useVideo

Source: packages/sdk/src/hardware/useVideo.ts

Video playback on expo-video, the SDK 57 replacement for the removed expo-av. Pairs with useCamera().startRecording(): record a clip, then hand lastVideoUri to load(). The hook owns the player; a screen renders <VideoView player={player} />. Position and duration are polled four times a second, which is enough for a scrubber without waking the JS thread every frame.

Signature

function useVideo(initialSource?: VideoSource): {
 player: VideoPlayer;
 hasSource: boolean; isPlaying: boolean;
 positionSeconds: number; durationSeconds: number; bufferedSeconds: number;
 status: string; isMuted: boolean; isLooping: boolean; playbackRate: number; volume: number;
 error: string | null; source: TelemetrySource;
 load: (next: VideoSource, options?: { autoplay?: boolean; loop?: boolean; muted?: boolean }) => Promise<boolean>;
 play: () => void; pause: () => void; togglePlay: () => void;
 seekTo: (seconds: number) => void; seekBy: (seconds: number) => void; replay: () => void;
 setMuted: (muted: boolean) => void; setLoop: (loop: boolean) => void;
 setPlaybackRate: (rate: number) => void; setVolume: (value: number) => void;
 setKeepScreenOn: (keep: boolean) => void;
 generateThumbnails: (times: number | number[]) => Promise<VideoThumbnail[]>;
};

Inputs

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
`initialSource`	`VideoSource`	`null`	Source to create the player with: a file URI, a remote URL, a require’d asset, or `null` to start empty and call `load()` later. It also seeds `hasSource`.

Outputs

Field	Type	Description
`player`	`VideoPlayer`	Pass to `<VideoView player={player} />`. The hook owns its lifecycle.
`hasSource`	`boolean`	Whether a source has been loaded.
`isPlaying`	`boolean`	Whether playback is running, polled from the player.
`positionSeconds`	`number`	Seconds into the clip, two decimals.
`durationSeconds`	`number`	Total length in seconds. `0` until the source reports it.
`bufferedSeconds`	`number`	How far ahead the player has buffered — useful for a remote source.
`status`	`string`	Player status, e.g. `idle`, `loading`, `readyToPlay`, `error`.
`isMuted` / `isLooping`	`boolean`	Current mute and loop settings.
`playbackRate`	`number`	Speed multiplier; `1` is normal. Pitch is preserved by the player.
`volume`	`number`	Player volume 0–1.
`error`	`string \| null`	Why the last load, seek or playback call failed.
`source`	`TelemetrySource`	`'hardware'` once a source is loaded, `'unavailable'` before that.

Functions

Function	Inputs	Returns	Description
`load(next, options?)`	`next: VideoSource` — file URI, remote URL, asset or `null`. `options.autoplay?: boolean` — start playing as soon as it is ready. `options.loop?: boolean` — restart at the end. `options.muted?: boolean` — start muted.	`Promise<boolean>` — `true` when the source was replaced, `false` with `error` set on failure	Swaps the source, for example the clip `useCamera` just recorded.
`play()` / `pause()` / `togglePlay()`	none	`void`	Transport controls.
`seekTo(seconds)`	`seconds: number` — absolute position, clamped to `0..duration`	`void`	Jumps to a position.
`seekBy(seconds)`	`seconds: number` — relative offset; negative rewinds	`void`	Moves relative to the current position.
`replay()`	none	`void`	Restarts from the beginning and plays.
`setMuted(muted)`	`muted: boolean`	`void`	Mutes or unmutes without changing `volume`.
`setLoop(loop)`	`loop: boolean`	`void`	Turns looping on or off.
`setPlaybackRate(rate)`	`rate: number` — clamped to 0.25–4; `1` is normal	`void`	Changes speed with pitch preserved.
`setVolume(value)`	`value: number` — 0 to 1, clamped	`void`	Sets player volume.
`setKeepScreenOn(keep)`	`keep: boolean`	`void`	Keeps the screen awake while a video plays, so it does not dim mid-clip.
`generateThumbnails(times)`	`times: number \| number[]` — position(s) in seconds to extract	`Promise<VideoThumbnail[]>` — the frames as images; `[]` on failure with `error` set	Extracts frames for a filmstrip or a poster image.