Grant: Idea to Innovation

In the past decade, there has been a tremendous growth in streaming video applications, exemplified by the remarkable popularity of online video services such as Youtube and Netflix. Meanwhile, consumers have been continuously raising their expectations for better services. Recent surveys showed a dominating role of visual quality-of-experience (QoE) in user preference on video delivery services. Therefore, how to achieve optimal QoE of end viewers has been the central goal of modern video delivery services. The objective of the proposed project is to develop a novel prototype software product for automated measurement of user QoE for video playback at consumer devices. The software product will provide instantaneous video QoE measurement on a per-user, per-device, per-view and per-moment basis, and is geared towards fulfilling multimedia communication market's needs. It will eventually help the multimedia communication industry to improve consumers' visual experience and meanwhile significantly reduce the video delivery cost.The project team is a world technology leader in the field of video quality, and had made major contributions with broad impact in the past. Recently, new breakthroughs and patented technologies on instantaneous QoE assessment have been made. This project aims to transfer these breakthrough technologies into a prototype software product that offers unique and critical features that easily differentiate it from existing commercial systems. Upon success of the proposed project, the product is expected to be quickly disseminated into the market through Canadian industry partners who are targeting at the global video delivery market. The commercialization effort is expected to generate intellectual properties and make positive impact on the economy and job market in Canada.