Video Page Features

YouTube watch-page features that the code can already read or control (in the src/sites/youtube/page/youtube-*.js modules) but that the VR interface doesn't use yet. Ordered from least to most work. Tick an item off (or delete it) when it ships in VR.

Full data inventory with live-probed notes: the maintainer's private "YouTube Watch Page Data" notes (not published; what matters from them is in this file and docs/youtube.md).

Small: a button or switch on something that already exists

~~Loop on/off~~ DONE (v0.25.0: Playback group in Format Settings)
- ~~Code: youtube.loop(), youtube.setLoop(on)~~
~~Autoplay on/off~~ DONE (v0.25.0: next to Loop)
- ~~Code: youtube.autoplay(), youtube.setAutoplay(on)~~
~~Audio track menu~~ DONE (v0.27.0: an "Audio" tab in Settings, only on videos with more than one track; a grid of tracks marked auto-dubbed / original)
- ~~Code: youtube.audioTracks(), youtube.setAudioTrack(id)~~
~~Live streams~~ DONE (v0.26.0: red "● LIVE" label in place of the time; grey with "−0:45" when behind, click it to jump back to live; seek bar = the rewindable part)
- ~~Code: youtube.live(), youtube.goLive()~~
~~Playlist controls~~ DONE (v0.23.0-0.24.0: Previous/Next buttons with hover cards, "Playlist 3 / 25 · name", Playlist tab in Up Next)
- ~~Code: youtube.playlistPosition(), youtube.nextVideo(), youtube.previousVideo(), youtube.playAt(index), youtubeContent.playlist()~~

Small to medium: additions to existing panels

~~Endless Up Next~~ DONE (v0.20.1: loads the next batch near the last page)
- ~~Code: youtubePage.loadMoreRecommendations()~~
~~Playlists and mixes in Up Next~~ DONE (v0.27.0: merged into Recommended where YouTube puts them, labelled "Mix" / "Playlist"; they open as playlists. Signed out, YouTube suggested none on the videos checked, so this is unverified until seen signed in)
~~Chapter list~~ DONE (v0.28.0: "Chapters" tab of the new Description panel; the Description panel is where the description text (below) will go as a second tab)
- ~~Code: youtubeContent.chapters()~~
~~Most Replayed graph on the seek bar~~ DONE (v0.41.0: a soft curve over the seek bar while it's pointed at or dragged, as on YouTube)
- ~~Code: youtubeContent.mostReplayed()~~
Movies in Up Next (seen by the maintainer in 0.66.1, signed in: a free movie rated PG-13 in Recommended). Two parts:
- Fix: its card's grey line shows the movie's price ("Free") and rating ("PG-13") where a video shows its views and upload date: YouTube's movie items put those in the fields our parser reads as views / age. Read movies as their own kind and show what fits (e.g. the year, the rating, the price or "Free"), never price / rating in the views slot.
- Add: a Movie tag on the card, beside the 2D / 180° / 360° tag (cards.js kinds): the Material Symbols movie icon (already in symbols.js) instead of text, in yellow (the maintainer's choice), so movies stand out from regular videos.
- Code: the Up Next items (youtubePage recommendations, the card fields in provider/cards.js); check Browse and Search results show movies the same way.

Premium features (the maintainer, after 0.78.4): YouTube Premium's extras in VR, marked with Material Symbols' Diamond icon: purple when you don't have Premium (an upsell, like YouTube's own), YouTube Red when you do. Find out first how the page says whether you have Premium (a probe signed in with Premium).

Audit (2026-10-17, from YouTube's help article "YouTube Premium benefits", answer 6308116, computer and Android versions):

Benefit	On desktop web?	In StreamXR
1080p Premium (enhanced bitrate, 1080p uploads only)	yes, an extra Quality entry	Done (0.91.0, works in the headset): its own Quality row with the Diamond (red with Premium; purple and greyed out without)
Jump ahead (to the point most viewers skip to)	yes (double-click, Ctrl + →)	Done (0.92.3, works in the headset): a button at the seek bar's end (Skip ad's spot) with the Diamond, shown while YouTube's own pill is up; clicking it clicks that pill
Ad-free videos	yes	Already: no ads means nothing to skip
Continue watching across devices	yes (account)	Already: YouTube's player resumes
Queue	for everyone on desktop (Premium only on phones)	Not Premium here: its own item (Add to queue, below)
Downloads (offline)	desktop has a Download button	Deferred: watching in VR needs the PC online anyway
Background play, picture-in-picture, Smart downloads, On-the-go mode, Auto speed	phones only	Out
Higher-quality audio (256 kbps music)	apps and TVs only	Out
YouTube Music app, Premium badges, Co-Watch with Meet, Afterparties, smart devices	other apps	Out
Early access to new features (experiments)	varies	Out: they come and go

Add to queue (desktop: for everyone, not Premium): queue a video from a card and play the queue in order. Find out first how the page's queue can be driven.

Medium: new panels with scrolling or long text

~~Captions~~ DONE (v0.77.0: a Captions button and menu (Off + tracks) on the controls panel; the lines YouTube shows on the page are read from its DOM and drawn in VR)
- ~~Code: youtube.captions(), youtube.setCaptions(track), youtube.captionLines()~~
- Note: YouTube draws captions on the page, not into the video picture, so VR never sees them; StreamXR reads the lines as they appear (captions-overlay.js draws them).
End screen
- Code: youtubeContent.endScreen()
- VR idea: show the suggested videos and channel links when a video ends.
~~Description panel~~ DONE (v0.29.0: "Description" tab: views · date, the text without its chapter list, scrolling; timestamps seek, YouTube video links open)
- ~~Code: youtubeContent.descriptionWithoutChapters(), youtubeContent.metadata()~~
~~Transcript panel~~ DONE (v0.29.0: "Transcript" tab when the video has one; loading spinner, current line highlighted and followed, click a line to seek)
- ~~Code: youtubeContent.transcript(), youtubeContent.hasTranscript()~~
Info cards
- Code: youtubeContent.cards()
- VR idea: show the "i" cards (linked videos/playlists) at their times.

Large

~~Comments~~ DONE (v0.30.0: "Comments" tab of the Description panel: Top / Newest, scrolling with more loading near the end, replies opened under a comment, clickable times)
- ~~Code: youtubeContent.comments(sort), replies(comment), commentsInfo()~~
- v0.30.1: the creator's ❤ shows; like / dislike buttons (confirmed signed in).
- Not yet: replies to replies (YouTube's newer nested threads), writing comments (writing needs the VR keyboard).
Live chat (medium to large, read-only first): phase 1 (reading) built in 0.79.0, working in the headset since 0.79.1 (checked by the maintainer).
- Code: youtube-chat.js (the views, the chat page, polling every 2 s; docs/youtube.md, "Live chat") and provider/live-chat.js (the panel; Info style's chat content). A finished stream's chat replay plays along with the video since 0.87.0 (to check): fetched ahead with live_chat/get_live_chat_replay, each message shown at its time in the video, following pauses and seeks.
- Messages: text with emoji images, author with badges (moderator, member, verified), Super Chats / Stickers (coloured, with the amount), membership messages.
- Decided (design-choices.md, 2026-10-16): a right-side panel from a Chat button on the right toolbar, shown only on live streams and chat replays; it doesn't fade with its toolbar (a generic registry option, no chat field in the shell). Newest at the bottom, auto-scrolling, with "jump to newest" after scrolling back; a replay follows the video time and seeks.
- Phases: 1. reading (messages, badges, Super Chats / Stickers, memberships, the pinned message as a banner, member emojis inline: 0.79.0); 2. reactions (a row of reaction buttons along the panel's bottom, sent with youtubeChat.react(): 0.80.0, working in the headset; other viewers' floating reactions deferred, see "Deferred"); 3. typing with the existing VR keyboard, which gains an emoji layer (standard emojis plus the set the panel hands it: the channel's member emojis), and a "Support on desktop" button (paying stays out of VR): built in 0.81.0, to check (a message field with Send; the keyboard's 😀 pages; Support opens a dialog pointing to YouTube's own window). Then Top fans (0.82.0, to check): your XP in a 👑 pill at the right of the chat's tabs, opening the ranked list in the panel (your row at the bottom), and the top three's "#1" / "#2" / "#3" pills in the chat.
- Then every side panel movable (left and right): a grab bar beside each side's toolbar, on the video side (0.85.0; a bar under the panel in 0.83.0, a toolbar button in 0.84.1). Moving one moves its whole side (toolbar and panels); No resizing. Built in 0.83.0 (works in the headset); since 0.84.0 a recenter keeps the moves (only the global reset puts them back).
~~Search~~ DONE (v0.42.0: a "Search" chevron between Channel and Browse, Catalog style with a search field; v0.43.0: the in-VR keyboard, right controller's A)
- ~~Code: youtubeContent.search(query)~~ (ads and the Shorts shelf are skipped)

Also available (no plan yet)

Channel/owner details: youtubeContent.owner()
Technical info: youtube.statsForNerds() (codecs, resolution, bandwidth, buffer), youtube.videoData(), youtube.loadedFraction(). These could go in the VR Details panel.
YouTube's own 360° view angle: youtube.sphericalView(), youtube.setSphericalView()

Deferred

Left out for now by the maintainer; each can come back if there is demand for it.

Other viewers' floating reactions in the live chat (medium; the maintainer, 2026-10-17)
- What: the emojis that float up over YouTube's chat when viewers press the reaction buttons.
- Why: they arrive as emojiFountainDataEntity entity updates (seen once, in probe 9) whose shape is unknown, and there's no stream known to send many of them to build and test against. Sending your own reactions works (0.80.0).

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