Video assets are fetched from a data storage device and buffered based on the video rate associated with the video assets. The arrival deadline for each buffer is tracked. As the contents of a buffer are consumed by the video decoder, the buffering plan is computed. The intent of the buffering plan is to maintain enough buffering in prefetched buffers to cover a data storage device underflow. The proper amount of buffering to cover an underflow is computed by subtracting both the arrival deadline and buffer time of the next buffer to be consumed from the arrival deadline of subsequent future buffers. This computation must be performed for each future buffer until the difference is greater than or equal to the maximum storage device underflow period. If the difference is less than the storage device underflow period, then a fetch of the buffer from the data storage device must be performed. To rapidly build the buffering when the play list is first started or when device underflow substantially depletes the buffers, a higher priority I/O may be utilized.