Systems and apparatus for proactive multi-path routing

A system comprising a first media player device to proactively execute one or more requests of segments of a first media stream from a server over a network, the first media player device configured to:

• place one or more requests for segments of the first media stream to be delivered to the first media player device via the network by the server;
• report a local error rate of data received from the server to the first media player device over the network;
• in response to reporting the local error rate to the server, receive one or more business rules from the server which are formulated by the server utilizing the local error rate and a plurality of other error rates reported by additional media player devices communicating with the server via the network;
• place one or more subsequent requests which are proactively adapted to request segments of the first media stream based upon the local error rate and the business rules received;
• and
• in response to the plurality of measurements of other error rates reported by the additional media player devices and the error rates reported are deemed undesirably high, send an instruction based on a business rule to increase a likelihood of a request for a lower bandwidth request from the server.

A system comprising a plurality of media player devices communicating with a server over a network wherein the server is responsive to requests executed by the media player devices, and generates and distributes business rules to the plurality of media player devices, the media player devices configured to:

• receive one or more requests at the server wherein the requests are from at least a first media player device included in the plurality of media player devices for delivery of segments of a first media stream to the first media player device via the network by the server;
• receive one or more reports from at least some of the plurality of media player devices to the server, wherein the reports indicate error rates of data transmissions which are received at the plurality of media player devices;
• implement a set of business rules, formulated at the server, based at least in part on the reports of error rates of at least some of the plurality of media player devices;
• after the set of business rules are formulated, receive the set of business rules from the server, over the network, at each of the plurality of media player devices;
• and
• in response to reporting of the plurality of measurements of error rates by additional media player devices in which the other error rates are deemed as undesirably high and also measuring of a low local error rate, send an instruction based on a business rule via the first media player device to increase a likelihood of one or more requests for lower bandwidth requests at the server.