Efficient representation and interactive streaming of high-resolution panoramic views

A new system for interactive streaming of high-resolution 360/spl deg/ panoramic views over the Internet is presented. The scene is represented very efficiently using MPEG-4 BIFS and displayed at the client using the HHI 3-D MPEG-4 player. The user can navigate interactively through the scene. The navigation decisions are evaluated to trigger the streaming of the data needed to build the visible screen view and to ensure a fluent visualization of the scene. The system layout is designed to support other, more complex photo realistic 3-D environments later on and, thus, will enable the provision of a variety of new, interactive services over the Internet.