Progressive download playback

A method comprising:

• measuring playback queue utilization of a media playback queue of a mobile device;
• determining an arrival rate of playback data downloaded to the mobile device;
• processing, with a playback data download algorithm, the determined arrival rate, the playback queue utilization, and at least one of an upper playback queue utilization threshold and a lower playback queue utilization threshold, to produce a playback data chunk size;
• and
• downloading over a network a playback data chunk that corresponds to the playback data chunk size from one of a first playback data download channel providing a data stream as data chunks of a first size and a second playback data download channel providing the data stream as data chunks of a second size that is different from the first size, wherein the playback data chunk size corresponds to one of the first size and the second size.

A method comprising:

• measuring utilization of a media playback queue of a mobile device to playback a data stream;
• determining an arrival rate of playback data downloaded to the mobile device;
• processing the determined arrival rate, the playback queue utilization, an upper playback queue utilization threshold, and a lower playback queue utilization threshold with a playback data download algorithm to select one of a first playback data download channel providing the data stream as data chunks of a first size and a second playback data download channel providing the data stream as data chunks of a second size that is different from the first size;
• downloading a playback data chunk from the selected download channel;
• and
• adding the playback data chunk to the media playback queue as a condition for measuring the utilization of the media playback queue.

A method comprising:

• taking an encoding bit rate of a data stream that is made available to a mobile device via two data download channels that facilitate dynamically downloading the data stream in data chunks sized as either a first data chunk size or a second data chunk size that is different from the first data chunk size;
• determining an arrival rate of playback data downloaded from the two data download channels at the mobile device based on a degree of performance of a network over which the playback data is downloaded;
• calculating a lower playback queue utilization threshold value by processing with a processor a normal duration that is based on the larger of the first data chunk size and the second data chunk size, the encoding bit rate, and the arrival rate;
• calculating an upper playback queue utilization threshold value by processing with the processor the lower playback queue utilization threshold, the normal duration, and the encoding bit rate;
• and
• applying a download algorithm that determines a relationship between current size of a media playback queue of the mobile device and each of the upper playback queue utilization threshold value and the lower playback queue utilization threshold value to download a playback data chunk from one of the two data download channels.