Media Extended v4.0 Release

A Message to the Community

I'm Aiden, developer of Media Extended. Today I'm releasing v4.0, which brings significant improvements but also important changes I want to address upfront:

1. License Change: Media Extended is transitioning to a closed-source model (details below)
2. Breaking Changes: Existing users will need to migrate their media notes, and some platform support has been temporarily removed (migration guide)

I understand this decision may disappoint some users, and I genuinely appreciate your understanding. After struggling to balance medical training with maintaining this increasingly complex plugin (a journey I've detailed on my blog for those interested), I've realized that sustainable development requires a different approach.

Despite this licensing change, I want to assure you that the principles you value remain unchanged: your data stays yours, in open formats (Markdown, WebVTT), working offline-first, with zero vendor lock-in. Version 3 remains available under MIT license for those who prefer open source. The v4 refactor focuses on stability and long-term maintainability, and I hope the improvements will demonstrate my continued commitment to the community.

What's Changed in v4

Redesigned Player

I've reworked the player to be more adaptive and reliable, with added audio gain control and pitch preservation options that some users requested for lectures and language learning.

Screenshot Clipping

Based on user feedback, I've added a clipping tool that lets you capture specific regions of video frames, which should help when working with slides or diagrams.

Interactive Transcripts

Subtitle files (.srt, .vtt, .ass) can now be loaded in an interactive view. You can click lines to jump to timestamps or select text to copy quotes with timestamps – hopefully making video note-taking a bit easier.

Other Improvements

I've tried to improve the attribute system for better reliability with frontmatter props and link hashes, and added support for password-protected WebDAV sources that some users needed.

Onboarding Guide

For new users, I've added a walkthrough to help get started with the basic features.

Documentation for all features is available at our documentation site, though I'm still working on improving it.

Breaking Changes

Migration Required for Existing Users

Media Notes now require a mx-uid field for proper identification. To migrate your existing notes:

Media Extended: Migrate media notes from old format

Platform Support Changes

I apologize for having to remove some features in v4. Direct embedding for Coursera, Bilibili, and similar platforms had to be temporarily removed due to technical limitations. YouTube now uses iframe integration which is more stable, though I understand this isn't ideal for everyone. I'm working on a browser connector that should provide better support for these platforms in the future, though I can't provide a specific timeline yet.

About the Closed Source Decision

Why This Change?

I want to be transparent about my limitations. Media Extended has grown complex – custom player architecture, YouTube workarounds, deep Obsidian integration – and as a solo developer, I've struggled to maintain it properly as open source. The documentation, issue management, and code review requirements were overwhelming alongside the actual development work.

This change to closed source isn't ideal, and I understand if some users are disappointed. However, it allows me to:

• Focus on fixing bugs and improving stability
• Work toward features users have requested (AI summaries, browser control)
• Maintain the plugin sustainably long-term

What I promise remains unchanged:

• Your media notes stay in plain Markdown
• Playlists remain standard Markdown lists
• Subtitles continue using WebVTT format
• Everything works offline by default
• No tracking or data collection by default (online services like AI features are completely opt-in and may require accounts)
• Version 3 stays available under MIT license, available in v3 branch

I've worked with the Obsidian team to ensure this approach follows their guidelines (PR #6162). Like Obsidian itself, I'm trying to balance sustainability with respecting user data ownership.

I understand trust must be earned, and I hope my continued work on the plugin will demonstrate my commitment to the community.

Planned Features (Work in Progress)

These features are in various stages of development, though I can't promise specific timelines:

Thank You

I'm deeply grateful to everyone who has used Media Extended, especially those who've been patient during the sporadic updates over the past couple of years. Your bug reports, feature suggestions, and encouraging messages mean more than you know.

I realize v4's changes, particularly the move to closed source, may not be what everyone hoped for. I appreciate your understanding as I try to find a sustainable path forward. My goal remains to make Media Extended as useful as possible for your learning and research needs.

If you need help or have feedback:

• 📖 Documentation (still improving)
• 🐛 Report Issues
• 💬 Community Discussion

Thank you for your continued support and patience.

P.S. For those interested in understanding the challenges that led to these changes, I've written about my journey from medicine to tech at Reconnecting the Dots.