[Optimization] High bandwidth usage during heavy media streaming

[BleedingXiko]

GhostHub currently generates high bandwidth usage during active media sessions. In testing, Pinggy’s console reported over 500MB of tunnel traffic within an hour of browsing video heavy categories.

Impact:

• Can strain tunnel services (Cloudflare, Pinggy)

• Could trigger data caps or slower connections for users

• Potentially limits use for lightweight or mobile users

Possible Improvements:

• Integrate optional transcoding, either using FFmpeg binaries or PyAV bindings to avoid external dependencies

• Throttle or delay media preloading

Open to ideas and contributions,the goal is to maintain a zero setup experience for casual users, while providing optimization options for advanced setups.

[BleedingXiko]

After thinking more about this, proper on the fly FFmpeg transcoding is going to be much harder than I originally assumed.

For now, I’m planning to scrap full video preloading and autoplay. Instead, GhostHub will generate and display static thumbnails for videos, and users will need to tap to play each video manually.

I’ll also add a small play button overlay so users can easily tell the difference between a photo and a video that’s ready to play.

This isn't set in stone yet i'm just exploring options for now.

[BleedingXiko]

Half of this is done with #23 will move on to on the fly ffmpeg transcoding