Simple view
Two big buttons, Video or Audio only, for anyone who doesn't want to fight with codecs.
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VibeLoader
A video and music downloader with no ads and no fake buttons. It started out for WhatsApp and ended up being what my dad uses most on his computer.
- OPENED
- MAR 2025
- PLATFORM
- Windows (.exe)
- VERSION
- 4.0
- SOURCE
- Public on GitHub
ROUTE · L1 Home · 1 station
- YOU ARE HERE VibeLoader
Why it exists
A Windows desktop app that downloads and converts videos and music with yt-dlp and ffmpeg. The Simple view is paste the link and pick Video or Audio only; the Advanced view has seven formats, trimming, subtitles, playlists and a download queue.
Each format solves a real problem. WhatsApp wants H.264 up to 1280 px and 30 fps; the car's screen only plays H.264 Baseline with AAC, and videos used to come out silent; courses go in H.265 to weigh almost half as much. If the video already fits the profile, it's just remuxed. If not, it's converted on the graphics card (NVENC, QuickSync or AMF), falling back to the CPU if that fails.
v4 split a 2,600-line file into a package with tests. It also updates yt-dlp without rebuilding the .exe and uses the browser session for Facebook and Instagram, which sometimes want cookies.
In March 2025 I started downloading music with yt-dlp from the command line. My dad was always fighting with it: y2down and every site you can imagine, full of ads, fake buttons and even adware. You'd look for a song and end up installing McAfee.
What got to me was WhatsApp. Its format is a bit odd, different from YouTube's, and the videos I downloaded directly wouldn't upload. I told ChatGPT: I'm using the command line, but I want an interface, can you help? That's how the first version came out. It was very simple, but it worked.
Around the same time I adapted it for my dad, and that's when it started to grow. A format for music. Another for the car, because we have a little screen that only takes certain videos, and sometimes they came out without sound. Another for courses, for some I wanted to download for a friend. What was only for WhatsApp turned into what it is now.
At first it was just Python. Then I made it an .exe, because that was easier for my dad, and along the way I learned how to build one. I rebuilt v4 with Claude: v3 was already good, but it was all one file. We also fixed the times Facebook or Instagram videos wouldn't download.
My dad still uses it; it's what he uses most on his computer. He's a quiet man, so he doesn't say much. But he says he likes it, and as long as it works, it's fine.
What it does
For the car
The format the car's little screen accepts, so no video ever comes out silent again.
The format that started it all: ready to upload without WhatsApp rejecting it.
Errors that fix themselves
Every error comes in plain Spanish with a button that fixes it: retry, use the browser session or install ffmpeg.
Versions
-
v1Nov 2025
Just for WhatsApp
Built with ChatGPT: a URL, a folder, a mode and the logs. It converted with HandBrake.
-
v2Jan 2026
Trimming
Trim by time, and check on launch that ffmpeg and HandBrake are there. My first try at making it easier for my dad.
-
v3May 2026
Simple mode
Three big buttons, Music, Video and Car Mode, with everything else tucked into an advanced mode. HandBrake goes: it was a cannon to kill flies, and ffmpeg is enough.
-
v4Oct 2026
Rebuilt with Claude
A package with tests, the Play-Drop logo, a queue, playlists and the browser session for Facebook and Instagram.
How it's built
01 · InterfacePySide6Simple and Advanced views, queue and history.
02 · Downloadyt-dlp1,800+ sites; the browser session when needed.
03 · ConvertffmpegProfiles, remuxing and GPU with CPU fallback.
04 · ShipPyInstaller + Inno SetupAn .exe that updates yt-dlp without a rebuild.
Logbook
- MAR 2025I start downloading music with yt-dlp from the command line.
- NOV 2025v1 with ChatGPT: a window so videos work on WhatsApp.
- MAY 2026v3: simple mode with big buttons, made with my dad in mind.
- OCT 2026v4 with Claude: a package with tests, browser cookies and a new logo.
What I learned
- An .exe takes away all the steps I took for granted. That's how I learned to build one.
- The best requirements come from whoever uses the app: WhatsApp, the car, some courses.
- You don't need a cannon to kill flies: HandBrake was overkill, ffmpeg did the same with less.
- A 2,600-line file that works isn't the same as one you can maintain.
- My dad's best review is that he still uses it.