quixotic/.serena/memories/thumbnail_quality_improvements.md

Thumbnail Quality Improvements Completed

Problem Identified:

• SoundCloud thumbnails were displaying in low resolution (100x100px with "-large" suffix)
• Poor visual quality affecting user experience

Solution Implemented:

1. Enhanced Thumbnail Resolution Function

Added getHighQualityThumbnail() method in src/soundcloud.ts:

• Automatically upgrades -large (100x100) to -t500x500 (500x500)
• Upgrades -crop (400x400) to -t500x500
• Upgrades -t300x300 to -t500x500
• Custom high-quality placeholder for default avatars
• Fallback handling for various URL formats

2. CSS Image Rendering Optimization

Updated public/style.css:

• Added image-rendering: optimizeQuality for crisp thumbnail display
• Applied to both desktop and mobile thumbnail styles
• Maintains responsive design while improving visual quality

3. Automatic Quality Detection

The system now:

• Detects SoundCloud thumbnail URL patterns
• Automatically requests highest available resolution
• Gracefully handles missing high-res versions
• Provides quality placeholders when needed

Technical Details:

• Resolution upgrade: 100x100 → 500x500 (25x more pixels)
• Browser optimization: Enhanced image rendering properties
• Fallback safety: Original URLs preserved if upgrade fails
• Performance: No additional API calls, just URL manipulation

Results:

• Much sharper, clearer thumbnail images
• Better visual consistency across different track types
• Improved user experience without performance impact
• Maintains compatibility with all existing functionality