Low-latency streaming of game or application video over a public network to a user remote from a server that is running the game or application

摘要

595840 Disclosed is a system for low-latency streaming of video game and application data over a public network (410). The system includes a memory for storing program code and a processor for processing the program code. The program codes causes the processor to receive a request from a client (415) over a public network (410) for playing an online video game or executing an online application at a hosting service centre (210) comprised of a plurality of hosting servers (402). The processor also receives control signals (406a, 406b) transmitted from the client (415) over the public network (410) to a first server at the hosting service centre (210). The control signals (406a, 406b) indicate user inputs to the client (415) as the user is playing the video game or using the application. The video game or application is executed on a server (402) at the hosting service centre (402) in response to the control signals (406a, 406b). The execution of the video game or application generates video output comprising sequences of video images of the video game or application. The video output is encoded (at 404) to generate a plurality of compressed video frames or portions thereof. Encoding comprises generating a first set of video frames which are not dependent on previous video frames and a second set of video frames which are dependent on previous video frames. The compressed video frames or portions are streamed over the public network (410) to a client device (415). The compressed video frames or portions are decoded by a decoder (412) on the client (415) and rendered on the client (415) as the user plays the video game or uses the application. The first set of frames are decoded without reference to previous frames and the second set of frames are decoded with reference to previous frames. The operations of receiving control signals (406a, 406b) transmitted from the client device (415) over the public network (410), executing the video game or application, encoding and streaming the low latency video stream over the public network (410) to the client device (415) and decoding the low latency video stream on the client device (415) are performed with a latency such that the user has the perception that the selected video game or application is responding instantly to the control signals (406a, 406b) received from the client device (415).