Patent ID: 7536474

Claim:
A computer-implemented media data system to provide media data to a media player, comprising: a media buffer implemented in a computer-readable medium; a media player implemented in a computer-readable medium and to process on a computer; and a data transfer controller, which is implemented in a computer-readable medium and processes on a computer and that acquires the media data from a media source and fills the media buffer at a rate in excess of a player bandwidth associated with the media player, and wherein an expected latency associated with startup of the media player is reduced because of the excess rate, and wherein the media player draws the media data from the media buffer and plays the media data once the media buffer is full, and wherein the rate is achieved by acquiring initial media data packets for the media data and stuffing them into the media buffer as replications within the media buffer to fill the media buffer with replications that are out of sequence and thereby making the media player believe the media buffer is completely full, and wherein as a rest of the media data packets are acquired correction is made within the media buffer before the media player plays the rest of media data packets.