Abstract: Methods, apparatus, systems, architectures and interfaces for encoding and/or decoding point cloud bitstreams including coded point cloud sequences are provided. Included among such methods, apparatuses, systems, architectures, and interfaces is an apparatus that may include a processor and memory. A method may include any of: mapping components of the point cloud bitstream into tracks; generating information identifying any of geometry streams or texture streams according to the mapping of the components; generating information associated with layers corresponding to respective geometry component streams; and generating information indicating operation points associated with the point cloud bitstream.

Abstract: A device may be configured to render at least one spatial region of 360-degree media content, which may include two or more spatial regions. The device may include a receiver configured to receive the 360-degree media content and metadata associated with the 360-degree content. The metadata may include a classification of a respective spatial region of the 360-degree media content. The device may further include a memory configured to store a user preference and a sensor configured to detect a user movement. The device may include a processor configured to determine that the user movement is associated with a rendering of the respective spatial region. The processor may further determine whether the classification complies with the user preference and alter the rendering of the respective spatial region if the classification violates the user preference.

Abstract: Systems and methods described herein provide for rendering and quality monitoring of rendering of a 360-degree video, where the video has a plurality of representations with different levels of quality in different regions. In an exemplary method, a client device tracks a position of a viewport with respect to the 360-degree video and renders to the viewport a selected set of the representations. The client adaptively adds and removes representations from the selected set based on the viewport position. The client also measures and reports a viewport switching latency. In some embodiments, the latency for a viewport switch is a comparable-quality viewport switch latency that represents the time it takes after a viewport switch to return to a quality comparable to the pre-switch viewport quality.

Abstract: A secondary content such as an advertisement may be inserted based on users' interests in 360 degree video streaming. Users may have different interests and may watch different areas within a 360 degree video. The information about area(s) of 360 degree scenes that users watch the most may be used to select an ad(s) relevant to their interests. One or more secondary content viewports may be defined within a 360 degree video frame. Secondary content viewport parameter(s) may be tracked. For example, statistics of the user's head orientation for some time leading to tile presentation of the ad(s) may be collected. Secondary content may be determined based on the tracked secondary content viewport parameters).

Abstract: Methods, apparatus, systems, architectures and interfaces for encoding and/or decoding point cloud bitstreams including coded point cloud sequences are provided. Included among such methods, apparatuses, systems, architectures, and interfaces is an apparatus that may include a processor and memory. A method may include any of: mapping components of the point cloud bitstream into tracks; generating information identifying any of geometry streams or texture streams according to the mapping of the components; generating information associated with layers corresponding to respective geometry component streams; and generating information indicating operation points associated with the point cloud bitstream.

Abstract: A streaming device may request and download multi-layer video segments based on a number of factors including the artistic interest associated with the video segments and/or the status of a buffer area managed by the streaming device. The multi-layer segments may be coded using scalable coding techniques or a combination of scalable coding and simulcast coding techniques by which each of the video segments may be coded into one or more representations of different qualities and/or bitrates. When requesting the multi-layer segments, the streaming device may ensure that the fullness of the buffer area falls between a buffer underflow threshold and a backfilling threshold under various network conditions. The streaming device may estimate the available network bandwidth in order to facilitate the scheduling decisions. The streaming device may consider the artistic interest associated with the video segments during scheduling and may give priority to those segments with higher artistic interest.

Abstract: A gel material for oil and gas conformance control operations is provided. The gel material includes a plurality of gel material components including polyacrylamide, triamine silica, and nanosilica which are added in suitable amounts to form the gel material under a gel formation condition. The present technology replaces and/or supplements conventional crosslinkers and provides enhanced polymeric gels, such as, for oil and gas field applications including wellbore strengthening, loss circulation materials, and water shut-off applications, at high temperatures. The present technology is compatible with fresh and high salinity water.

Abstract: A media content processing device may decode visual volumetric content based on one or more messages, which may indicate which attribute sub-bitstream of one or more attribute sub-bitstreams indicated in a parameter set is active, The parameter set may include a visual volumetric video-based parameter set. The message indicating one or more active attribute sub-bitstreams may be received by the decoder, A decoder may perform decoding, such as determining which attribute sub-bitstream to use for decoding visual media content, based on the one or more messages, The one or more messages may be generated and sent to a decoder, for example, to indicate the deactivation of the one or more attribute sub-bitstreams. The decoder may determine an inactive attribute sub-bitstream and skip the inactive attribute sub-bitstream for decoding the visual media content based on the one or more messages.

Abstract: A streaming device may request and download multi-layer video segments based on a number of factors including the artistic interest associated with the video segments and/or the status of a buffer area managed by the streaming device. The multi-layer segments may be coded using scalable coding techniques or a combination of scalable coding and simulcast coding techniques by which each of the video segments may be coded into one or more representations of different qualities and/or bitrates. When requesting the multi-layer segments, the streaming device may ensure that the fullness of the buffer area falls between a buffer underflow threshold and a backfilling threshold under various network conditions. The streaming device may estimate the available network bandwidth in order to facilitate the scheduling decisions. The streaming device may consider the artistic interest associated with the video segments during scheduling and may give priority to those segments with higher artistic interest.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and instrumentalities are disclosed that relate to the processing of a media container file associated with 3D video data. The media container file may indicate that certain video-based point cloud compression (V-PCC) component tracks may be played together as a playout group. These V-PCG component tracks may represent respective encoded versions of one or more V-PCC components, and a video decoding device may play the tracks together in response to determining that the tracks belong to the same playout track group. The video decoding device may also determine from the media container file that certain PCC component tracks include tile groups that correspond to different objects in a point cloud or different parts of a same object in the point cloud. The video decoding device may decode these tile groups independently from each other so that a subset of the objects or parts of the point cloud may be accessed without also accessing the rest of the objects or parts.

Abstract: There is described here a method of desiccation of aerobic granules.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus, and systems directed to adaptive streaming of V-PCC (Video-based Point Cloud Compression) data using an adaptive HTTP streaming protocol, such as MPEG DASH. A method includes signaling the point cloud data of the point cloud in a DASH MPD including: a main AdaptationSet for the point cloud, including at least (1) a @codecs attribute that is set to a unique value signifying that the corresponding AdaptationSet corresponds to V-PCC data and (2) an initialization segment containing at least one V-PCC sequence parameter set for a representation of the point cloud; and a plurality of component AdaptationSets, each corresponding to one of the V-PCC components and including at least (1) a VPCCComponent descriptor identifying a type of the corresponding V-PCC component and (2) at least one property of the V-PCC component; and transmitting the DASH bitstream over the network.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus, systems, architectures and interfaces for encoding and/or decoding point cloud bitstreams including coded point cloud sequences are provided. Included among such methods, apparatuses, systems, architectures, and interfaces is an apparatus that may include a processor and memory. A method may include any of: mapping components of the point cloud bitstream into tracks; generating information identifying any of geometry streams or texture streams according to the mapping of the components; generating information associated with layers corresponding to respective geometry component streams; and generating information indicating operation points associated with the point cloud bitstream.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for using flexible grid regions in picture or video frames are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method includes receiving a set of first parameters that defines a plurality of first grid regions comprising a frame. For each first grid region, the method includes receiving a set of second parameters that defines a plurality of second grid regions, and the plurality of second grid regions partitions the respective first grid region. The method further includes partitioning the frame into the plurality of first grid regions based on the set of first parameters, and partitioning each first grid region into the plurality of second grid regions based on the respective set of second parameters.

Abstract: Methods are described herein for signaling information regarding different viewpoints in a multi-viewpoint omnidirectional media presentation. In some embodiments, a container file (which may use the ISO Base Media File Format) is generated containing several tracks. The tracks are grouped using a track-group identifier, where each track-group identifier is associated with a different viewpoint. In some embodiments, a manifest (such as an MPEG-DASFI MPD) is generated, where the manifest includes GT viewpoint identifiers that identify the viewpoint associated with each stream. In some embodiments, metadata included in a container file and/or in a manifest provides information on the position of each viewpoint, the intervals during which each viewpoint is available, transition effects for transitions between viewpoints, and/or recommended projection formats for corresponding field-of-view ranges.

Abstract: Systems and methods described herein provide for rendering and quality monitoring of rendering of a 360-degree video, where the video has a plurality of representations with different levels of quality in different regions. In an exemplary method, a client device tracks a position of a viewport with respect to the 360-degree video and renders to the viewport a selected set of the representations. The client adaptively adds and removes representations from the selected set based on the viewport position. The client also measures and reports a viewport switching latency. In some embodiments, the latency for a viewport switch is a comparable-quality viewport switch latency that represents the time it takes after a viewport switch to return to a quality comparable to the pre-switch viewport quality.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and instrumentalities are disclosed for client centric service quality control. A first viewport of a 360 degree video may be determined. The 360 degree video may comprise one or more of an equirectangular, a cube-map, a cylindrical, a pyramidal, and/or a spherical projection mapping. The first viewport may be associated with a spatial region of the 360 degree video. An adjacent area that extends around the spatial region may be determined. A second viewport of the 360 degree video may be determined. A bitstream associated with the 360 degree video may be received. One or more enhanced regions may be included in the bitstream. The one or more enhanced regions may correspond to the first and/or second viewport. A high coding bitrate may be associated with the first viewport and/or the second viewport.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and instrumentalities are disclosed for client centric service quality control. A first viewport of a 360 degree video may be determined. The 360 degree video may comprise one or more of an equirectangular, a cube-map, a cylindrical, a pyramidal, and/or a spherical projection mapping. The first viewport may be associated with a spatial region of the 360 degree video. An adjacent area that extends around the spatial region may be determined. A second viewport of the 360 degree video may be determined. A bitstream associated with the 360 degree video may be received. One or more enhanced regions may be included in the bitstream. The one or more enhanced regions may correspond to the first and/or second viewport, A high coding bitrate may be associated with the first viewport and/or the second viewport.

Abstract: A device may be configured to render at least one spatial region of 360-degree media content, which may include two or more spatial regions. The device may include a receiver configured to receive the 360-degree media content and metadata associated with the 360-degree content. The metadata may include a classification of a respective spatial region of the 360-degree media content. The device may further include a memory configured to store a user preference and a sensor configured to detect a user movement. The device may include a processor configured to determine that the user movement is associated with a rendering of the respective spatial region. The processor may further determine whether the classification complies with the user preference and alter the rendering of the respective spatial region if the classification violates the user preference.

Abstract: A streaming device may request and download multi-layer video segments based on a number of factors including the artistic interest associated with the video segments and/or the status of a buffer area managed by the streaming device. The multi-layer segments may be coded using scalable coding techniques or a combination of scalable coding and simulcast coding techniques by which each of the video segments may be coded into one or more representations of different qualities and/or bitrates. When requesting the multi-layer segments, the streaming device may ensure that the fullness of the buffer area falls between a buffer underflow threshold and a backfilling threshold under various network conditions. The streaming device may estimate the available network bandwidth in order to facilitate the scheduling decisions. The streaming device may consider the artistic interest associated with the video segments during scheduling and may give priority to those segments with higher artistic interest.