A request for a unit of video information is received from a remote video receiver. An initial transmission rate for the unit of video information is determined based at least in part on a decoder model and a typical steady-state transmission rate for the unit of video information. The initial transmission rate is faster than the typical steady-state transmission rate. For a first time period after receiving the request, a first portion of the unit of video information is transmitted to the remote video receiver at the initial transmission rate. The first time period, the initial transmission rate, or both are determined so as not to overflow an input buffer that is based at least in part on the decoder model. For a second time period after the first time period, a second portion of the unit of video information is transmitted to the remote video receiver at the typical steady-state transmission rate.