LostArchiveTV

Started as a way to play with AI coding tools...ended up with a new way to experience video content?

Using the video content available at the Internet Archive, LostArchiveTV randomly offsets into videos, so you can watch until you get bored then swipe. Sort of like applying short form video/social UX to longer form media content.

I setup the default feed with a few interesting collections from the Internet Archive. By going into settings, the user can switch off the default and build their own feed presets.

The search functionality was built by creating OpenAI embeddings of the object metadata, loaded into Pinecone. This allows for semantic search, which is quite powerful. As you find videos, tap the heart to favorite them, or + to add them to a preset.

One interesting note, some objects on the Internet Archive can have multiple individual videos per item. So if you add one of these multi-video objects to a preset, each time the app shows the item it will randomly choose a different playable video.

If you tap the button on the lower right, it will open the web page for the item on the Internet Archive, where any copyright concerns can be raised.

Lastly, the app optimizes loading as much as possible, but ultimately it's up to the Internet Archive and their API. So just be patient, as sometimes the service can be iffy! The loading indicator tells you when you can swipe, and the green indicators at the bottom give you hints on the preloading. I am actively improving this aspect, join in on the GitHub!

Built mostly with Claude Code. 100% free and open source.