What it is

PULSE: Playback Unit for Local Streams and Entertainment.

PULSE is a fork of VLC, remastered. The playback engine stays; the look, the name and the places that feel slow are what change.

Plays what VLC plays

The same engine and codecs underneath. The goal is no regression against VLC on the same files: MP4, MKV, MP3, FLAC and network streams.

The RZRBLL face

OLED black, one Scarlet for the action, monospaced timecodes, thin line icons.

Faster where it matters

Startup and library scrolling are the first targets. We measure on a real PC before and after, and publish numbers only once they exist.

Windows first

Version 1 is a Windows x64 build and installer. Other platforms stay in the code but are not built or tested yet.

Open source, inherited

Built on VLC under its LGPL/GPL licences, so PULSE ships its source too. VLC's name and cone come out; a line saying "based on VLC" stays.

Made for one user first

Built for Sid's daily use. A public release is possible later but is not a goal of version 1.

The look

One color, one meaning.

The same palette as every RZRBLL product. Most of the screen is black, white and grey; color only appears where it means something.

Scarlet

Play, seek position, the one action.

#FF2400

Amber

Warnings and codec problems.

#FF7E00

Green

Saved and confirmed.

#30D158

OLED Black

The background. Slightly off pure black, so scrolling stays clean on OLED screens.

#050505
The plan

Six phases, one at a time.

Work is under way, one phase at a time. Nothing below is finished yet.

  1. P0

    Setup

    Fork, remotes and a Docker cross-compile that builds an unmodified player for Windows.

    In Development
  2. P1

    Rebrand

    New name, icons, logo, about box and installer text. No VLC branding in the UI.

    Queued
  3. P2

    Theme

    The RZRBLL palette and type in the style layer, with a script that checks text contrast.

    Queued
  4. P3

    Chrome

    Control bar, seek bar, sidebar, library and settings restyled.

    Queued
  5. P4

    Performance

    Measure a baseline, profile, fix the top hot spots, measure again.

    Queued
  6. P5

    Ship

    Installer, release notes and the source offer.

    Queued

Not in version 1

  • A new playback or codec engine
  • macOS, Linux, Android or iOS builds
  • A light theme
  • An auto-update server or store listing
  • Renaming VLC's internal module names
Also from RZRBLL

Looking for something you can use today?

Bench-mark is a lifting log with a coach that shows its work, and it opens a waitlist now.

See Bench-mark