Systems and methods for quick start-up of playback

A playback device comprising:

• a memory;
• a network interface;
• and
• a processor that reads instructions stored in the memory that direct the processor to:
• receive, at the playback device, information for a quick start-up stream of media content stored in a first container file and information for a plurality of encrypted alternative streams of the media content stored in a second container file from a content provider system over a network, where the plurality of encrypted alternative streams are encoded at various bitrates and the media content in each particular stream of the plurality of encrypted alternative streams has a particular quality based upon at least the bitrate of the particular stream and the quality of media content in the quick start-up stream has a lesser quality than the video content of each of the plurality of encrypted alternative streams;
• request a decryption key for decrypting at least one encrypted alternative stream of the plurality of encrypted alternative streams from an authentication system over the network using the playback device;
• commence streaming of the media content in the quick start-up stream from the first container file from the content provider system over the network using the playback device based on the received information for the quick start-up stream;
• and
• upon receiving the decryption key, commence streaming of media content in one of the plurality of encrypted alternative streams from the second container file from the content provider system over the network using the playback device based on the received information for the plurality of encrypted alternative streams.

A non-transitory machine readable medium containing processor instructions, where execution of the instructions by a processor causes the processor to perform a process comprising:

• receiving information for a plurality of encrypted alternative streams and a quick start-up stream of media content from a content provider system over a network, where the plurality of encrypted alternative streams are encoded at various bitrates, resolutions, and frame rates and the media content in each particular stream of the plurality of encrypted alternative streams has a particular quality based at least one of the bitrate, resolution of, and frame rate of the particular stream and the quality of media content in the quick start-up stream has a lesser quality than the video content of each of the plurality of encrypted alternative streams, wherein the plurality of encrypted alternative streams are encrypted using an encryption process;
• request a decryption key for an encryption process from an authentication system over the network using a playback device in response to receiving the information for the plurality of encrypted alternative streams;
• commencing streaming of the media content in the quick start-up stream from a content provider system over the network;
• determining a metric has been met upon receiving the decryption key for the decryption process from the authentication system;
• and
• commencing streaming of media content in one of the plurality of encrypted alternative streams from a content provider system over the network in response to a determination that the metric has been met.