A software framework that allows seamless integration of generic media players into a web browser. A media player is a software module that implements specific interfaces; defines a playing state, such as playing, paused, or stopped; and associates with the playing state a current playback time. A generic media player implements interfaces, including timing interfaces and playback synchronization interfaces for exchanging timing and synchronization information with a web browser. A player-hosting peer, which is a software component built into the browser, manages generic player hosting by a web browser. The player-hosting peer negotiates playback state and rendering status between the browser and the media player. Both the media player and the player-hosting peer maintain playing state and current playback time. The relationship between the peer and the player is a master slave relationship, with the peer being the master. The peer issues commands to the player, and the player notifies the peer of any state changes. A proxy layer allows external media players to integrate seamlessly into a browser.