A method for delivering an incomplete response to a media file request from a server to a client, comprising: receiving, in a server, a first segment request from a client wherein the first segment request has no indication that the client is capable of using incomplete segments; determining, in the server, whether a full segment associated with the first segment request is available at the server and upon determining, in the server, that a full segment associated with the first segment request is not available and a partial segment is available: sending from the server to the client an initial response message in response to the partial segment is available, wherein the initial response message indicates that an incomplete version of the requested segment is available, indicates at least one byte range of the incomplete segment that is available, and is sent without the at least one byte range of the incomplete segment that is available; receiving, in response to the initial response message, a second segment request in the server from the client, wherein the second segment request indicates whether the client is capable of using an incomplete segment based at least in part on an Accept header field indication of the second segment request or a Prefer header field indication of the second segment request; determining, in the server, based at least in part on the Accept header field indication of the second segment request or the Prefer header field indication of the second segment request, whether the client is capable of using an incomplete segment in response to the full segment associated with the first segment request not being available at the server; and sending from the server to the client an incomplete segment in response to determining that the client is capable of using an incomplete segment and that the segment requested is partially available, wherein the incomplete segment is sent in a response including an indication that the incomplete segment is a partial segment content type and wherein the indication identifies the response as a partial content response. receiving, in a server, a first segment request from a client wherein the first segment request has no indication that the client is capable of using incomplete segments; determining, in the server, whether a full segment associated with the first segment request is available at the server and upon determining, in the server, that a full segment associated with the first segment request is not available and a partial segment is available: sending from the server to the client an initial response message in response to the partial segment is available, wherein the initial response message indicates that an incomplete version of the requested segment is available, indicates at least one byte range of the incomplete segment that is available, and is sent without the at least one byte range of the incomplete segment that is available; receiving, in response to the initial response message, a second segment request in the server from the client, wherein the second segment request indicates whether the client is capable of using an incomplete segment based at least in part on an Accept header field indication of the second segment request or a Prefer header field indication of the second segment request; determining, in the server, based at least in part on the Accept header field indication of the second segment request or the Prefer header field indication of the second segment request, whether the client is capable of using an incomplete segment in response to the full segment associated with the first segment request not being available at the server; and sending from the server to the client an incomplete segment in response to determining that the client is capable of using an incomplete segment and that the segment requested is partially available, wherein the incomplete segment is sent in a response including an indication that the incomplete segment is a partial segment content type and wherein the indication identifies the response as a partial content response. sending from the server to the client an initial response message in response to the partial segment is available, wherein the initial response message indicates that an incomplete version of the requested segment is available, indicates at least one byte range of the incomplete segment that is available, and is sent without the at least one byte range of the incomplete segment that is available; receiving, in response to the initial response message, a second segment request in the server from the client, wherein the second segment request indicates whether the client is capable of using an incomplete segment based at least in part on an Accept header field indication of the second segment request or a Prefer header field indication of the second segment request; determining, in the server, based at least in part on the Accept header field indication of the second segment request or the Prefer header field indication of the second segment request, whether the client is capable of using an incomplete segment in response to the full segment associated with the first segment request not being available at the server; and sending from the server to the client an incomplete segment in response to determining that the client is capable of using an incomplete segment and that the segment requested is partially available, wherein the incomplete segment is sent in a response including an indication that the incomplete segment is a partial segment content type and wherein the indication identifies the response as a partial content response.