Universal Video Speed Controller

WHAT IT DOES

Universal Video Speed Controller gives you complete control over the playback speed of every HTML5 video on the web. Whether you want to speed through tutorials at 2x, slow down lectures to 0.5x for better comprehension, or fine-tune the pace of any video content, this extension provides instant, precise speed adjustment. The speed controller overlay supports speeds from 0.1x to 16x, with a smooth slider, preset buttons for common speeds, and keyboard shortcuts for quick adjustments. All videos on the page are automatically detected, including dynamically loaded videos in single-page applications. The extension remembers your preferred speed per video source and per domain, so you never have to re-adjust on frequently visited sites. Visual feedback includes a live speed display, preset highlighting, and video information showing which video is currently controlled.

WHERE IT RUNS

The extension works on every website with HTML5 video elements, including YouTube, Vimeo, Netflix, Hulu, Twitch, Coursera, Udemy, LinkedIn Learning, and any other video streaming or playback platform. It runs locally in your browser, applying speed changes directly to the video element's `playbackRate` property without modifying the page's core functionality. The extension supports all major browsers and adapts to both desktop and mobile viewports seamlessly.

HOW TO USE

After installation, a small "⚡ Speed" toggle button appears on the page when videos are detected. Click it to open the speed controller overlay. Use the slider to adjust playback speed continuously, or click preset buttons for common speeds (0.25x, 0.5x, 0.75x, 1x, 1.25x, 1.5x, 2x, 3x, 4x). Enter a custom speed directly in the number input and click "Apply" for precise control. Use the "+0.1" and "-0.1" buttons for fine adjustments, or "Reset" to return to 1x. When the overlay is open, keyboard shortcuts are active: press "+" or "=" to increase speed by 0.1, "-" to decrease by 0.1, "R" to reset to 1x, and "Escape" to close the overlay. The overlay automatically shows the current video's title or source name.

THE ACTUAL MECHANISM — PLAYBACKRATE API WITH DOM MUTATION OBSERVER PIPELINE

The extension leverages the HTML5 Video API's `playbackRate` property, which allows programmatic control of video playback speed. When the user adjusts the speed, the extension iterates through all active video elements in the `activeVideos` array and sets each one's `playbackRate` to the selected value. The extension maintains a cache of video speeds using `GM_setValue`, storing speed preferences keyed by video source URL and domain. When a video is loaded, the extension checks this cache and applies the stored speed automatically before playback begins. To detect videos, the extension uses a combination of initial DOM scanning and a MutationObserver that watches for added nodes. When a new video element is discovered, it is added to the `activeVideos` array and its `playbackRate` is set to the cached or default speed. Event listeners are attached to each video's `loadedmetadata` and `play` events to update the current video reference when the user switches between videos. The overlay uses `position: fixed` with `z-index: 2147482000` to remain above page content. The speed slider uses `step="0.05"` for smooth adjustment, with min 0.1 and max 16. The current speed is always rounded to two decimal places for clean display.

THE PANEL

The settings panel is a lightweight, draggable overlay that appears in the center of your screen. You can reposition it by clicking and dragging the title bar; release it near the screen edge and it will snap into place automatically. To collapse the panel into a compact title bar, click the minimize button, expanding it again with the same control. The panel is fully responsive, adapting to different screen resolutions with a minimum width of 300px and a maximum of 480px. Press the Escape key at any time to dismiss the panel without applying changes. All controls—the show/hide/toggle overlay buttons, default speed setting, position selector, overlay visibility toggle, remember speed toggle, reset speeds button, and clear cache button—are accessible within a clean, high-contrast interface that respects your system's color scheme.

PLEASE NOTE

This extension requires the free BotGentz companion extension to be installed and active, which provides the underlying storage and overlay engine. Because websites frequently update their video player implementations, certain complex web applications may occasionally require manual refresh or updates to maintain full compatibility. The extension will automatically check for updates weekly and notify you when a new version is available. No personal data, browsing history, or video content is ever collected, stored, or transmitted. All speed preferences are saved using the browser's storage API and remain solely on your device. The extension does not inject ads, trackers, or analytics of any kind.