Patent ID: 7743183

Claim:
A method implemented on a computing device using instructions executable by a processor, the method comprising: determining maximum capacity of a plurality of buffers at a client playback device, wherein the maximum capacity is described in buffer information, wherein the plurality of buffers receive streaming content from a host device, and the plurality of buffers comprise at least one of: jitter buffers, content buffers, audio buffers, or video buffers; calculating available space in the plurality of buffers of the client playback device for a particular instance of time while content is streamed from the host device, wherein the available space is described in the buffer information; sending the buffer information to the host device which allows the host device to adjust flow of streaming content to the client playback device based on the buffer information, wherein sending the buffer information comprises sending the maximum capacity and the available space of the plurality of buffers; and indicating a high percentage of buffer capacity of the plurality of the buffers is used, the host device slows a rate of content streamed to the client playback device, and indicating a low percentage of the buffer capacity of the plurality of the buffers is used, the host device increases the rate of content streamed to the client playback device, wherein the buffer information for the client playback device is unique to the client playback device and the buffer information instructs the host device as to a fullness of a particular buffer of the plurality of buffers.