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Rewind Video: a Video.js skin that’s a whole video store
I wanted to design a video library that works together with the player, not one bolted on next to it. And the video library I have the warmest memories of is the video store: Friday nights, walking the aisles, reading hand-written staff picks, carrying a tape to the counter. Rewind Video brings that feeling back. You browse the library, rent a film, and watch it, the way we used to.
The store is the library. You walk between three aisles: Horror, Staff Picks and Cult & Sci-Fi. Open a shelf and you see the tapes spine-out, with hand-written labels and genre stickers. Pull one off the shelf and it becomes a 3D VHS tape you can turn in your hands, next to its rental slip. Rent it, and the store keeps it in your rental history.
The player is the TV. The skin is a 1970s TV set, and every control is part of it:
- the push buttons rewind, play/pause, fast-forward and go fullscreen;
- the tuning knob scrubs through the tape;
- the volume knob turns, and a small knob mutes;
- a green VCR bar on the glass shows the time and lets you seek;
- the power knob ejects the tape and sends you back to the shelf.
On a phone the set’s knobs would be too small for a thumb, so the TV comes with its own remote.
Made for everyone. Everything works with the keyboard, with a visible focus ring on every knob and button. Touch targets are thumb-sized, the time stays readable over bright and dark footage, and all the motion calms down when reduced motion is on.
▶ Watch the player: https://inquisitive-profiterole-99d1a7.netlify.app/#watch
🏪 Walk the store: https://inquisitive-profiterole-99d1a7.netlify.app
Please be kind, rewind.
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Here’s my Video.js skin submission! I imagined what it would be like watching a video in a spacecraft from the future and left behind the conventional layout of the controls. What do we think?
Who wants to come to a picnic with an outdoor movie? I'll bring the video player 🧺🎬
Picnic Cinema is my new Video.js skin: a 3D garden cinema where the controls hang as tags from festoon bulbs. The lights glow when you pause and dim when the film starts.
Too comfy to reach the bulbs? Grab the remote on the picnic table.
You can still use the keyboard like a normal player: Space to play, arrows to seek and change the volume, F for fullscreen.
this is such a fun concept!
SIDE A - Press Play Like It's 1985.
What if a video player felt like something you could actually touch?
SIDE A is my take on a Video.js v10 skin, inspired by vintage tape decks and the tactile experience of analog technology.
I wanted to move away from the usual minimal video interfaces and create something with personality. Mechanical-style playback buttons, a rotary volume knob, aged brass details, retro typography, and subtle CRT effects all come together to make the player feel like a physical object rather than just another interface.
But the idea wasn't simply to make something nostalgic. I wanted to show that an unconventional design can still be intuitive and accessible. SIDE A is built with responsive controls, keyboard navigation, visible focus states, touch-friendly interactions, and reduced-motion support. In fullscreen, the tape deck transforms into a minimal control tray, keeping the focus on the content.
The result is a balance between old-school character and modern functionality.
Because sometimes pressing play should feel as good as watching what's playing.
Built with Video.js v10 and released under Apache License 2.0.