First dispatch of 2026 and I fixed a fair amount of issues and implemented missing features:

• fixed layout shifting on video page load
• transcoder fixes
  • optimized ffmpeg filter
  • figured out how to get HDR content to not look washed out (thumbnail generation now accounts for this too)
  • (re-)fixed issue with video not playing in iOS
• fixed unlisted videos showing up in channels
• video upload page now redirects after successful upload
• Creators can now edit metadata and delete videos
• the /explore page loads a random video (you can access this via the binoculars icon in the floating navigation)

With all these fixes, I was quite pleased to learn that with the way I architected NICKEL, the storage usage stats automatically update when you upload or delete videos (thank goodness).

Something I learned over the past week of development is that Discord doesn't support m3u8 playlist files in their embeds. So, unlike Apple's iMessage, Discord won't try to parse an embed from NICKEL unless it points to an mp4 file (which means you won't be able to watch a NICKEL video from within a Discord channel). Womp.

The fix for this would be to generate a 720p video on upload and serve that when my embedding logic detects Discord...maybe some other time.

The most glaring issues before embarking on the /explore page part 2 is the static list of videos that don't exist on every video page:

This placeholder doesn't have to exist anymore, thankfully.

Have you ever wanted to be your own TV channel/network? Hehe, see you in the next dispatch!

— Paul

If you’re a Creator or aspiring to be one, let me know what you need in a platform (here’s my profile and a random video, if you want to see how the UI is shaping up). If you know a Creator, let them know about NICKEL! By signing up for the mailing list, you’re also on the waitlist (which makes you eligible for future perks).

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