Who is moving - User or device? Experienced quality of mobile 3D video in vehicles

'Viewing while commuting' is a typical use case for mobile video. However, experimental and behavioral influences of watching three-dimensional (3D) video in vibrating vehicles have not been widely researched. The goal of this study is 1) to explore the influence of video presentation modes (two-dimensional and stereoscopic 3D) on the quality of experience and 2) to understand the nature of the movement patterns that users perform to maintain an optimal viewing position while viewing videos on a mobile device in three commuting contexts and in a controlled laboratory environment. A hybrid method for quality evaluation was used for combining quantitative preference ratings, qualitative descriptions of quality, situational audio/video data-collection, and sensors. The high-quality and heterogeneous audiovisual stimuli were viewed on a mobile device equipped with a parallax barrier display. The results showed that the stereoscopic 3D (S3D) video presentation mode provided more satisfying quality of experience than the two-dimensional presentation mode in all studied contexts. To maintain an optimal viewing position in the vehicles, the users moved the device in their hands to the directions around the vertical and the horizontal axes in a leaned sitting position. This movement behavior was guided by the contexts but not by the quality, indicating the general importance of these results for mobile video viewing in vibrating vehicles.