Apparatus, systems and methods for monitoring the transmission of media content events

1. A method for transmitting media content events to media devices based on buffer metrics from the media devices, the method comprising:

receiving a media content stream at a media device from a media content transmission device at a first transmission rate, wherein the media content stream comprises at least one media content event selected for presentation on a media presentation device;

storing received portions of the media content stream in a media device buffer as the portions are received at the media device;

calculating a buffer metric at the media device during presentation of the received media content stream, wherein the buffer metric corresponds to one of a filling of the media device buffer with the received portions of the media content stream and an emptying of the media device buffer of the stored portions of the media content stream as the media content stream is being presented on the media presentation device;

transmitting the buffer metric from the media device to the media content transmission device; and

receiving the media content stream from the media content transmission device at a second transmission rate, wherein the second transmission rate is different from the first transmission rate, and wherein the second transmission rate is based on the transmitted buffer metric,

wherein calculating the buffer metric that corresponds to emptying of the media device buffer as the media content stream is being presented on the media presentation device further comprises:

determining a transmission rate that the media device is receiving the media content stream;

determining a presentation rate that the media device buffer is being drained as the media content stream is being presented on the media presentation device; and

comparing the determined transmission rate with the determined presentation rate to calculate the buffer metric.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising calculating the buffer metric based on at least a portion of the media content stream being stored in the media device buffer prior to communication to the media presentation device.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising calculating the buffer metric based on at least a portion of the media content stream being stored in the media device buffer during communication to the media presentation device.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein an encoding rate of the media content event remains the same for the first transmission rate and the second transmission rate.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising calculating a duration of the received media content stream stored in the media device buffer, wherein the duration is the buffer metric, and wherein the second transmission rate is based on the duration of the transmitted buffer metric.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

calculating an average bit rate of media Content event encoding, wherein the media content stream is encoded using a variable bit rate;

calculating a transmission rate of the received media content stream corresponding to the first transmission rate; and

calculating a program buffer duration of the media content stream stored in the media device buffer based on the calculated average bit rate of the media content event encoding, wherein the program buffer duration is the buffer metric, and wherein the second transmission rate is based on the transmitted program buffer duration.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

determining a buffer drain rate; and

transmitting the buffer drain rate to the media content transmission device. wherein the buffer drain rate is the buffer metric, and wherein the second transmission rate is based on the transmitted buffer drain rate.

8. A method of communicating transmission of media content events from media content event transmission devices to media devices, the method comprising:

transmitting, at a first transmission rate, a media content stream comprising at least one media content event to a media device;

receiving a buffer metric from the Media device, wherein the buffer metric is calculated at the media device during presentation of the received media content event, wherein the buffer metric corresponds to one of a filling of a media device buffer with received portions of the media content stream and an emptying of the media device buffer of the stored portions of the media content stream as the media content stream is being presented on a presentation device; and

adjusting the first transmission rate to a second transmission rate based on the received buffer metric,

wherein calculating the buffer metric that corresponds to emptying of the media device buffer as the media content stream is being presented on the media presentation device further comprises:

determining a transmission rate that the media device is receiving the media content stream;

determining a presentation rate that the media device buffer is being drained as the media content stream is being presented on the media presentation device; and

comparing the determined transmission rate with the determined presentation rate to calculate the buffer metric.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the buffer metric is a calculated duration of the media content stream stored in the media device buffer of the media device, and buffered time of presentation time when the media content event is presented on the presentation device.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein when the buffer metric indicates the media device buffer is nearly full, the first transmission rate is greater than the second transmission rate.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein when the buffer metric indicates the media device buffer is nearly empty, the first transmission rate is less than the second transmission rate.

12. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

requesting a buffer drain rate from the media device; and

adjusting the transmission rate of the media content event currently transmitting to the media device to be substantially similar to the received buffer drain rate.

13. A media device comprising:

a communication network interface configured to communicatively couple the media device with at least one media content transmission device and to receive a media content event from the at least one media content transmission device at a first transmission rate;

a memory medium configured to store at least a portion of the received media content event; and

a processor system communicatively coupled to the communication network interface and the memory medium, wherein the processor system is configured to:

calculate a buffer metric during presentation of the received media content event, wherein the buffer metric corresponds to one of a filling of the memory medium with received portions of the media content event and an emptying of the memory medium of the stored portions of the media content event as the media content event is being presented on a presentation device; and

operate the communications network interface, such that the calculated buffer metric is transmitted to the at least one media content transmission device,

wherein the communication network interface is further configured to receive the media content stream from the at least one media content transmission device at a second transmission rate based on the transmitted buffer metric,

wherein calculating the buffer metric that corresponds to emptying of the media device buffer as the media content stream is being presented on the media presentation device further comprises:

determining a transmission rate that the media device is receiving the media content stream;

determining a presentation rate that the media device buffer is being drained as the media content stream is being presented on the media presentation device; and

comparing the determined transmission rate with the determined presentation rate to calculate the buffer metric.

14. The media device of claim 13 , wherein an encoding rate of the media content event remains constant.

15. The media device of claim 13 wherein the processor system is further configured to:

calculate an average bit rate of the media content stream;

calculate a download rate of the received media content stream; and

calculate a duration of the media content stream stored in the memory medium based on the calculated average bit rate and the calculated download rate.

16. The media device of claim 13 wherein the processor system is further configured to:

calculate a drain rate of the memory medium, wherein the drain rate is determined based on the calculated average bit rate of the media content event and a presentation rate of the media content event via the presentation device.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the buffer metric further corresponds to an indication that the media device buffer is not being emptied.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the determined buffer metric indicating that the media device buffer is not being emptied further indicates that presentation of the media content event is paused.

19. The method of claim 17 , wherein the determined buffer metric indicating that the media device buffer is not being emptied further indicates that the media content event is being rewound.

20. The method of claim 17 , wherein transmitting the buffer metric from the media device to the media content transmission device after determining that the media device buffer will become drained when the comparing indicates that the determined presentation rate is greater than the determined transmission rate comprises:

transmitting a low buffer flag from the media device to the media content transmission device, wherein the low buffer flag is a bit with a first value that indicates that the determined presentation rate is greater than the determined transmission rate.