At the Nexus of Live and Virtual Reality: Live 4K VR/360 Streaming Experience Depends Upon Real-time, High-Efficiency Encoding and Processing

Since high-end 360°-view cameras are relatively expensive, the best VR/360° video applications are likely to be high-value entertainment and sports, such as must-see concerts and world-class tournaments. ENCODING IS A HEAVY LIFT During the live stream, the media player processes the content into the left and right eye views in a way that simulates the parallax shift that allows the brain to perceive the environment with natural depth perception. Since the left eye/right eye data must be derived from the encoded spherical video, maintaining high resolution and frame rate is critical. The more picture data that can be sent, the more realistic and riveting the VR experience becomes. Since content producers have no way of knowing what angle or aspect of the VR/360° video the viewer will choose to watch, every pixel must be precisely encoded.