Systems and methods for spatially selective video coding

A method for providing video content, the method comprising:

• accessing a stitched panoramic image, the stitched panoramic image having been encoded using a first quality distribution;
• obtaining a position change of a viewport, the position change of the viewport corresponding to a portion of the stitched panoramic image;
• determining whether the position change of the viewport exceeds a threshold;
• responsive to a determination that the position change of the viewport exceeds the threshold, encoding at least a first portion of the stitched panoramic image using a second quality distribution and providing the first portion of the stitched panoramic image encoded using the second quality distribution;
• and
• responsive to a determination that the position change does not exceed the threshold, providing the stitched panoramic image having been encoded using the first quality distribution, the first quality distribution differing from the second quality distribution.

A computer readable apparatus comprising a storage medium having a plurality of computer executable instructions stored thereon, the plurality of computer executable instructions are configured to, when executed:

• access a stitched panoramic image having been encoded at a first quality distribution;
• determine individual portions of the stitched panoramic image;
• encode a first portion of the individual portions of the stitched panoramic image using a second quality distribution;
• combine the encoded first portion of the individual portions of the stitched panoramic image with other portions of the individual portions of the stitched panoramic image to produce a combined panoramic portion of the image;
• and
• store the combined panoramic portion of the image.