Patent attributes
Described herein is technology for, among other things, performing playback in resource-limited environments. The technology involves identifying one or more primary streams and one or more secondary streams of a piece of media content based on the media content itself and/or on the particular playback scenario and then modifying playback and streaming parameters accordingly. The one or more primary streams may then be given priority in order to ensure a satisfactory playback experience. The playback characteristics, the one or more primary streams of the media content, and the resources available in the playback environment can be monitored and changed throughout playback. Both the device streaming and the device receiving the content may communicate to further optimize playback.