About the Project

HardPlayer (25.0.0) is a lightweight, high-performance modular media player built with Python, PyQt6, and the MPV Engine. It combines native system integration with a sleek Catppuccin Mocha aesthetic and a pro-grade YouTube acquisition engine. Developed by Ahmed (ahmed-x86), this player follows the "KISS" philosophy, specifically optimized for the Linux ecosystem.

📥 Download Links

✨ What's New in v24.0.0?

• Fixed Ubuntu Builds: System-Qt for Debian/Ubuntu now utilizes the 24.04 base to ensure python3-pyqt6 dependency resolution.
• Embedded Assets: Nuitka now correctly embeds UI icons directly into the compiled binaries for a flawless native look.

✨ What's New in v23.0.0?

• Robust Download Resumption: Integrated state-management for tracking incomplete downloads. Automatically detects leftover .part files to resume seamlessly.
• Smart YouTube URL Parsing: Robust URL cleaner strips unwanted parameters (like timestamps or playlists) to prevent erratic yt-dlp behavior.
• Extended Filename & UI WordWrap: Dynamic text wrapping for long video titles. Downloaded files append the YouTube ID to prevent conflicts.
• Granular Progress: Stream-aware UI showing exact sizes for Video/Audio and a dedicated merging status during ffmpeg finalization.

✨ What's New in v22.0.0?

• Dual-Variant Release: Standalone (all Qt6 libraries bundled) and System-Qt (uses distro native libraries for smaller footprint).
• Pro Media Converter Suite: Multi-threaded conversion engine for Video, Audio, and Images from the top menu.
• CUDA-Assisted Pipeline: Hardware-accelerated decoding optimized for NVIDIA, ensuring perfect playback.
• Smart Progress & Safety: Real-time conversion analytics and interactive confirmation when cancelling active conversions.

📥 Pro YouTube Downloader & Enhancements (v16.0 - v21.0)

• Advanced Fetching: Download subtitles, thumbnails, embed chapters, and save metadata. Includes smart subtitle fetching with anti-ban mechanisms.
• Aria2 Acceleration: Multi-threaded acquiring (16 parallel connections) to bypass YouTube throttling.
• Universal Subtitles & Translation: Works for local and YouTube media.
• Customizable Environment: Set default format (mp4, mkv, webm) and custom download locations directly from the menu.
• Optimized UI: Catppuccin aesthetically styled progress bars, clean ANSI logic, and robust cancellation dialogs.

🛠️ Core Features & Philosophy

• Wayland-Native: Optimized for Hyprland with forced EGL contexts for stability.
• Hardware Mastery: Specialized support for NVDEC and VA-API with graceful fallbacks.
• Rich MPRIS: Seamless integration with Waybar, SwayNC, and system trays.
• Modular Engine: Decoupled core components to ensure the UI thread remains 100% lag-free.

💻 CLI Documentation

HardPlayer's terminal interface remains the fastest way to launch media.

• -device [cpu|intel|amd|nvidia]: Force hardware decoding backends.
• -quality [1080p|720p|480p|audio]: Set YouTube streaming resolution.
• -search: Treat input as a YouTube search query.

Example: Fast Launch (Local File + Hardware Decoding)

hardplayer /path/to/video.mp4 -device old_nvidia

Example: Fast Launch (YouTube + Quality + Decoding)

hardplayer "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=test" -quality 1080p -device old_nvidia

Example: Direct YouTube Search

hardplayer -search "test"
# Or combined with flags:
hardplayer -search "test" -quality 720p -device cpu

Example: Audio-Only Mode (Podcasts)

hardplayer "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=test" -quality audio

📥 Installation & Requirements

Arch Linux (Pacman):

sudo pacman -S aria2  # Required for high-speed downloads
sudo pacman -U hardplayer-system-qt-25.0.0-1-x86_64.pkg.tar.zst

Debian/Ubuntu (DEB):

sudo apt install aria2
sudo dpkg -i hardplayer-system-qt_25.0.0_amd64.deb

📦 Requirements

• mpv (libmpv)
• ffmpeg
• yt-dlp
• aria2 (For accelerated downloads)

Development & Quick Run

git clone https://github.com/ahmed-x86/hardplayer.git
cd hardplayer
python hardplayer.py