Embodiments provide for methods, computer program products, and systems to improve media playback comprising receiving a variant stream, identifying respective maximum segment durations for a plurality of different types of client devices that will play media content contained in the variant stream, generating, using the variant stream, a respective playlist for each of the plurality of different types of client devices, wherein the respective playlists each contain different maximum segment durations, and delivering the respective playlists to at least one of the plurality of different types of client devices via a distribution network.