Impact of adaptation dimensions on video quality

The number and types of mobile devices which are capable of presenting digital video streams is increasing constantly. In most cases the devices are trade-offs between powerful all-purpose computers and small mobile devices which are ubiquitously available and range from cellular phones to notebooks. This great heterogeneity of mobile devices makes video streaming to such devices a challenging task for content providers. Each single device has its own capabilities and individual requirements, which need to be considered when sending a video stream to it. Thus, to support a great range of different devices, the video streams need to be adapted to the requirements of each device. To get an idea of how different adaptation methods may affect the experience of users watching a streamed video on a mobile device, we inspect the influence of three major adaptation dimensions on the produced quality of the stream. Based on these results, we are able to give a clear recommendation for a multidimensional adaptation of digital video streams.