Method and apparatus for reducing data bandwidth between a cloud server and a thin client

A thin client configured to facilitate performance of a method for reducing data bandwidth between a cloud server and the thin client comprising:

• a processor at the thin client configured to render a base layer image or video stream at the thin client, wherein a processor at the cloud server is configured to render a high quality layer image/video stream at the cloud server, the high quality layer image/video stream having a higher quality than the base layer image/video stream, wherein the processor at the could server is configured to render a duplicate of the base layer image/video stream at the cloud server, wherein the processor at the could server is configured to generate an enhancement layer image/video stream from the high quality layer image/video stream and the duplicate of the base layer image/video stream at the cloud server, wherein the could server is configured to transmit the enhancement layer image/video stream from the cloud server to the thin client, a display unit configured to display a composite layer image/video stream on the thin client, the composite layer image/video stream being based on the base layer image/video stream and the enhancement layer image/video stream;
• wherein the processor at the thin client is configured to render the base layer image/video stream comprises using one, or more rendering techniques and wherein rendering parameters for the one or more rendering techniques are determined by minimizing information content of the enhancement layer image/video stream, while satisfying a constraint that the rendering of the base layer image/video stream can be achieved with computation capability of the thin client.

A cloud server configured to facilitate performance of a method for reducing data bandwidth between the cloud server and a thin client comprising:

• a processor at the thin client configured to render a base layer image/video stream at the thin client, a processor at the could server configured to render a high quality layer image/video stream at the cloud server, the high quality layer image/video stream having a higher quality than the base layer image/video stream, the processor at the could server configured to render a duplicate of the base layer image/video stream at the cloud server, a processor at the could server configured to generate an enhancement layer image/video stream from the high quality layer image/video stream and the duplicate of the base layer image/video stream at the cloud server, the cloud server configured to transmit the enhancement layer image/video stream from the cloud server to the thin client, wherein a display unit at the thin client is configured to display a composite layer image/video stream on the thin client, the composite layer image/video stream being based on the base layer image/video stream and the enhancement layer image/video stream;
• wherein the processor at a thin client configured to render the base layer image/video stream comprises using one or more rendering techniques and wherein rendering parameters for the one or more rendering techniques are determined by minimizing information content of the enhancement layer image/video stream, while satisfying a constraint that the rendering of the base layer image/video stream can be achieved with computation capability of the thin client.

An apparatus comprising:

• a processor configured to render a base layer image/video stream,
• a receiver configured to receive an enhancement layer image/video stream from a cloud server, having higher computational capability than the apparatus, the enhancement layer image/video stream being generated from a high quality layer image/video stream and a duplicate of the base layer image/video stream at the cloud server, the high quality layer image/video stream and the duplicate of the base layer image/video stream being rendered at the cloud server and the high quality layer image/video stream having a higher quality than the base layer image/video stream;
• and
• a display unit configured to display a composite layer image/video stream on the apparatus, the composite layer image/video stream being based on the base layer image/video stream and the enhancement layer image/video stream;
• wherein rendering the base layer image/video stream comprises using one or more rendering techniques and wherein rendering parameters for the one or more rendering techniques are determined by minimizing information content of the enhancement layer image/video stream, while satisfying a constraint that the rendering of the base layer image/video stream can be achieved with computation capability of the processor.

An apparatus for reducing data bandwidth between a cloud server and a thin client, wherein the thin client comprises:

• a thin client processor configured to render a base layer image/video stream,
• a receiver configured to receive an enhancement layer image/video stream from the cloud server having higher computational capability than the apparatus, the enhancement layer image/video stream being generated from a high quality layer image/video stream and a duplicate of the base layer image/video stream at the cloud server, the high quality layer image/video stream and the duplicate of the base layer image/video stream being rendered at the cloud server and the high quality layer image/video stream having a higher quality than the base layer image/video stream;
• and
• a display unit configured to display a composite layer image/video stream on the apparatus, the composite layer image/video stream being based on the base layer image/video stream and the enhancement layer image/video stream;
• and the cloud server comprises:
• a cloud server processor configured to render the high quality layer image/video stream and the duplicate of the base layer image/video stream, wherein the high quality layer image/video stream has a higher quality than the base layer image/video stream and wherein the cloud server processor is further configured to generate the enhancement layer image/video stream from the high quality layer image/video stream and the duplicate of the base layer image/video stream, and
• a transmitter configured to transmit the enhancement layer image/video stream to the thin client having lower computational capability than the cloud server;
• wherein rendering the base layer image/video stream comprises using one or more rendering techniques and wherein rendering parameters for the one or more rendering techniques are determined by minimizing information content of the enhancement layer image/video stream, while satisfying a constraint that the rendering of the base layer image/video stream can be achieved with computation capability of the thin client processor.

A method for reducing data bandwidth between a cloud server and a thin client comprising:

• rendering a base layer image/video stream at the thin client,
• transmitting an enhancement layer image/video stream from the cloud server to the thin client,
• displaying a composite layer image/video stream on the thin client, the composite layer image/video stream being based on the base layer image/video stream and the enhancement layer image/video stream,
• infrequently providing a plurality of 3D polygon models to the thin client during a session between the cloud server and the thin client;
• wherein rendering the base layer image/video stream comprises using one or more rendering techniques and wherein rendering parameters for the one or more rendering techniques are determined by minimizing information content of the enhancement layer image/video stream, while satisfying a constraint that the rendering of the base layer image/video stream can be achieved with computation capability of the thin client.