What is Grayjay?

Grayjay is a cutting-edge app that serves as a video player and source aggregator. It allows you to stream and organize videos from various sources, providing a unified platform for your entertainment needs.

It’s mostly used as a YouTube frontend^. However, it is now launching as a desktop app for Linux, Mac and Windows.

  • CaptDust
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    2 months ago

    Grayjay mobile is awesome, very much looking forward to checking this out. Love how it puts all my YouTube, Patreon, Twitch and Peertube content in one place.

      • CaptDust
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        2 months ago

        There’s an occasional error popup during playback, but the feeds and video still work here. I’m on Grayjay v268 w/ Patreon v17

        My biggest issue is Peertube tbh, discovery is difficult, border line useless.

  • zerozaku@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    Why can’t they be a website than an app for Dekstop?

    Also understood that they’re not open-source but are they privacy-respecting?

    Edit: Went through their privacy policy and seems they’re privacy-focused. I will be trying their app now.

    • Sips'@slrpnk.netOP
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      2 months ago

      Yeah if you know who’s behind Futo (Louis Rossman) you will know he fights very hard for better privacy across the board among other things that are better for us consumers.

      Edit: Futo being the company behind this app and other privacy respective apps.

      • TriflingToad
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        2 months ago

        when it comes to right to repair he’s amazing. that being said, however, he hasn’t had much positive to say about the SteamDeck which is leagues ahead of something like the Nintendo switch in terms of user freedoms and customizability.
        Granted that’s like one take I disagree with compared to ALL he’s done but I’m still surprised he hasn’t made a followup about how much good it’s done for Linux in general considering he’s been using Linux since it was in a physical box lol

    • Blisterexe@lemmy.zip
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      2 months ago

      the app is source available, it places some restrictions on modifications of the source code, but the code is fully available

    • timestatic@feddit.org
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      2 months ago

      Personally I’ve been using FreeTube for accessing YouTube as they are FOSS. Only thing I wish they would have a feature to share like subs with Tubular and watch history somehow. It doesn’t have all the platforms Grayjay has but for just YouTube its pretty great

  • parpol@programming.dev
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    2 months ago

    Yes, finally! I’ve been using the mobile app, and it has been nothing but amazing.

  • Hal-5700X
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    2 months ago

    It’s an alpha release, so expect it to be buggy. Overall this is a good thing. We need more frontends.

  • Fizz@lemmy.nz
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    2 months ago

    That’s awesome. I love the grayjay mobile app. I need more non YouTube creators to follow though

      • ownsauce@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        I am linux noob, they provided a .zip file for linux. Do I need to use the command line to install it?

          • ownsauce@lemmy.world
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            2 months ago

            Thanks. I’m running PopOS Cosmic Alpha and it doesn’t like the executable, and since its in alpha there’s features missing in this DE that would allow me (linux noob) to easily install it. I’ll try installing Grayjay again when my OS / DE is in beta or something.

            • confuser@lemmy.zip
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              2 months ago

              Pro tip from one Linux noob to another, chatgpt allowed me to take the leap from not understanding Linux well enough to make it work on my own to making it work and doing a few advanced things.

              Chatgpt has pretty decent usefulness even without buying the subscription nowdays if you don’t want to do that, so glad I did this!

              • ownsauce@lemmy.world
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                2 months ago

                Thank you, that helped. I used perplexity and double checked the sources (so I don’t end up running hallucinatory code).

                I was able to get it running

  • Jayb151@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    Mobile app has been the best YouTube app replacement I’ve found. And I just got the pop up about the desktop app on my drive home from work. Will for sure check it out.

    I wish it more closely mirrored YouTube’s native video suggestions, but it’s pretty damn close.

  • Matriks404@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    No website version? I hope the desktop app isn’t Electron-based then.

    Edit: It is. What the fuck?

  • Lumisal@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    Lots of desktop front ends.

    Meanwhile I got to emulate Android to run S-Tube because there’s nothing good for remote control use for Plasma Bigscreen.

    At least my Bigscreen “easy to use” legit package might be done soon.

  • el_abuelo@programming.dev
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    2 months ago

    Honestly the mobile app doesn’t work for such long periods of time that I’ve all but given up and gone back to YouTube.

    If anyone knows an app to replace YouTube that is actually reliable then let me know! I’m in the market.

    • Sips'@slrpnk.netOP
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      2 months ago

      What do you mean it doesnt work for longer periods of time? Been flawless for me ever since I started using it.

      • el_abuelo@programming.dev
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        2 months ago

        It either restarts part way through or stops playing as if it can’t buffer anymore.

        It comes and goes, sometimes I’ll go a couple of weeks of it working fine then for a week or more i get the above issues.

    • GHiLA
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      2 months ago

      …truth?

      Run your own yt-dlp frontend. Punchflat… or one of the many other solutions out there. Dump your subs to a folder and let Jellyfin turn them into individual shows with episodes.

      I shouldn’t have to do that!

      Don’t tell me. Tell Google, or… pay them, I guess. Your call. I’ll be over here turning my lemons into lemonade. You do whatever you want with yours.

      • el_abuelo@programming.dev
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        2 months ago

        Did you just have a whole conversation with yourself? Lol at least give me a chance to respond.

        Thanks for the recommendation.

        • GHiLA
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          2 months ago

          I suspect common responses and prepare for them.

          The “canned answer”.

          • el_abuelo@programming.dev
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            2 months ago

            I appreciate why you’re doing that and am just offering feedback you are welcome to ignore: it made me think you’re a bit of a douche and I didn’t feel like interacting with you much after that.

      • Tangent5280@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        Can you tell me more about these yt-dlp frontends? I’ve been looking for one for a long time, but I haven’t really found any. I was thinking of using mov-cli instead so I atleast have a search feature.

        • GHiLA
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          2 months ago

          Look for YouTube webuis on docker.

          https://github.com/kieraneglin/pinchflat

          Punchflat can dump YouTube channels on schedules in a way that Plex and Jellyfin can digest them as shows and put them up like any other show. You can auto-delete old episodes as they get old to keep your data low, or simply roll one or two month’s of your subscriptions and barely keep anything.

          https://github.com/gallofeliz/youtube-dl-webui

          Simpler and more like a gun you aim at urls and download them. More hands-on… Pinchflat is the only one I know that integrates with Plex and Jellyfin.

    • Sips'@slrpnk.netOP
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      2 months ago

      The other most used frontends are Newpipe(and it’s forks) aswell as Revanced.