Patent ID: 8861932

Claim:
A communication device comprising: a memory storing computer instructions; and a processor coupled with the memory, wherein the processor, responsive to executing the computer instructions, performs operations comprising: receiving video content over a network from a content source device; providing the video content to a video buffer of the communication device, wherein the video buffer has a video capacity including a fixed capacity; obtaining network condition information representing a network status; determining a playback start time based on the network condition information; commencing playback of the video content based on the playback start time; determining a high mark for usage of the video capacity based on parameters associated with the video content and the communication device; periodically communicating buffer status information to the content source device to enable the content source device to adjust a transmission rate for the video content being received by the communication device based on the buffer status information and the network status, wherein the buffer status information represents the fixed capacity of the video buffer, an amount of the capacity that has been utilized, and the high mark for the video buffer; monitoring for a buffer exhaustion condition based on the buffer status information, wherein the buffer exhaustion condition comprises a determination that the video buffer has fallen below a minimum threshold prior to the processor receiving all of the video content; and adjusting the playback of the video content responsive to a detection of the buffer exhaustion condition.