates of the user are changed, and schedules the viewing coordinates based on the viewing coordinates. At least one image fragment corresponding to an angle within the range may be provided as a high-quality image, and the remaining image fragments may be provided as a low-quality image.

Finally, the streaming server 400 streams content data such as videos stored in the streaming server 400 or received from an external device such as the video recording device 200 through the communication network 100 to a video playback device ( 300) is a device for transmitting.

In particular, when the streaming server 400 according to the present invention receives the viewing coordinates of the video that the user is currently watching from the video reproducing device 300, based on this, at least one piece of video within a certain range from the viewing coordinates is displayed in high definition. , and the remaining image fragments can be transmitted in low quality.

In addition, when the streaming server 400 according to the present invention receives a single 360-degree video content or panoramic video content that is not divided from the video recording device 200, the received video is divided into a plurality of images according to a preset angular range. It can be divided into image fragments and stored.

Hereinafter, detailed operation processes of the video reproducing apparatus 300 and the streaming server 400 according to the present invention will be described later.

Figure 2 is a data flow diagram for explaining the entire operation process of the content providing system according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2 , the image capture device 200 captures a 360 degree video including a panoramic image and uploads it to the streaming server 400 (S101).

At this time, the image capturing device may divide one image into a plurality of image pieces according to a preset angular range and upload the images to the streaming server 400, or may transmit the entire image to the streaming server 400 so that the streaming server 400 to allow upload.

If the streaming server 400 receives one image from the image capturing device 200, the received one image may be divided into a plurality of image pieces according to a preset angular range and stored.

At this time, the streaming server 400 may convert and store each of the divided video fragments into a plurality of qualities, insert time information into each of the divided video fragments, perform synchronization based on the time information, and store the data. Yes (S103).

For example, if the preset angular range is 120 degrees, a 360 degree image is received from the image capturing device 200, and the front 120 degrees (-60 degrees to +60 degrees) and the left 120 degrees (-180 degrees to -60 degrees) ), right 120 degrees (+60 ~ +180 degrees) to create video fragments, and the split front 120 degree video, left 120 degree video, right 120 degree video can be divided into HD and SD level resolutions, respectively. It is converted into a plurality of image qualities as a standard or converted into a plurality of image qualities based on a temporal resolution such as 30 fps or 60 fps and stores the converted plurality of image qualities.

That is, the front 120-degree image, which is a segmented image, is stored in the streaming server 400 in various qualities, and the left 120-degree image and the right 120-degree image are also stored in the streaming server 400 in various qualities.

On the other hand, the streaming server 400 may insert time information into each video fragment, perform synchronization based on the inserted time information, and store the information. For example, the time information for each segmented video fragment to be reproduced Based on the inserted time information, synchronization is performed through numbering such as 'Asset 1-01' for the front 120-degree video, 'Asset 1-02' for the left 120-degree video, and 'Asset 1-03' for the right 120-degree video. You can do it and save it.

Then, when the video reproducing device 300 transmits the viewing coordinates of the video that the user is currently watching along with a streaming content transmission request to the streaming server 400 (S105), the streaming server 400 transmits the viewing coordinates based on the viewing coordinates. At least one image fragment corresponding to an angle within a certain range is provided with a first high-quality image, and the remaining image fragments are provided with a lower image quality than the first image (S107).

On the other hand, in step S105, when the user requests streaming transmission for the first time, the user's viewing coordinates will be (0, 0, 0), and in this case, it is not necessary to receive viewing coordinates from the video reproducing device 300. , Without receiving the viewing coordinates, the streaming server 400 provides at least one image fragment corresponding to an angle within a certain range from the basic coordinates (0, 0, 0), that is, 0 degrees, in the first high-definition image quality. And, the remaining image pieces may be provided with a lower quality than the second quality.

In this case, the predetermined range may mean a range for transmitting the surrounding pieces of the video fragment corresponding to the current viewing angle in high quality in preparation for a case where the viewing video fragment changes within a short time according to the user's movement.

For example, assuming that an image fragment is divided into 12 pieces of 30 degrees each, unlike the example above, and if the predetermined range is 100 degrees, 5 image fragments including angles from 0 degrees to -50 degrees to +50 degrees are displayed in high definition. and transmit the remaining video fragments in low quality.

After that, the video playback device 300 continuously transmits the viewing coordinates of the video the user is currently watching to the streaming server 400 (S109). The streaming server 400 determines whether the viewing coordinates have changed, that is, It is determined whether the viewing point of the user has changed (S111), and if the coordinates have not changed, the previously sent streaming is continuously provided. If the coordinates have changed, based on the viewing coordinates transmitted by the video reproducing apparatus 300 At least one image fragment corresponding to an angle within a certain range is provided with a first high-quality image, and the remaining image fragments are provided with a lower image quality than the first image quality (S113 to S115).

At this time, it is possible to provide content to the video reproducing apparatus 300 by performing synchronization between the video fragments provided in high quality and the video fragments provided in low quality in step S113. It may be based on time information and numbering written in the data packet.

In addition, when the coordinates are changed and the streaming video is transmitted, the change is made based on the first viewing coordinates, which are the viewing coordinates before the change in step S113, and the second viewing coordinates, which are the viewing coordinates after the change, and the time required for the change. At least one angle corresponding to an angle within the predetermined range adjusted based on the second viewing coordinates by calculating a speed and adjusting a predetermined range that is a criterion for how many image fragments to provide in high definition based on the calculated change speed. It is possible to provide an image fragment of a high quality first quality, and to provide the remaining image fragments a low quality lower than the first quality.

For example, assuming that a video fragment is divided into 12 pieces of 30 degrees each, if the initially set range is 100 degrees and the viewing coordinates are the coordinates of a point corresponding to +20 degrees, coordinates of -30 degrees to +70 degrees 4 video fragments including are transmitted in high quality and the remaining 8 fragments are transmitted in low quality. By transmitting to, it is necessary to respond to the user's rapid change in viewing coordinates.

Therefore, in this case, by changing the predetermined range to 140 degrees, which is a wider range than 100 degrees, 6 image fragments including coordinates of -50 degrees to +90 degrees are provided in the first quality, which is high quality, and the remaining 6 image fragments are provided. provided in low quality.

Meanwhile, the above-described predetermined range is not limited to the above example, and may be dynamically adjusted according to the calculated change speed.

Then, when the user makes a request to end streaming through the video reproducing device 300, or when the playback of streaming content is completed and there is a request to end streaming (S117), the streaming end request is transmitted to the streaming server 400 ( S119), if there is no streaming termination request, the process returns to step S109 and continuously transmits viewing coordinates to the streaming server 400 to receive streaming of video fragments having a quality corresponding to the viewing coordinates.

However, the video reproducing apparatus 300 may transmit the viewing coordinates to the streaming server 400 only when the viewing coordinates viewed by the user are changed. In this case, step S111 may be omitted.

In the above, the operation process of the content providing system according to the present invention has been looked at.

Hereinafter, the main components of the video reproducing apparatus 300 and the streaming server 400 according to the present invention will be described.

3 is a block diagram showing the main configuration of the video reproducing apparatus 300 according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3 , the image reproducing apparatus 300 may include an input module 310, an output module 330, a storage module 350, a communication module 370, and a control module 390.

The input module 310 receives various information such as numbers and text information, and transfers input signals related to setting various functions and controlling functions of the video reproducing apparatus 300 to the control module 390 .

In particular, in the present invention, the input module 310 detects a change in user's behavior or an arbitrary input, and transmits a signal for changing the viewpoint of an image output through the output module 330 to the control module 390.

The output module 330 displays information about a series of operation states and operation results generated while the video reproducing apparatus 300 performs functions. Also, the output module 330 may display the menu of the image reproducing apparatus 300 and user data input by the user.

In particular, in the present invention, the output module 330 changes the viewpoint of the video transmitted from the streaming server 400 through the communication module 370 under the control of the control module 390 and outputs it.

The storage module 350 may store streaming content received through the communication module 370 .

The communication module 370 may be divided into a first communication module 371 and a second communication module 373. The first communication module 371 transmits and receives data with the streaming server 400 through the communication network 100. and the second communication module 373 is for transmitting and receiving data with an auxiliary video reproducing device (not shown) through short-distance wireless communication or wired communication.

The auxiliary video reproducing device is to assist the output module 330 of the video reproducing device 300, and instead of the output module 330 or together with the output module 330, the video content requested by the user is transmitted from the auxiliary video reproducing device. can be printed out.

In this case, the auxiliary video reproducing device may be connected to the video reproducing device 300 through short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth or Zigbee, and may reproduce the video by changing the viewpoint of content according to a user's input or movement.

These auxiliary video reproducing devices may include VR devices such as virtual reality glasses.

The control module 390 is a device for controlling the overall operation process of the video reproducing apparatus 300 according to the present invention, transmits a content streaming request and the viewing coordinates of the current user to the streaming server 400, and based on the viewing coordinates By receiving a fragment image of a selected quality, it is possible to control the user to view image content through an auxiliary video reproducing device (not shown) or the image reproducing device 300 .

In addition to this, the operation process of the video reproducing apparatus 300 generally controlled by the control module 390 of the video reproducing apparatus 300 according to the present invention can be easily understood through the description related to FIGS. 2 and 2 described above. Therefore, the description is omitted.

Figure 4 is a block diagram showing the main configuration of the streaming server 400 according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4 , the streaming server 400 may include a storage module 410 , a communication module 430 and a control module 450 .

The storage module 410 is a device for receiving and storing an image captured by the image capturing device 200, and may divide and store the received image into a plurality of image pieces according to a preset angular range.

At this time, each of the divided image fragments may be converted into various qualities, and the image fragments converted into the various qualities may be stored.

That is, each piece of image can be stored in various qualities.

In addition, time information may be inserted into the divided image pieces, and this time information is a basis for performing synchronization.

The communication module 430 may be divided into a first communication module 431 and a second communication module 433. The first communication module 431 communicates data with the image reproducing device 300 through the communication network 100. For transmission and reception, a piece of video may be streamed to the video reproducing apparatus 300 or a streaming request and viewing coordinates may be received from the video reproducing apparatus 300 .

The second communication module 433 is for transmitting and receiving data to and from the image capturing device 200, and may receive a 360 video or a panoramic image captured by the image capturing device 200.

The control module 450 is a device for controlling the overall operation process of the streaming server 400 according to the present invention.

The overall operation process of the streaming server 400 controlled by the control module 450 will be described in detail through FIGS. 5 to 6C.

Referring to FIG. 5, the streaming server 400 receives a 360 video or panoramic image from the video recording device 200, divides it into a plurality of image segments according to a preset angular range, and divides the divided image segments into a plurality of image quality, respectively. Convert to and save.

At this time, time information may be inserted into each of the image fragments converted to a plurality of quality levels, and synchronization may be performed and stored based on the inserted time information (S201).

Here, the preset angular range is an angular range previously set by a streaming service provider providing video to divide one video into a plurality of video pieces, and in the descriptions related to FIGS. 5 to 6C, 360 video for convenience of explanation. It is assumed that is divided into 5 pieces of 72 degrees and stored.

That is, it is assumed that the preset angular range is 72 degrees and will be described.

However, it is not limited to these angles in the implementation of the actual invention, and the range of angles set according to the needs of the streaming service provider may vary.

Referring to FIG. 6A , an image received from the image capturing device 200 may be divided into images numbered 1 to 5, and the images numbered 1 to 5 may be converted into a plurality of qualities and stored.

Thereafter, when a streaming request and viewing coordinates currently being watched by the user are received from the video reproducing apparatus 300, at least one video fragment corresponding to an angle within a certain range is provided with a first quality, which is high quality, based on the viewing coordinates. And, the remaining video fragments can be provided at a quality lower than the first quality (S203 to S207). Referring to FIG. 6B, the viewing coordinates of the first streaming request will correspond to 0 degrees set as a default value, and video playback When viewing coordinates corresponding to 0 degree are received from the device 300, the third image including 0 degree is transmitted in a high quality first quality, and the surrounding images 2 and 4 are transmitted in a lower quality second quality. , and images 1 and 5 far from the image 3 can be transmitted in a third quality, which is a lower quality.

However, according to the policy of the service provider, it is natural that videos 1 and 5 can also be transmitted in the second quality.

In addition, when there is an initial streaming request, at least one video fragment corresponding to an angle within a certain range from the basic coordinates specified in advance is provided in a first quality, which is high quality, without receiving viewing coordinates from the video reproducing apparatus 300, , The remaining image fragments can be transmitted with a quality lower than the first quality, where the basic coordinates can be a screen to be shown to the viewer first, and can generally be an image number 3 including 0 degrees.

That is, when receiving the first streaming request, the streaming server 400 can transmit video No. 3 in high quality and videos No. 1, 2, 4, and 5 in low quality without receiving viewing coordinates.

On the other hand, if the above-described predetermined range exceeds 36 degrees, which is half of the preset angle, for example, when the predetermined range is 180 degrees, the streaming server 400 provides 2 to 2 video pieces including -90 degrees to +90 degrees. Video No. 4 will be transmitted in high quality, and videos No. 1 and 5 will be transmitted in low quality.

Even after that, the streaming server 400 continuously receives new viewing coordinates from the video reproducing device 300 (S209). Hereinafter, for convenience of description, previously received viewing coordinates are referred to as first viewing coordinates, and newly received viewing coordinates are referred to as second viewing coordinates.

Upon receiving the second viewing coordinates from the video reproducing device 300, the streaming server 400 compares them with the first viewing coordinates and determines whether the viewing coordinates have changed (S211). Video fragments are continuously streamed according to the quality, and when the viewing coordinates are changed, the rate of change of the viewing coordinates is calculated based on the first viewing coordinates and the second viewing coordinates, and the schedule of the fragment images to be transmitted in high definition based on the calculated change rate. Adjust the range (S213).

That is, when the second viewing coordinate corresponds to 30 degrees and the change speed is normal, the predetermined range is 60 degrees, and images No. 3 and 4 including 0 degrees to +60 degrees are high quality as shown in FIG. 6C, and the rest The image fragment may be transmitted in low quality (S215).

At this time, the certain range is further subdivided, and videos 3 and 4, which include 0 degrees to +60 degrees, are transmitted in high quality, and videos 2 and 5 in the ranges of -60 degrees to 0 degrees and +60 degrees to +120 degrees are transmitted. The video is transmitted with a medium quality lower than the high quality, and the video No. 1 in the range of -120 degrees to -60 degrees may be transmitted with a low quality lower than the medium quality.

If the calculated change speed corresponds to fast, the fixed range may be adjusted to be as wide as 180 degrees, and images 2 to 5, including -60 degrees to +120 degrees, may be transmitted in high quality and the remaining image 1 may be transmitted in low quality. there is.

Afterwards, it is checked whether there is a request to end streaming transmission from the video reproducing device 300 (S217), and steps S209 to S215 are repeated until there is a request to end streaming transmission, thereby providing a streaming service to the user.

On the other hand, in step S209, the video playback device 300 may transmit the viewing coordinates to the streaming server 400 periodically or in real time, but the viewing coordinates are sent to the streaming server 400 only when a change occurs in the viewing point of the user, that is, the viewing coordinates ( 400), in this case, step S211 can be omitted, and the streaming server 400 transmits each image fragment to the image reproducing device 300 with the previously provided image quality until the changed viewing coordinates are received. will continue to provide

In addition, when providing the video fragments to the video reproducing device 300 in steps S205 to S207 and S215, the streaming server 400 may synchronize and provide the video fragments. At this time, the synchronization is performed for each video fragment in step S201. It can be performed based on the time information and numbering entered in .

In particular, if the video is stored in the streaming server 400 with only time information and numbering without performing synchronization in step S201, performing synchronization in steps S205 to S207 and S215 will be said to be a necessary task.

As set forth above, while this specification contains many specific implementation details, they should not be construed as limiting as to the scope of any invention or claimables, but rather as may be specific to a particular embodiment of a particular invention. It should be understood as a description of the features.

Further, while operations are depicted in the drawings in a specific order, it should not be understood that all illustrated operations must be performed or that those operations must be performed in the specific order shown or in sequential order to obtain desired results. In certain cases, multitasking and parallel processing can be advantageous. Further, the separation of various system components in the embodiments described above should not be understood as requiring such separation in all embodiments, and the program components and systems described may generally be integrated together into a single software product or packaged into multiple software products. You have to understand that you can.

The present description presents the best mode of the invention and provides examples to illustrate the invention and to enable those skilled in the art to make and use the invention. The specification thus prepared does not limit the invention to the specific terms presented. Therefore, although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the above-described examples, a person skilled in the art may make alterations, changes, and modifications to the present examples without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be determined by the described embodiments, but by the claims.

The present invention relates to a method for providing streaming content and an apparatus for the same, and more particularly, when providing a VR (Virtual Reality) video streaming service based on a panoramic image or a 360 VR image, based on viewing coordinates that a user is watching A method and apparatus for reducing the amount of data generated when providing a 360 video service by transmitting different image quality for each angle.

According to the present invention, an image captured by a 360-degree camera is divided into pieces according to a predetermined angular range and stored, an image within a certain range based on the user's current viewing coordinates is transmitted in high quality, and the remaining images are By transmitting in low quality, it is possible to reduce the traffic load of the mobile network while reducing the amount of data generated when providing the 360-degree video service.

Therefore, it is possible to contribute to the development of the streaming service industry through the above content transmission method, and in addition, the present invention has industrial applicability because it is not only sufficiently commercially available or commercially viable, but also realistically and clearly practicable.

100: communication network 200: image capturing device 300: image reproducing device
400: streaming server 310: input module of video playback device
330: output module of video playback device
350: storage module of video playback device
370: communication module of video playback device
390: control module of video playback device
410: storage module of the streaming server
430: communication module of streaming server
450: control module of the streaming server

Claims (11)

A content providing method for providing an image divided into a plurality of image fragments in a streaming manner,
Storing, by a streaming server, an image divided into the plurality of image pieces according to a predetermined angular range;
receiving first viewing coordinates of a video being watched by a user from a video reproducing device that has requested content transmission from the streaming server;
adjusting the angular range based on a rate of change of viewing coordinates calculated based on the received first viewing coordinates and second viewing coordinates previously received from the image reproducing apparatus; and
providing at least one image fragment corresponding to an angle within the adjusted range with a first quality, and providing the remaining image fragments with an image quality lower than the first quality;
A content providing method comprising a. The method of claim 1, before the receiving step,
When receiving a content provision request from the video reproducing device, providing at least one image fragment corresponding to an angle within a predetermined range from basic coordinates with the first quality, and providing the remaining image fragments with an image quality lower than the first quality step;
Content providing method characterized in that it further comprises. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing step
The method of providing content, characterized in that performing synchronization between at least one image fragment provided in the first quality and the remaining image fragments, and providing the content. delete The method of claim 1, wherein the providing step
At least one image fragment corresponding to an angle within a first range is provided with the first quality based on the viewing coordinates, and at least one image fragment corresponding to an angle within a second range is provided with a quality lower than the first quality. 2, and providing the remaining image fragments in a third quality, which is lower than the second quality. A computer-readable recording medium on which a program for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 3 and 5 is recorded. A computer program implemented to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 3 and 5 and stored in a computer-readable recording medium. delete delete delete A communication module for transmitting and receiving data to and from an image reproducing device through a communication network;
A storage module for storing an image divided into a plurality of image segments according to a preset angular range; and
a control module for controlling to receive first viewing coordinates of an image that a user is watching from an image reproducing device that has requested content transmission through the communication module;
including,
The control module,
A change rate of viewing coordinates is calculated based on the received first viewing coordinates and second viewing coordinates previously received from the video reproducing device, and the angular range is calculated based on the calculated changing rate of viewing coordinates. Streaming server characterized in that the streaming server adjusts, controls to provide at least one image fragment corresponding to an angle within the adjusted predetermined range with a first quality, and provides the remaining image fragments with a quality lower than the first quality.

Images