diff --git a/api/current.xml b/api/current.xml
index e9082bc5af253..ec76edb3ce8a4 100644
--- a/api/current.xml
+++ b/api/current.xml
@@ -175196,6 +175196,39 @@
  deprecated="not deprecated"
  visibility="public"
 >
+<method name="canPause"
+ return="boolean"
+ abstract="true"
+ native="false"
+ synchronized="false"
+ static="false"
+ final="false"
+ deprecated="not deprecated"
+ visibility="public"
+>
+</method>
+<method name="canSeekBackward"
+ return="boolean"
+ abstract="true"
+ native="false"
+ synchronized="false"
+ static="false"
+ final="false"
+ deprecated="not deprecated"
+ visibility="public"
+>
+</method>
+<method name="canSeekForward"
+ return="boolean"
+ abstract="true"
+ native="false"
+ synchronized="false"
+ static="false"
+ final="false"
+ deprecated="not deprecated"
+ visibility="public"
+>
+</method>
 <method name="getBufferPercentage"
  return="int"
  abstract="true"
@@ -183524,6 +183557,39 @@
 <parameter name="defStyle" type="int">
 </parameter>
 </constructor>
+<method name="canPause"
+ return="boolean"
+ abstract="false"
+ native="false"
+ synchronized="false"
+ static="false"
+ final="false"
+ deprecated="not deprecated"
+ visibility="public"
+>
+</method>
+<method name="canSeekBackward"
+ return="boolean"
+ abstract="false"
+ native="false"
+ synchronized="false"
+ static="false"
+ final="false"
+ deprecated="not deprecated"
+ visibility="public"
+>
+</method>
+<method name="canSeekForward"
+ return="boolean"
+ abstract="false"
+ native="false"
+ synchronized="false"
+ static="false"
+ final="false"
+ deprecated="not deprecated"
+ visibility="public"
+>
+</method>
 <method name="getBufferPercentage"
  return="int"
  abstract="false"
diff --git a/core/java/android/widget/MediaController.java b/core/java/android/widget/MediaController.java
index 0c9d980488eaf..9910c3715df9f 100644
--- a/core/java/android/widget/MediaController.java
+++ b/core/java/android/widget/MediaController.java
@@ -249,6 +249,29 @@ public class MediaController extends FrameLayout {
         show(sDefaultTimeout);
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Disable pause or seek buttons if the stream cannot be paused or seeked.
+     * This requires the control interface to be a MediaPlayerControlExt
+     */
+    private void disableUnsupportedButtons() {
+        try {
+            if (mPauseButton != null && !mPlayer.canPause()) {
+                mPauseButton.setEnabled(false);
+            }
+            if (mRewButton != null && !mPlayer.canSeekBackward()) {
+                mRewButton.setEnabled(false);
+            }
+            if (mFfwdButton != null && !mPlayer.canSeekForward()) {
+                mFfwdButton.setEnabled(false);
+            }
+        } catch (IncompatibleClassChangeError ex) {
+            // We were given an old version of the interface, that doesn't have
+            // the canPause/canSeekXYZ methods. This is OK, it just means we
+            // assume the media can be paused and seeked, and so we don't disable
+            // the buttons.
+        }
+    }
+    
     /**
      * Show the controller on screen. It will go away
      * automatically after 'timeout' milliseconds of inactivity.
@@ -259,6 +282,7 @@ public class MediaController extends FrameLayout {
 
         if (!mShowing && mAnchor != null) {
             setProgress();
+            disableUnsupportedButtons();
 
             int [] anchorpos = new int[2];
             mAnchor.getLocationOnScreen(anchorpos);
@@ -421,17 +445,13 @@ public class MediaController extends FrameLayout {
     };
 
     private void updatePausePlay() {
-        if (mRoot == null)
-            return;
-
-        ImageButton button = (ImageButton) mRoot.findViewById(com.android.internal.R.id.pause);
-        if (button == null)
+        if (mRoot == null || mPauseButton == null)
             return;
 
         if (mPlayer.isPlaying()) {
-            button.setImageResource(com.android.internal.R.drawable.ic_media_pause);
+            mPauseButton.setImageResource(com.android.internal.R.drawable.ic_media_pause);
         } else {
-            button.setImageResource(com.android.internal.R.drawable.ic_media_play);
+            mPauseButton.setImageResource(com.android.internal.R.drawable.ic_media_play);
         }
     }
 
@@ -516,7 +536,7 @@ public class MediaController extends FrameLayout {
         if (mProgress != null) {
             mProgress.setEnabled(enabled);
         }
-
+        disableUnsupportedButtons();
         super.setEnabled(enabled);
     }
 
@@ -579,5 +599,8 @@ public class MediaController extends FrameLayout {
         void    seekTo(int pos);
         boolean isPlaying();
         int     getBufferPercentage();
-    };
+        boolean canPause();
+        boolean canSeekBackward();
+        boolean canSeekForward();
+    }
 }
diff --git a/core/java/android/widget/VideoView.java b/core/java/android/widget/VideoView.java
index 5bc25073f7740..e60ff25703f99 100644
--- a/core/java/android/widget/VideoView.java
+++ b/core/java/android/widget/VideoView.java
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ import android.content.Intent;
 import android.content.res.Resources;
 import android.media.AudioManager;
 import android.media.MediaPlayer;
+import android.media.Metadata;
 import android.media.MediaPlayer.OnCompletionListener;
 import android.media.MediaPlayer.OnErrorListener;
 import android.net.Uri;
@@ -34,7 +35,7 @@ import android.view.MotionEvent;
 import android.view.SurfaceHolder;
 import android.view.SurfaceView;
 import android.view.View;
-import android.widget.MediaController.MediaPlayerControl;
+import android.widget.MediaController.*;
 
 import java.io.IOException;
 
@@ -81,6 +82,9 @@ public class VideoView extends SurfaceView implements MediaPlayerControl {
     private int         mCurrentBufferPercentage;
     private OnErrorListener mOnErrorListener;
     private int         mSeekWhenPrepared;  // recording the seek position while preparing
+    private boolean     mCanPause;
+    private boolean     mCanSeekBack;
+    private boolean     mCanSeekForward;
 
     public VideoView(Context context) {
         super(context);
@@ -259,6 +263,17 @@ public class VideoView extends SurfaceView implements MediaPlayerControl {
     MediaPlayer.OnPreparedListener mPreparedListener = new MediaPlayer.OnPreparedListener() {
         public void onPrepared(MediaPlayer mp) {
             mCurrentState = STATE_PREPARED;
+
+            // Get the capabilities of the player for this stream
+            Metadata data = mp.getMetadata(MediaPlayer.METADATA_ALL,
+                                      MediaPlayer.BYPASS_METADATA_FILTER);
+            mCanPause = !data.has(Metadata.PAUSE_AVAILABLE)
+                    || data.getBoolean(Metadata.PAUSE_AVAILABLE);
+            mCanSeekBack = !data.has(Metadata.SEEK_BACKWARD_AVAILABLE)
+                    || data.getBoolean(Metadata.SEEK_BACKWARD_AVAILABLE);
+            mCanSeekForward = !data.has(Metadata.SEEK_FORWARD_AVAILABLE)
+                    || data.getBoolean(Metadata.SEEK_FORWARD_AVAILABLE);
+
             if (mOnPreparedListener != null) {
                 mOnPreparedListener.onPrepared(mMediaPlayer);
             }
@@ -267,6 +282,7 @@ public class VideoView extends SurfaceView implements MediaPlayerControl {
             }
             mVideoWidth = mp.getVideoWidth();
             mVideoHeight = mp.getVideoHeight();
+
             int seekToPosition = mSeekWhenPrepared;  // mSeekWhenPrepared may be changed after seekTo() call
             if (seekToPosition != 0) {
                 seekTo(seekToPosition);
@@ -580,4 +596,16 @@ public class VideoView extends SurfaceView implements MediaPlayerControl {
                 mCurrentState != STATE_IDLE &&
                 mCurrentState != STATE_PREPARING);
     }
+
+    public boolean canPause() {
+        return mCanPause;
+    }
+
+    public boolean canSeekBackward() {
+        return mCanSeekBack;
+    }
+
+    public boolean canSeekForward() {
+        return mCanSeekForward;
+    }
 }