Method of audio-assisted field of view prediction for spherical video streaming

Abstract

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a method for spherical video streaming over a network by a processing system including a processor, the method including prefetching audio data for rendering the spherical video; determining whether there is a single source or a plurality of sources of audio in the audio data; responsive to a determination that there is only one dominant source of the audio in the audio data, prefetching video data in a field of view centered on spatial coordinates of the dominant source of audio; responsive to a determination that there is the plurality of sources of the audio in the audio data, sorting the plurality of sources of the audio according to an estimated sound source energy for each source in the plurality of sources, thereby creating a sorted list of the plurality of sources; and prefetching video data in plural fields of view centered on spatial coordinates of each audio source in the sorted list of the plurality of sources, wherein the prefetching is performed in an order corresponding to the sorted list, and wherein the prefetching occurs within an available bandwidth of the network. Other embodiments are disclosed.