OrbitStream: Training-Free Adaptive 360-degree Video Streaming via Semantic Potential Fields
This addresses the problem of reliable and interpretable video streaming for teleoperation systems, offering a competitive alternative to data-driven methods with zero training overhead, though it is incremental in combining existing control and semantic techniques.
The paper tackles adaptive 360-degree video streaming for teleoperation by proposing OrbitStream, a training-free framework that uses semantic potential fields for viewport prediction and a PD controller for bitrate adaptation, achieving 94.7% zero-shot viewport prediction accuracy and a mean QoE of 2.71 in simulations.
Adaptive 360° video streaming for teleoperation faces dual challenges: viewport prediction under uncertain gaze patterns and bitrate adaptation over volatile wireless channels. While data-driven and Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) methods achieve high Quality of Experience (QoE), their "black-box" nature and reliance on training data can limit deployment in safety-critical systems. To address this, we propose OrbitStream, a training-free framework that combines semantic scene understanding with robust control theory. We formulate viewport prediction as a Gravitational Viewport Prediction (GVP) problem, where semantic objects generate potential fields that attract user gaze. Furthermore, we employ a Saturation-Based Proportional-Derivative (PD) Controller for buffer regulation. On object-rich teleoperation traces, OrbitStream achieves a 94.7\% zero-shot viewport prediction accuracy without user-specific profiling, approaching trajectory-extrapolation baselines ($\sim$98.5\%). Across 3,600 Monte Carlo simulations on diverse network traces, OrbitStream yields a mean QoE of 2.71. It ranks second among 12 evaluated algorithms, close to the top-performing BOLA-E (2.80) while outperforming FastMPC (1.84). The system exhibits an average decision latency of 1.01 ms with minimal rebuffering events. By providing competitive QoE with interpretability and zero training overhead, OrbitStream demonstrates that physics-based control, combined with semantic modeling, offers a practical solution for 360° streaming in teleoperation.