diff --git a/content/html/content/public/nsHTMLMediaElement.h b/content/html/content/public/nsHTMLMediaElement.h
index 5dd129979ea..5438d47857e 100644
--- a/content/html/content/public/nsHTMLMediaElement.h
+++ b/content/html/content/public/nsHTMLMediaElement.h
@@ -272,8 +272,4 @@ protected:
   // to ensure that the playstate doesn't change when the user goes Forward/Back
   // from the bfcache.
   PRPackedBool mPausedBeforeFreeze;
-
-  // True if playback was requested before a decoder was available to begin
-  // playback with.
-  PRPackedBool mPlayRequested;
 };
diff --git a/content/html/content/src/nsHTMLMediaElement.cpp b/content/html/content/src/nsHTMLMediaElement.cpp
index bb5b8c38da9..2c2ac4a1bed 100644
--- a/content/html/content/src/nsHTMLMediaElement.cpp
+++ b/content/html/content/src/nsHTMLMediaElement.cpp
@@ -506,8 +506,7 @@ nsHTMLMediaElement::nsHTMLMediaElement(nsINodeInfo *aNodeInfo, PRBool aFromParse
     mPaused(PR_TRUE),
     mMuted(PR_FALSE),
     mIsDoneAddingChildren(!aFromParser),
-    mPlayingBeforeSeek(PR_FALSE),
-    mPlayRequested(PR_FALSE)
+    mPlayingBeforeSeek(PR_FALSE)
 {
 }
 
@@ -525,33 +524,37 @@ nsHTMLMediaElement::~nsHTMLMediaElement()
 
 NS_IMETHODIMP nsHTMLMediaElement::Play()
 {
-  if (!mDecoder) {
-    mPlayRequested = PR_TRUE;
-    return NS_OK;
-  }
-
   if (mNetworkState == nsIDOMHTMLMediaElement::NETWORK_EMPTY) {
-    mPlayRequested = PR_TRUE;
-    return Load();
-  }
-
-  if (mDecoder->IsEnded()) {
-    SetCurrentTime(0);
+    nsresult rv = Load();
+    NS_ENSURE_SUCCESS(rv, rv);
+  } else if (mDecoder) {
+    if (mDecoder->IsEnded()) {
+      SetCurrentTime(0);
+    }
+    nsresult rv = mDecoder->Play();
+    NS_ENSURE_SUCCESS(rv, rv);
   }
 
   // TODO: If the playback has ended, then the user agent must set 
   // currentLoop to zero and seek to the effective start.
   // TODO: The playback rate must be set to the default playback rate.
-  nsresult rv = mDecoder->Play();
-  NS_ENSURE_SUCCESS(rv, rv);
+  if (mPaused) {
+    DispatchAsyncSimpleEvent(NS_LITERAL_STRING("play"));
+    switch (mReadyState) {
+    case nsIDOMHTMLMediaElement::HAVE_METADATA:
+    case nsIDOMHTMLMediaElement::HAVE_CURRENT_DATA:
+      DispatchAsyncSimpleEvent(NS_LITERAL_STRING("waiting"));
+      break;
+    case nsIDOMHTMLMediaElement::HAVE_FUTURE_DATA:
+    case nsIDOMHTMLMediaElement::HAVE_ENOUGH_DATA:
+      DispatchAsyncSimpleEvent(NS_LITERAL_STRING("playing"));
+      break;
+    }
+  }
 
-  PRBool oldPaused = mPaused;
   mPaused = PR_FALSE;
   mAutoplaying = PR_FALSE;
 
-  if (oldPaused)
-    DispatchAsyncSimpleEvent(NS_LITERAL_STRING("play"));
-
   return NS_OK;
 }
 
@@ -870,7 +873,15 @@ nsresult nsHTMLMediaElement::InitializeDecoderForChannel(nsIChannel *aChannel,
 
   mNetworkState = nsIDOMHTMLMediaElement::NETWORK_LOADING;
 
-  return mDecoder->Load(nsnull, aChannel, aListener);
+  nsresult rv = mDecoder->Load(nsnull, aChannel, aListener);
+  if (NS_FAILED(rv))
+    return rv;
+
+  if (!mPaused) {
+    rv = mDecoder->Play();
+  }
+
+  return rv;
 }
 
 nsresult nsHTMLMediaElement::NewURIFromString(const nsAutoString& aURISpec, nsIURI** aURI)
@@ -953,14 +964,6 @@ void nsHTMLMediaElement::MetadataLoaded()
   ChangeReadyState(nsIDOMHTMLMediaElement::HAVE_METADATA);
   DispatchAsyncSimpleEvent(NS_LITERAL_STRING("durationchange"));
   DispatchAsyncSimpleEvent(NS_LITERAL_STRING("loadedmetadata"));
-  if (mPlayRequested) {
-    mPlayRequested = PR_FALSE;
-    mPaused = PR_FALSE;
-    if (mDecoder) {
-      mDecoder->Play();
-    }
-    DispatchAsyncSimpleEvent(NS_LITERAL_STRING("play"));
-  }
 }
 
 void nsHTMLMediaElement::FirstFrameLoaded()
@@ -1103,16 +1106,12 @@ void nsHTMLMediaElement::ChangeReadyState(nsMediaReadyState aState)
       break;
  
     case nsIDOMHTMLMediaElement::HAVE_ENOUGH_DATA:
-      DispatchAsyncSimpleEvent(NS_LITERAL_STRING("canplaythrough"));
       if (oldState != mReadyState) {
         LOG(PR_LOG_DEBUG, ("Ready state changed to HAVE_ENOUGH_DATA"));
       }
       if (oldState <= nsIDOMHTMLMediaElement::HAVE_CURRENT_DATA) {
         DispatchAsyncSimpleEvent(NS_LITERAL_STRING("canplay"));
       }
-      if (oldState <= nsIDOMHTMLMediaElement::HAVE_FUTURE_DATA) {
-        DispatchAsyncSimpleEvent(NS_LITERAL_STRING("canplaythrough"));
-      }
       if (mAutoplaying &&
           mPaused &&
           HasAttr(kNameSpaceID_None, nsGkAtoms::autoplay)) {
@@ -1127,6 +1126,9 @@ void nsHTMLMediaElement::ChangeReadyState(nsMediaReadyState aState)
           IsPotentiallyPlaying()) {
         DispatchAsyncSimpleEvent(NS_LITERAL_STRING("playing"));
       }
+      if (oldState <= nsIDOMHTMLMediaElement::HAVE_FUTURE_DATA) {
+        DispatchAsyncSimpleEvent(NS_LITERAL_STRING("canplaythrough"));
+      }
       break;
     }
   }
diff --git a/content/media/video/test/Makefile.in b/content/media/video/test/Makefile.in
index 256137aad02..ec8888ac7dc 100644
--- a/content/media/video/test/Makefile.in
+++ b/content/media/video/test/Makefile.in
@@ -75,6 +75,7 @@ _TEST_FILES += \
 		test_ended1.html \
 		test_ended2.html \
 		test_onloadedmetadata.html \
+		test_play.html \
 		test_progress1.html \
 		test_progress3.html \
 		test_standalone.html \
diff --git a/content/media/video/test/test_autoplay.html b/content/media/video/test/test_autoplay.html
index 60de46abc2c..010aba03595 100644
--- a/content/media/video/test/test_autoplay.html
+++ b/content/media/video/test/test_autoplay.html
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 <!DOCTYPE HTML>
 <html>
 <head>
-  <title>Media test: autoplay attribute get</title>
+  <title>Media test: autoplay attribute</title>
   <script type="text/javascript" src="/MochiKit/MochiKit.js"></script>
   <script type="text/javascript" src="/tests/SimpleTest/SimpleTest.js"></script>
   <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/tests/SimpleTest/test.css" />
diff --git a/content/media/video/test/test_play.html b/content/media/video/test/test_play.html
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..0594612cf79
--- /dev/null
+++ b/content/media/video/test/test_play.html
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+<!DOCTYPE HTML>
+<html>
+<head>
+  <title>Media test: play() method</title>
+  <script type="text/javascript" src="/MochiKit/MochiKit.js"></script>
+  <script type="text/javascript" src="/tests/SimpleTest/SimpleTest.js"></script>
+  <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/tests/SimpleTest/test.css" />
+</head>
+<body>
+<pre id="test">
+<video id="v"></video>
+<script>
+SimpleTest.waitForExplicitFinish();
+
+var v = document.getElementById("v");
+
+var playEvents = ["play", "canplay", "playing", "canplaythrough"];
+function gotPlayEvent(event) {
+  is(event.type, playEvents.shift(), "Check expected event");
+}
+for (var i = 0; i < playEvents.length; ++i) {
+  v.addEventListener(playEvents[i], gotPlayEvent, false);
+}
+
+function ended() {
+  is(playEvents.length, 0, "Undelivered event " + playEvents[0]);
+  SimpleTest.finish();
+}
+v.addEventListener("ended", ended, false);
+
+v.src = "320x240.ogv";
+v.load();
+v.play();
+</script>
+</pre>
+</body>
+</html>