Overview
Kino is a desktop media center. It lets users browse movies, shows, and anime. Users can find playable sources, manage profiles, track progress, and continue watching.
What I built
- Designed and built the desktop interface with Electron, React, TypeScript, and Vite
- Used Stremio addons for catalogs, metadata, subtitles, and media sources
- Added libmpv for video playback, audio tracks, subtitles, seeking, and saved progress
- Added profile preferences, watch history, source selection, and anime language settings
- Tested the app and corrected problems in the interface and playback flow
What I learned
Kino showed me the complexity of a media app. The main problems were unreliable third-party sources, communication between Electron processes, and native video playback in a React interface.
Regular use tests found small problems in playback, browsing, and source selection. These tests helped me improve the interface.
If I rebuild Kino, I will define the player structure and data flow first. I will also separate services from interface state. A small working prototype will make later changes easier to test.