Quality of experience for mobile video users.
Throughout the world, more and more people are choosing a mobile device as their platform of choice for watching video content. Some people use their mobile phones to catch the latest sports highlights, while others watch television shows on the train during their commutes. Some viewers use the WiFi in the local coffee shop to connect to Hulu on their netbooks, and others watch full-length movies on their iPods.
Regardless of the type of device, content viewed, or network used for access, each person has some basic expectations about the viewing experience. The level of expectation varies among viewers, depending on factors such as the amount of money spent for the service, type of content being requested, and type of device being used for viewing. It is the job of service providers to match the level of quality to their users’ expectations.
This white paper introduces the topic of QoE (Quality of Experience) as it relates to mobile video. It discusses how video quality is typically measured, provides information on some of the tools and techniques in use today for measuring video quality, and suggests some future directions for measuring video quality. While the term QoE can be applied to a wide range of multimedia communications services, this discussion focuses on the world of video as it is displayed and viewed on a mobile device.