A method of playing back multimedia content, comprising: accessing video content comprising a series of frames of visual content configured to be sequentially played back, wherein each frame of the series of frames if fully decoded would extend beyond a viewer's field of view, and wherein each encoded frame comprises multiple encoded sections; determining, prior to a portion of a first frame being displayed, a field of view of the viewer viewing the video content; identifying, as a function of the field of view, one or more sections of the first frame that are at least partially within the field of view and where at least a portion of the one or more sections are to be visible to the viewer upon displaying the portion of the first frame; decoding the one or more sections of the first frame that have at least a threshold area of the section within the field of view while not decoding the one or more sections of the first frame that do not have at least the threshold area of the section within the field of view; and displaying, according to playback timing of the video content and corresponding to when the first frame is to be displayed, the one or more decoded sections of the first frame such that the portion of the first frame is displayed, and displaying the one or more sections of the first frame that have an area within the field of view that is less than the threshold area by including a slightly larger border when displaying the portion of the first frame or by using pixel values from one or more other decoded sections of the first frame or a previous frame, wherein less than all of the first frame is decoded and less than all of the first frame is displayed during playback. accessing video content comprising a series of frames of visual content configured to be sequentially played back, wherein each frame of the series of frames if fully decoded would extend beyond a viewer's field of view, and wherein each encoded frame comprises multiple encoded sections; determining, prior to a portion of a first frame being displayed, a field of view of the viewer viewing the video content; identifying, as a function of the field of view, one or more sections of the first frame that are at least partially within the field of view and where at least a portion of the one or more sections are to be visible to the viewer upon displaying the portion of the first frame; decoding the one or more sections of the first frame that have at least a threshold area of the section within the field of view while not decoding the one or more sections of the first frame that do not have at least the threshold area of the section within the field of view; and displaying, according to playback timing of the video content and corresponding to when the first frame is to be displayed, the one or more decoded sections of the first frame such that the portion of the first frame is displayed, and displaying the one or more sections of the first frame that have an area within the field of view that is less than the threshold area by including a slightly larger border when displaying the portion of the first frame or by using pixel values from one or more other decoded sections of the first frame or a previous frame, wherein less than all of the first frame is decoded and less than all of the first frame is displayed during playback.