iQIYI, Together with Peking University and Microsoft Research, Unveils Innovative 360-Degree VR Panoramic Video Solution Accepted by IEEE TMC

BEIJING, March 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Recently, iQIYI, Inc. (NASDAQ: IQ) ("iQIYI" or the "Company"), an innovative market-leading online entertainment service in China, together with Peking University and Microsoft Research, jointly published a paper on EPASS360, a newly-developed panoramic video streaming media system based on AI technology, titled EPASS360: QoE-aware 360-degree Video Streaming over Mobile Devices (the "Paper"). The Paper was accepted by IEEE Transactions on Mobile Computing (TMC), a top international journal in the field of Mobile Computing. Under current home broadband and WiFi environments, this new system solution will predict the allocation rate according to the user's visual field to ensure that the user sees a clear and smooth picture when watching panoramic videos.

360-degree VR panoramic videos are designed to give users a truly immersive video-viewing experience, and to achieve that, it should be set in either ultra-high-definition modes such as 8K or 16K. Network transmission speed of current home broadbands or WiFi, however, does not meet the transmission requirements of ultra-high-definition videos, meaning that users are unable to have the high-quality panoramic video experience at home.

The EPASS360 system can carry out targeted code rate optimization according to different user experience objectives combined with accurate recognition and prediction of playback process. According to iQIYI daily data collected by the academic and public data sets on the experimental results show that EPASS360 is able to increase image quality by about 50% (measured in PSNR, peak noise ratio for the meter) compared to a normal panoramic video streaming media system. The EPSS360 is also at least 5% higher in final user experience scores compared to leading panoramic video streaming media systems.

The main purpose of application for the EPASS360 solution of panoramic video streaming media system is to create the best viewing experience for users. At present, panoramic videos, including VR short films that are iQIYI IP-spinoffs, such as those created for iPARTMENT 5, works performed by the youth competition segment finalists of Wuzhen Theatre Festival, and the LANVIN 2020 autumn/winter women's show, have been launched in the iQIYI VR App, while 360-degree panoramic videos have been made available on Qiyu VR headset products.

iQIYI has long been carrying out discussion and cooperation with the academic community, having continuously increased its research and investment in cutting-edge media streaming technology. The full-year financial results of iQIYI 2019 showed that the R&D expenditure of iQIYI in fiscal year 2019 was RMB 2.7 billion, which represented an increase of 34% compared with the same period in 2018. In addition to the research related to EPASS360, the paper "Improving Quality of Experience by Adaptive Video Streaming with Super-Resolution", which was submitted by iQIYI in collaboration with Peking University and Huazhong University of Science and Technology this year, has also been accepted by IEEE INFOCOM 2020. iQIYI also pioneered the real-time evolution system of multiple Adaptive Bitrate Streaming algorithms (RESA), which increased the average bitrate of videos watched by users by 20%, while the user streaming buffering rate decreased by 13%. In 2019, the paper "RESA: A REAL-TIME EVALUATION SYSTEM FOR ABR" was accepted by IEEE ICME 2019. In the future, iQIYI will continue to strengthen its cooperation with academic and industry partners, and continue to create new technical standards and innovative experiences related to the video industry.

About iQIYI, Inc.

iQIYI, Inc. is an innovative market-leading online entertainment service in China. Its corporate DNA combines creative talent with technology, fostering an environment for continuous innovation and the production of blockbuster content. iQIYI's platform features highly popular original content, as well as a comprehensive library of other professionally-produced content, partner-generated content and user generated content. The Company distinguishes itself in the online entertainment industry by its leading technology platform powered by advanced AI, big data analytics and other core proprietary technologies. iQIYI attracts a massive user base with tremendous user engagement, and has developed a diversified monetization model including membership services, online advertising services, content distribution, live broadcasting, online games, IP licensing, online literature and e-commerce.

SOURCE iQIYI, Inc.