Patent ID: 7650421

Claim:
A method, implemented in a server computing device, the method comprising: receiving a request for media content to be streamed to a client device; identifying an available bandwidth of the server computing device; determining, as a percentage of the available bandwidth of the server computing device, an amount of bandwidth available for accelerated streaming of the media content to the client device; accelerating, up to a particular rate that is greater than a steady state rate, streaming of the media content to the client device until a data buffer at the client device is filled to a desired level with a portion of the media content, and then reducing streaming of the media content to the client device from the particular rate to the steady state rate, wherein the particular rate is based at least in part on the amount of bandwidth available for accelerated streaming, wherein said accelerating is performed only if the amount of bandwidth available for accelerated streaming exceeds a threshold amount; re-determining, while accelerating streaming of the media content to the client device, the amount of bandwidth available for accelerated streaming of the media content to the client device; and wherein the particular rate is based at least in part on the re-determined amount of bandwidth available for accelerated streaming of the media content to the client device.