System and method for playback of media content with support for audio touch caching

A method for playback of media content, including the use of media caching, comprising:

• displaying, at a media device adapted to play media content provided by a computer system operating as a media server, and having a user interface, a visual array of media options, wherein each media option is associated with one or more media content items that can be provided by the media server and streamed to the media device, to be played at the media device;
• pre-buffering portions of the media content items at the media device, including that, while the media options are being prepared for display, portions of their associated one or more media content items can be pre-buffered at the same time as determined by a caching policy;
• while a selected point or region is moved within the visual array in response to user input, determining media content items associated with one or more media options proximate to the selected point or region, to be played;
• determine one or more cache settings, user settings, user behavior, or visible media option information for those media options displayed on the user interface, for use in determining whether the media device is associated with a restriction on an amount of data to be transferred to the media device;
• and
• determine, from within a plurality of caching policies, a particular caching policy by which the data for prebuffering the one or more media content items will be cached at the media device.

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium, including instructions stored thereon which when read and executed by a computer or media device causes the computer or media device to perform the steps comprising:

• displaying, at a user interface, a visual array of media options, wherein each media option is associated with one or more media content items that can be provided by a media server and streamed to the computer or media device, to be played at the computer or media device;
• pre-buffering portions of the media content items at the computer or media device, including that, while the media options are being prepared for display, portions of their associated one or more media content items can be pre-buffered at the same time as determined by a caching policy;
• determining, while a selected point or region is moved within the visual array in response to user input, media content items associated with one or more media options proximate to the selected point or region, to be played;
• determine one or more cache settings, user settings, user behavior, or visible media option information for those media options displayed on the user interface, for use in determining whether the computer or media device is associated with a restriction on an amount of data to be transferred to the computer or media device;
• and
• determine, from within a plurality of caching policies, a particular caching policy by which the data for prebuffering the one or more media content items will be cached at the computer or media device.