📼 Halcyon Video: A Nostalgic 3D Gateway for Your Media Server

Halcyon Video transforms your digital Jellyfin collection into a fully immersive, walkable 1990s-style video rental store. Instead of scrolling through a grid of posters, you can now physically stroll through aisles under the hum of warm fluorescent lights, pluck a movie from the shelf, and examine the box art before "renting" it.

"It's not just a piece of software; it's a time machine for your movie night."

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🕹️ Experience the Demo

You can test the experience immediately without any setup or account: 👉 Live Demo

Warning: The demo loads a synthetic library of $\approx 2,000$ titles. This requires significant GPU resources and several GBs of RAM. It is highly recommended to use a plugged-in computer rather than a battery-powered laptop.

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🛠️ The Technical Architecture

At its core, Halcyon Video is a high-performance web application built with a modern stack: Vite + TypeScript + three.js (with an optional Tauri wrapper for desktop installation).

How it Works

The app connects to your Jellyfin server and procedurally generates a store layout based on your metadata:

• Libraries $\rightarrow$ Store Aisles
• Genres $\rightarrow$ Signposted Sections
• Low Ratings $\rightarrow$ The "Bargain Bin"
• Duplicates $\rightarrow$ Stacked copies behind the primary face

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🎨 Total Customization: One Library, Four Dimensions

The store isn't a static preset. You can mix and match the following independent settings to create your perfect rental atmosphere:

Additional Capabilities

• RomM Integration: Create a gaming department with platform-specific bays and jewel cases.
• Remote Play: Stream the 3D store to any browser via a dedicated TURN relay.
• Deep Branding: Change logos, colors, and fixtures via simple data folders (no coding required).
• Leaner Demo: (Planned) A lightweight version of the web demo.
• More Adapters: (Roadmap #32) Expanding the media layer.

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🚶 Walking the Store

You can navigate the store in two ways:

1. Cursor Mode: Jump from shelf to shelf with automatic duplicate skipping.
2. First-Person Mode: Press F to enter. Use WASD to move, the mouse to look around, and click to interact.

The Atmosphere

• The New Releases Wall: Your latest additions are displayed face-out under a classic "2-EVENING NEW RELEASE RENTAL $3" sign.
• Audio-Visuals: Ceiling-mounted CRTs play family-safe clips from your library, featuring positional audio that shifts as you walk.
• Visual Cues: 4K titles feature a distinct 4K sticker, and popular movies show multiple copies deep on the shelf.

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📦 The "Physical" Interaction

When you find a movie, press Enter to lift the case. You can rotate the box to see:

1. The Front: Your custom retail art.
2. The Back: A detailed rental sleeve containing:
   • Synopsis, Director, Cast, Year, and Runtime.
   • Genre-specific "hype" quotes (e.g., "AN EXPLOSIVE SCI-FI SPECTACLE!").
   • A technical specifications table:

Note: TV series appear as 3D season boxsets; rotate to the side panel to select specific episodes.

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🖥️ The Search Terminal & Checkout

Need something specific? Press / to teleport behind the counter to the clerk's station.

• Interface: An amber phosphor CRT monitor.
• Function: Search by title, director, or genre. Pressing Enter will fly the camera directly to that movie's location on the shelf.

The Rental Process

Once you've picked your movies, they form a hand-fanned stack at the bottom of your view. Press C to walk to the counter and complete the "rental."

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⚡ Performance & Efficiency

While the demo is heavy, the app is designed for a dedicated HTPC (Home Theater PC).

$\text{Idle State} \approx 0\text{ CPU/GPU Usage}$

This is just a tech demo $\rightarrow$ This is a functional daily-driver for movie selection. When no one is interacting with the store, it stops rendering entirely to save power.

Example of the procedural shelf generation and lighting.