VideoTools/docs/VIDEO_PLAYER_FORK.md

Video Player Fork Plan

Overview

The video player component will be extracted into a separate project to allow independent development and improvement of video playback controls while keeping VideoTools focused on video processing.

Current Player Integration

The player is currently embedded in VideoTools at:

• internal/player/ - Player implementation
• main.go - Player state and controls in Convert module
• Preview frame display
• Playback controls (play/pause, seek, volume)

Fork Goals

1. Independent Development

• Develop player features without affecting VideoTools
• Faster iteration on playback controls
• Better testing of player-specific features
• Can be used by other projects

2. Improved Controls

Current limitations to address:

• Tighten up video controls
• Better seek bar with thumbnails on hover
• Improved timeline scrubbing
• Keyboard shortcuts for playback
• Frame-accurate stepping
• Playback speed controls
• Better volume control UI

3. Clean API

The forked player should expose a clean API:

type Player interface {
    Load(path string) error
    Play()
    Pause()
    Seek(position time.Duration)
    GetFrame(position time.Duration) (image.Image, error)
    SetVolume(level float64)
    Close()
}

Migration Strategy

Phase 1: Extract to Separate Module

1. Create new repository: github.com/yourusername/fyne-videoplayer
2. Copy internal/player/ to new repo
3. Extract player dependencies
4. Create clean API surface
5. Add comprehensive tests

Phase 2: Update VideoTools

1. Import fyne-videoplayer as dependency
2. Replace internal/player with external package
3. Update player instantiation
4. Verify all playback features work
5. Remove old internal/player code

Phase 3: Enhance Player (Post-Fork)

Features to add after fork:

• Thumbnail preview on seek bar hover
• Frame-accurate stepping (←/→ keys)
• Playback speed controls (0.25x to 2x)
• Improved volume slider
• Keyboard shortcuts (Space, K, J, L, etc.)
• Timeline markers
• Subtitle support
• Multi-audio track switching

Technical Considerations

Dependencies

Current dependencies to maintain:

• Fyne for UI rendering
• FFmpeg for video decoding
• CGO for FFmpeg bindings

Cross-Platform Support

Player must work on:

• Linux (GNOME, KDE, etc.)
• macOS
• Windows

Performance

• Hardware acceleration where available
• Efficient frame buffering
• Low CPU usage during playback
• Fast seeking

Timeline

1. Week 1-2: Extract player code, create repo, clean API
2. Week 3: Integration testing, update VideoTools
3. Week 4+: Enhanced controls and features

Benefits

• VideoTools: Leaner codebase, focus on processing
• Player: Independent evolution, reusable component
• Users: Better video controls, more reliable playback
• Developers: Easier to contribute to either project

Notes

• Keep player dependency minimal in VideoTools
• Player should be optional - frame display can work without playback
• Consider using player in Compare module for side-by-side playback (future)