diff --git a/frontend/src/components/PlayerModal.dom.test.tsx b/frontend/src/components/PlayerModal.dom.test.tsx
index e7520c90..78109726 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/PlayerModal.dom.test.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/PlayerModal.dom.test.tsx
@@ -426,21 +426,34 @@ describe("PlayerModal — the description", () => {
 
 // C3: the queue's side arrows sit in a gutter of the card's row, not outside it, so no window cuts
 // them off (outside the card, a 1024 window cut them and a portrait tablet lost them).
-describe("PlayerModal — the side arrows", () => {
-  it("stand inside the row's gutter", () => {
+// The full-height strips beside the card were a second Previous / Next that cost the video 7rem of
+// width (owner): the panel's transport row and Shift+← / → step on their own.
+describe("PlayerModal — no side strips", () => {
+  it("steps from the panel only, and the card keeps no gutter for strips", () => {
     vi.spyOn(api, "videoDetail").mockReturnValue(new Promise(() => {}));
     const A = vid("A", 0);
     const B = vid("B", 0);
     renderModal(
       <PlayerModal video={A} queue={[A, B]} startIndex={0} onClose={() => {}} onState={() => {}} />,
     );
-    const arrow = [...document.querySelectorAll<HTMLElement>("[aria-label='player.next']")].find(
-      (b) => b.className.includes("w-12"),
-    )!;
-    expect(arrow).toBeTruthy();
-    expect(arrow.className).toMatch(/\bright-0\b/);
-    expect(arrow.className).not.toMatch(/left-full/);
-    expect(arrow.parentElement!.className).toMatch(/sm:px-14/);
+    expect(screen.getAllByRole("button", { name: "player.next" })).toHaveLength(1);
+    expect(screen.getAllByRole("button", { name: "player.previous" })).toHaveLength(1);
+    const row = document.querySelector<HTMLElement>(".player-stage")!.parentElement!.parentElement!;
+    expect(row.className).not.toMatch(/px-14/);
+  });
+
+  it("closes from one icon-only button", () => {
+    vi.spyOn(api, "videoDetail").mockReturnValue(new Promise(() => {}));
+    const onClose = vi.fn();
+    const A = vid("A", 0);
+    renderModal(
+      <PlayerModal video={A} queue={[A]} startIndex={0} onClose={onClose} onState={() => {}} />,
+    );
+    const close = screen.getByTestId("player-close");
+    expect(close.getAttribute("aria-label")).toBe("player.close");
+    expect(close.textContent).toBe("");
+    fireEvent.click(close);
+    expect(onClose).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
   });
 });
 
@@ -531,9 +544,7 @@ describe("PlayerModal — fits the window's height", () => {
       <PlayerModal video={A} queue={[A, B]} startIndex={0} onClose={() => {}} onState={() => {}} />,
     );
     const row = document.querySelector<HTMLElement>(".player-stage")!.parentElement!.parentElement!;
-    expect(row.style.maxWidth).toBe(
-      "min(63rem, calc(max(36rem, (100dvh - 3rem - 160px) * 16 / 9) + 7rem))",
-    );
+    expect(row.style.maxWidth).toBe("min(56rem, max(36rem, (100dvh - 3rem - 160px) * 16 / 9))");
   });
 });
 
@@ -587,13 +598,52 @@ describe("PlayerModal — the side panel on a wide window", () => {
     // The description is shown outright; there is no ⓘ to open it.
     expect(await screen.findByText("A long description")).toBeTruthy();
     expect(screen.queryByRole("button", { name: "player.description" })).toBeNull();
-    // The row's width: the video at the window's height, plus the panel and the side strips.
-    expect(card.parentElement!.style.maxWidth).toBe(
-      "calc((100dvh - 3rem - 0px) * 16 / 9 + 20rem + 7rem)",
-    );
+    // The row's width: the video at the window's height, plus the panel.
+    expect(card.parentElement!.style.maxWidth).toBe("calc((100dvh - 3rem - 0px) * 16 / 9 + 20rem)");
+    // A long channel name is cut on the panel's line, not run past its 20rem into a sideways scroll.
+    const name = within(info).getByText("Channel").closest("button, a")!.parentElement!;
+    expect(name.className).toMatch(/\bmin-w-0\b/);
+    expect(name.className).toMatch(/\bflex-1\b/);
+    expect(name.className).not.toMatch(/\bshrink-0\b/);
+    // The description is cut to three lines, with a More once it is cut.
+    expect((await screen.findByText("A long description")).closest(".line-clamp-3")).toBeTruthy();
   });
 
-  it("lets the wheel scroll the panel while it can, and turn the volume everywhere else", async () => {
+  it("shuts the panel to a strip for a bigger video, and keeps it shut as the queue steps on", () => {
+    wideWindow(true);
+    vi.spyOn(api, "videoDetail").mockReturnValue(new Promise(() => {}));
+    const A = vid("A", 0);
+    const B = vid("B", 0);
+    renderModal(
+      <PlayerModal video={A} queue={[A, B]} startIndex={0} onClose={() => {}} onState={() => {}} />,
+    );
+    const row = () =>
+      document.querySelector<HTMLElement>(".player-stage")!.parentElement!.parentElement!;
+    fireEvent.click(screen.getByRole("button", { name: "player.collapsePanel" }));
+    expect(screen.queryByTestId("player-info")).toBeNull();
+    const strip = screen.getByTestId("player-strip");
+    // The pressed toggle is gone: focus is on its counterpart, not on <body>.
+    expect(document.activeElement).toBe(
+      within(strip).getByRole("button", { name: "player.expandPanel" }),
+    );
+    expect(row().style.maxWidth).toBe("calc((100dvh - 3rem - 0px) * 16 / 9 + 2.75rem)");
+    // The strip keeps the way out and the stepping.
+    expect(within(strip).getByTestId("player-close")).toBeTruthy();
+    fireEvent.click(within(strip).getByRole("button", { name: "player.next" }));
+    expect(screen.getByTestId("player-strip")).toBeTruthy(); // still shut on the next video
+    fireEvent.click(
+      within(screen.getByTestId("player-strip")).getByRole("button", {
+        name: "player.expandPanel",
+      }),
+    );
+    expect(screen.getByTestId("player-info")).toBeTruthy();
+    expect(document.activeElement).toBe(
+      screen.getByRole("button", { name: "player.collapsePanel" }),
+    );
+    expect(row().style.maxWidth).toBe("calc((100dvh - 3rem - 0px) * 16 / 9 + 20rem)");
+  });
+
+  it("gives a panel with something to scroll the wheel for that alone, the volume elsewhere", async () => {
     wideWindow(true);
     vi.spyOn(api, "videoDetail").mockResolvedValue({
       description: "A long description",
@@ -614,11 +664,33 @@ describe("PlayerModal — the side panel on a wide window", () => {
       return e.defaultPrevented; // prevented = the wheel went to the volume
     };
     expect(spin(text, 100)).toBe(false); // room below: the panel scrolls
-    expect(spin(text, -100)).toBe(true); // at its top: nothing to scroll up, so the volume
+    expect(spin(text, -100)).toBe(false); // at its top too: one gesture, one meaning (owner)
     top = 400;
-    expect(spin(text, 100)).toBe(true); // at its end: the volume
-    expect(spin(text, -100)).toBe(false);
+    expect(spin(text, 100)).toBe(false); // and at its end, where it once fell through to the volume
     expect(spin(document.querySelector(".player-stage")!, 100)).toBe(true); // over the video
+    // A panel that fits has nothing to scroll: the wheel is the volume there.
+    Object.defineProperty(panel, "scrollHeight", { value: 500, configurable: true });
+    expect(spin(text, 100)).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it("stacked: the card scrolls under the wheel, the video in it is still the volume", () => {
+    wideWindow(false);
+    vi.spyOn(api, "videoDetail").mockReturnValue(new Promise(() => {}));
+    const A = vid("A", 0);
+    renderModal(
+      <PlayerModal video={A} queue={[A]} startIndex={0} onClose={() => {}} onState={() => {}} />,
+    );
+    const stage = document.querySelector<HTMLElement>(".player-stage")!;
+    const card = stage.parentElement!;
+    Object.defineProperty(card, "scrollHeight", { value: 900, configurable: true });
+    Object.defineProperty(card, "clientHeight", { value: 500, configurable: true });
+    const spin = (el: Element) => {
+      const e = new WheelEvent("wheel", { deltaY: 100, bubbles: true, cancelable: true });
+      el.dispatchEvent(e);
+      return e.defaultPrevented;
+    };
+    expect(spin(screen.getByRole("heading", { name: "Video A" }))).toBe(false);
+    expect(spin(stage)).toBe(true);
   });
 
   // A failed load read "No description." in the always-open panel — an error drawn as empty.
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/PlayerModal.tsx b/frontend/src/components/PlayerModal.tsx
index 9998b6ab..1674232d 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/PlayerModal.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/PlayerModal.tsx
@@ -21,14 +21,16 @@ import {
   ArrowLeft,
   Check,
   CheckCheck,
-  ChevronLeft,
-  ChevronRight,
   ExternalLink,
   Info,
   Maximize,
   Minimize,
   Minimize2,
+  PanelRightClose,
+  PanelRightOpen,
   Settings,
+  SkipBack,
+  SkipForward,
   Trash2,
   Volume2,
   VolumeX,
@@ -74,7 +76,6 @@ import {
 import { useScrollFade } from "../lib/useScrollFade";
 import { Button } from "./ui/Button";
 import { IconButton } from "./ui/IconButton";
-import { Pressable } from "./ui/Pressable";
 import { SURFACE } from "./ui/surfaces";
 import { IconLink, LinkButton } from "./ui/LinkButton";
 import { SectionLabel } from "./ui/Headings";
@@ -105,6 +106,8 @@ function canScrollBy(el: HTMLElement | null, dir: -1 | 1): boolean {
 // a rem width, so it grows with the text size; the video takes what is left.
 const WIDE_PLAYER_PX = 1280;
 const SIDE_PANEL = "20rem";
+// The side panel shut to a strip: one icon button wide, close / open / previous / next in a column.
+const PANEL_STRIP = "2.75rem";
 // The narrowest the stacked video gets to make room for the chrome under it (see the card's maxWidth).
 const MIN_VIDEO = "36rem";
 // YouTube's embed draws its controls at fixed CSS px from the iframe's edges, whatever its size
@@ -248,6 +251,23 @@ export default function PlayerModal({
   // move into a side panel beside the video, so the video takes the window's whole height — at
   // 1920×911 it was capped at ~1008 px wide with empty space all round. Narrower, they stay under it.
   const wide = useMediaQuery(`(min-width: ${WIDE_PLAYER_PX}px)`, false);
+  // The wide panel shut to a strip, for a bigger video. This player's own state: it holds while the
+  // queue steps on (a next video plays in this same modal), and a video opened from a card mounts a
+  // fresh player, which starts with the panel open (owner).
+  const [panelShut, setPanelShut] = useState(false);
+  // The toggle that was pressed is gone after the switch (shut → the strip's "open", and back): focus
+  // goes to its counterpart, not to <body>, where the player's keys would no longer reach it.
+  const panelToggleRef = useRef<HTMLButtonElement>(null);
+  const refocusToggle = useRef(false);
+  const togglePanel = (shut: boolean) => {
+    refocusToggle.current = true;
+    setPanelShut(shut);
+  };
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (!refocusToggle.current) return;
+    refocusToggle.current = false;
+    panelToggleRef.current?.focus();
+  }, [panelShut]);
   useLayoutEffect(() => {
     const card = cardRef.current;
     const stage = stageRef.current;
@@ -646,9 +666,22 @@ export default function PlayerModal({
     onLoadVideo: loadVideo,
   };
 
-  // The card's width budget (its maxWidth, below): the video's, and the side strips' gutters.
+  // The card's width budget (its maxWidth, below): the video's, and the side panel's when wide.
   const fitWidth = `(100dvh - 3rem - ${below}px) * 16 / 9`;
-  const gutters = hasQueue ? " + 7rem" : "";
+  const panelWidth = panelShut ? PANEL_STRIP : SIDE_PANEL;
+  // One Close, icon only, in the card's top-right corner: the wide panel's head (or its strip), the
+  // stacked card's title row.
+  const closeButton = (
+    <IconButton
+      variant="ghost"
+      data-testid="player-close"
+      onClick={onClose}
+      label={t("player.close")}
+      title={t("player.closeEsc")}
+    >
+      <X />
+    </IconButton>
+  );
 
   // Portaled to <body>, like every other full-screen overlay here. A fixed, full-viewport modal
   // must not render inside the page scroller: once that scroller is a stacking context (its
@@ -665,15 +698,13 @@ export default function PlayerModal({
       aria-modal="true"
       aria-labelledby={titleId}
     >
-      {/* The card, flanked by full-height glassy strips that step through the feed's order (or a
-          playlist). Each strip sits in a gutter of the card's row, spans its full height, and fades
-          out at the ends; the gutter keeps it on the screen (C3: outside the card, a 1024 window cut
-          it and a portrait tablet lost it). stopPropagation so a click steps instead of closing.
-          Hidden on narrow screens where there's no room beside the card. */}
+      {/* The card. Previous / next live in the panel (its transport row, or the shut panel's strip) and
+          on Shift+← / →: the full-height strips that once flanked the card cost the video 7rem of width
+          for a second copy of the same two buttons (owner). */}
       <div
-        className={`relative flex w-full max-h-full ${hasQueue ? "sm:px-14" : ""}`}
-        // The design width (63rem with the side strips, else 56rem), narrowed so the 16:9 video plus the
-        // chrome under it fits the window's height less the backdrop's padding (`p-6` = 3rem).
+        className="relative flex w-full max-h-full"
+        // The design width (56rem), narrowed so the 16:9 video plus the chrome under it fits the
+        // window's height less the backdrop's padding (`p-6` = 3rem).
         // Wide: no design cap — the video is as wide as the window's height allows, plus the side panel,
         // whose content sits beside the video (`below` is ~0), so the fit is exact and the card, which
         // does not scroll there, always holds the whole video.
@@ -682,27 +713,15 @@ export default function PlayerModal({
         // (a laptop at 100%, a 1080p screen at 175%). Past the floor the stacked card scrolls instead.
         style={{
           maxWidth: wide
-            ? `calc(${fitWidth} + ${SIDE_PANEL}${gutters})`
-            : `min(${hasQueue ? "63rem" : "56rem"}, calc(max(${MIN_VIDEO}, ${fitWidth})${gutters}))`,
+            ? `calc(${fitWidth} + ${panelWidth})`
+            : `min(56rem, max(${MIN_VIDEO}, ${fitWidth}))`,
         }}
       >
-        {hasQueue && (
-          <Pressable
-            onClick={(e) => {
-              e.stopPropagation();
-              goPrev();
-            }}
-            disabled={index === 0}
-            aria-label={t("player.previous")}
-            title={`${t("player.previous")} · Shift+←`}
-            className="absolute left-0 top-0 bottom-0 hidden w-12 place-items-center rounded-2xl bg-white/5 text-white/40 backdrop-blur-xs transition hover:bg-white/15 hover:text-white disabled:pointer-events-none disabled:opacity-0 sm:grid"
-          >
-            <ChevronLeft className="h-8 w-8" />
-          </Pressable>
-        )}
         <div
           ref={cardRef}
           tabIndex={-1}
+          // Stacked, the card is what scrolls (its details under the video): the wheel's, while it can.
+          data-wheel-scrolls={wide ? undefined : ""}
           className={`${SURFACE.panel} relative flex-1 min-w-0 max-h-full outline-hidden ${
             wide ? "flex overflow-hidden" : "overflow-y-auto"
           }`}
@@ -710,6 +729,8 @@ export default function PlayerModal({
         >
           <div
             ref={stageRef}
+            // The wheel over the video is its volume, even inside a stacked card that scrolls.
+            data-wheel-volume=""
             className={`player-stage relative aspect-video w-full bg-black overflow-hidden ${
               wide ? "flex-1 min-w-0 self-start rounded-l-2xl" : "rounded-t-2xl"
             } ${maximized ? "player-stage--max" : ""}`}
@@ -891,275 +912,315 @@ export default function PlayerModal({
             description never makes the card taller than the video. */}
           <div
             className={wide ? "relative shrink-0 border-l border-border" : undefined}
-            style={wide ? { width: SIDE_PANEL } : undefined}
+            style={wide ? { width: panelWidth } : undefined}
           >
-            <div
-              className={wide ? "absolute inset-0 overflow-y-auto" : undefined}
-              data-testid="player-info"
-              // The wheel scrolls this panel while it can (lib/playerModalHooks), the volume elsewhere.
-              data-wheel-scrolls={wide ? "" : undefined}
-            >
-              {hasQueue && (
-                <div className="flex flex-wrap items-center justify-center gap-x-4 gap-y-1.5 px-4 py-2 border-b border-border text-sm">
-                  <PlayerTransportControls
-                    variant="modal"
-                    index={index}
-                    queueLength={queue!.length}
-                    autoMode={autoMode}
-                    loopMode={loopMode}
-                    onPrev={goPrev}
-                    onNext={goNext}
-                    onCycleAuto={cycleAuto}
-                    onCycleLoop={cycleLoop}
-                  />
-                </div>
-              )}
-
-              <div className="p-4 sm:p-5">
-                {/* Title row — the title and its ⓘ (the description) on the left, Close on the right. */}
-                <div className="flex items-start gap-3">
-                  <h2 id={titleId} className="min-w-0 flex-1 text-lg font-semibold leading-snug">
-                    {navigated ? (liveData?.title ?? t("player.loading")) : active.title}
-                  </h2>
-                  {!wide && (
+            {wide && panelShut ? (
+              <div
+                data-testid="player-strip"
+                className="absolute inset-0 flex flex-col items-center gap-1 py-2"
+              >
+                {closeButton}
+                <IconButton
+                  ref={panelToggleRef}
+                  variant="ghost"
+                  onClick={() => togglePanel(false)}
+                  label={t("player.expandPanel")}
+                  aria-expanded={false}
+                >
+                  <PanelRightOpen />
+                </IconButton>
+                {hasQueue && (
+                  <>
+                    <span className="flex-1" />
                     <IconButton
-                      ref={setDescAnchor}
-                      {...descPop.getReferenceProps()}
                       variant="ghost"
-                      aria-expanded={showDesc}
-                      label={t("player.description")}
+                      onClick={goPrev}
+                      disabled={index === 0}
+                      label={t("player.previous")}
+                      title={`${t("player.previous")} · Shift+←`}
                     >
-                      <Info />
+                      <SkipBack />
                     </IconButton>
-                  )}
-                  {navigated && (
-                    <Button
+                    <IconButton
                       variant="ghost"
-                      size="sm"
-                      onClick={() => loadVideo(active.id, null)}
-                      title={t("player.backToOriginal")}
-                      icon={<ArrowLeft />}
+                      onClick={goNext}
+                      disabled={index >= queue!.length - 1}
+                      label={t("player.next")}
+                      title={`${t("player.next")} · Shift+→`}
                     >
-                      {t("player.back")}
-                    </Button>
-                  )}
-                  <PopoverSurface
-                    popover={descPop}
-                    className={`${SURFACE.popover} w-[min(35rem,calc(100vw-2rem))] p-4`}
-                  >
-                    <SectionLabel level={3} className="mb-2">
-                      {t("player.description")}
-                    </SectionLabel>
-                    <PlayerDescription
-                      ref={descFadeRef}
-                      style={descFadeStyle}
-                      className="text-sm whitespace-pre-wrap wrap-break-word max-h-64 overflow-y-auto no-scrollbar leading-relaxed"
-                      {...descriptionProps}
+                      <SkipForward />
+                    </IconButton>
+                  </>
+                )}
+              </div>
+            ) : (
+              <div
+                className={wide ? "absolute inset-0 overflow-y-auto" : undefined}
+                data-testid="player-info"
+                // A panel with something to scroll takes the wheel for that alone (lib/playerModalHooks).
+                data-wheel-scrolls={wide ? "" : undefined}
+              >
+                {wide && (
+                  <div className="flex items-center justify-between px-2 pt-2">
+                    <IconButton
+                      ref={panelToggleRef}
+                      variant="ghost"
+                      onClick={() => togglePanel(true)}
+                      label={t("player.collapsePanel")}
+                      aria-expanded
+                    >
+                      <PanelRightClose />
+                    </IconButton>
+                    {closeButton}
+                  </div>
+                )}
+                {hasQueue && (
+                  <div className="flex flex-wrap items-center justify-center gap-x-4 gap-y-1.5 px-4 py-2 border-b border-border text-sm">
+                    <PlayerTransportControls
+                      variant="modal"
+                      index={index}
+                      queueLength={queue!.length}
+                      autoMode={autoMode}
+                      loopMode={loopMode}
+                      onPrev={goPrev}
+                      onNext={goNext}
+                      onCycleAuto={cycleAuto}
+                      onCycleLoop={cycleLoop}
                     />
-                  </PopoverSurface>
-                  <Button
-                    variant="ghost"
-                    size="sm"
-                    data-testid="player-close"
-                    onClick={onClose}
-                    title={t("player.closeEsc")}
-                  >
-                    {t("player.close")}
-                    <X />
-                  </Button>
-                </div>
+                  </div>
+                )}
 
-                {/* Channel + meta on one line, with the actions pushed to the right.
+                <div className="p-4 sm:p-5">
+                  {/* Title row — the title and its ⓘ (the description) on the left; stacked, Close on the
+                    right (wide, it heads the panel). */}
+                  <div className="flex items-start gap-3">
+                    <h2 id={titleId} className="min-w-0 flex-1 text-lg font-semibold leading-snug">
+                      {navigated ? (liveData?.title ?? t("player.loading")) : active.title}
+                    </h2>
+                    {!wide && (
+                      <IconButton
+                        ref={setDescAnchor}
+                        {...descPop.getReferenceProps()}
+                        variant="ghost"
+                        aria-expanded={showDesc}
+                        label={t("player.description")}
+                      >
+                        <Info />
+                      </IconButton>
+                    )}
+                    {navigated && (
+                      <Button
+                        variant="ghost"
+                        size="sm"
+                        onClick={() => loadVideo(active.id, null)}
+                        title={t("player.backToOriginal")}
+                        icon={<ArrowLeft />}
+                      >
+                        {t("player.back")}
+                      </Button>
+                    )}
+                    <PopoverSurface
+                      popover={descPop}
+                      className={`${SURFACE.popover} w-[min(35rem,calc(100vw-2rem))] p-4`}
+                    >
+                      <SectionLabel level={3} className="mb-2">
+                        {t("player.description")}
+                      </SectionLabel>
+                      <PlayerDescription
+                        ref={descFadeRef}
+                        style={descFadeStyle}
+                        className="text-sm whitespace-pre-wrap wrap-break-word max-h-64 overflow-y-auto no-scrollbar leading-relaxed"
+                        {...descriptionProps}
+                      />
+                    </PopoverSurface>
+                    {!wide && closeButton}
+                  </div>
+
+                  {/* Channel + meta on one line, with the actions pushed to the right.
               When navigated to a linked video we only have its author (from the player),
               so we show that as plain text and hide feed-video-specific bits.
               It wraps: the meta never gets narrower than META_MIN, and the actions move down as one
               group. Unwrapped, a narrow card (a tablet, a zoomed window) squeezed the meta into a
               one-word column between the name and the buttons. */}
-                <div className="flex flex-wrap items-center gap-x-3 gap-y-2 mt-3">
-                  {!navigated && (
-                    <Avatar
-                      src={active.channel_thumbnail}
-                      fallback={active.channel_title ?? ""}
-                      className="w-9 h-9 rounded-full shrink-0"
-                    />
-                  )}
-                  {navigated ? (
-                    detail.data?.channel_id ? (
-                      <a
-                        href={channelYouTubeUrl(detail.data.channel_id)}
-                        target="_blank"
-                        rel="noreferrer"
-                        className="font-medium hover:text-accent shrink-0"
-                      >
-                        {liveData?.author ?? detail.data.channel_title ?? t("player.channel")}
-                      </a>
-                    ) : (
-                      <span className="font-medium shrink-0">{liveData?.author ?? ""}</span>
-                    )
-                  ) : (
-                    <div className="flex items-center gap-1.5 shrink-0 min-w-0">
-                      <ChannelNameLink
-                        channelId={active.channel_id}
-                        title={active.channel_title}
-                        onOpenInApp={() => {
-                          // openChannel closes this player first and pushes only once its
-                          // Back-to-close entry is reclaimed — otherwise that reclaim undoes the push
-                          // and clicking the name merely closes the player
-                          // (lib/history.closeOverlaysThenNavigate).
-                          openChannel(active.channel_id, active.channel_title ?? undefined);
-                        }}
-                        className="font-medium hover:text-accent truncate text-left"
+                  <div className="flex flex-wrap items-center gap-x-3 gap-y-2 mt-3">
+                    {!navigated && (
+                      <Avatar
+                        src={active.channel_thumbnail}
+                        fallback={active.channel_title ?? ""}
+                        className="w-9 h-9 rounded-full shrink-0"
                       />
-                      <IconLink
-                        href={active.channel_url}
-                        target="_blank"
-                        rel="noreferrer"
-                        label={t("channels.row.openOnYouTube")}
-                        className="shrink-0"
+                    )}
+                    {navigated ? (
+                      detail.data?.channel_id ? (
+                        <a
+                          href={channelYouTubeUrl(detail.data.channel_id)}
+                          target="_blank"
+                          rel="noreferrer"
+                          className={`font-medium hover:text-accent ${wide ? "min-w-0 truncate" : "shrink-0"}`}
+                        >
+                          {liveData?.author ?? detail.data.channel_title ?? t("player.channel")}
+                        </a>
+                      ) : (
+                        <span className={`font-medium ${wide ? "min-w-0 truncate" : "shrink-0"}`}>
+                          {liveData?.author ?? ""}
+                        </span>
+                      )
+                    ) : (
+                      // Wide, the name takes what the avatar leaves of the panel's line and is cut
+                      // there: unshrinkable, a long one ran the 20rem panel into a sideways scroll.
+                      <div
+                        className={`flex items-center gap-1.5 min-w-0 ${wide ? "flex-1" : "shrink-0"}`}
                       >
-                        <ExternalLink />
-                      </IconLink>
-                    </div>
-                  )}
-                  {!navigated ? (
-                    <div
-                      className={`flex flex-wrap items-center gap-x-2 gap-y-0.5 text-sm text-muted ${wide ? META_OWN_LINE : META_MIN}`}
-                    >
-                      {active.view_count != null && (
+                        <ChannelNameLink
+                          channelId={active.channel_id}
+                          title={active.channel_title}
+                          onOpenInApp={() => {
+                            // openChannel closes this player first and pushes only once its
+                            // Back-to-close entry is reclaimed — otherwise that reclaim undoes the push
+                            // and clicking the name merely closes the player
+                            // (lib/history.closeOverlaysThenNavigate).
+                            openChannel(active.channel_id, active.channel_title ?? undefined);
+                          }}
+                          className="font-medium hover:text-accent truncate text-left"
+                        />
+                        <IconLink
+                          href={active.channel_url}
+                          target="_blank"
+                          rel="noreferrer"
+                          label={t("channels.row.openOnYouTube")}
+                          className="shrink-0"
+                        >
+                          <ExternalLink />
+                        </IconLink>
+                      </div>
+                    )}
+                    {!navigated ? (
+                      <div
+                        className={`flex flex-wrap items-center gap-x-2 gap-y-0.5 text-sm text-muted ${wide ? META_OWN_LINE : META_MIN}`}
+                      >
+                        {active.view_count != null && (
+                          <span>
+                            {metaSep}
+                            {t("player.views", {
+                              count: active.view_count,
+                              formattedCount: formatCompact(active.view_count, lang),
+                            })}
+                          </span>
+                        )}
                         <span>
                           {metaSep}
-                          {t("player.views", {
-                            count: active.view_count,
-                            formattedCount: formatCompact(active.view_count, lang),
-                          })}
+                          {relativeTime(active.published_at, lang, t)}
+                          {active.published_at && ` · ${fullDate(active.published_at)}`}
                         </span>
-                      )}
-                      <span>
-                        {metaSep}
-                        {relativeTime(active.published_at, lang, t)}
-                        {active.published_at && ` · ${fullDate(active.published_at)}`}
-                      </span>
-                      {active.duration_seconds != null && (
-                        <span>
-                          {metaSep}
-                          {formatDuration(active.duration_seconds)}
-                        </span>
-                      )}
-                      {active.live_status === "was_live" && (
-                        <span className="bg-accent text-accent-fg text-3xs font-semibold uppercase tracking-wide px-1.5 py-0.5 rounded-sm">
-                          {t("player.stream")}
-                        </span>
-                      )}
-                    </div>
-                  ) : (
-                    // Linked video's stats come from the (already-fetched) video detail.
-                    <div
-                      className={`flex flex-wrap items-center gap-x-2 gap-y-0.5 text-sm text-muted ${wide ? META_OWN_LINE : META_MIN}`}
-                    >
-                      {detail.data?.view_count != null && (
-                        <span>
-                          {metaSep}
-                          {t("player.views", {
-                            count: detail.data.view_count,
-                            formattedCount: formatCompact(detail.data.view_count, lang),
-                          })}
-                        </span>
-                      )}
-                      {detail.data?.published_at && (
-                        <span>
-                          {metaSep}
-                          {relativeTime(detail.data.published_at, lang, t)} ·{" "}
-                          {fullDate(detail.data.published_at)}
-                        </span>
-                      )}
-                      {detail.data?.duration_seconds != null && (
-                        <span>
-                          {metaSep}
-                          {formatDuration(detail.data.duration_seconds)}
-                        </span>
-                      )}
-                    </div>
-                  )}
+                        {active.duration_seconds != null && (
+                          <span>
+                            {metaSep}
+                            {formatDuration(active.duration_seconds)}
+                          </span>
+                        )}
+                        {active.live_status === "was_live" && (
+                          <span className="bg-accent text-accent-fg text-3xs font-semibold uppercase tracking-wide px-1.5 py-0.5 rounded-sm">
+                            {t("player.stream")}
+                          </span>
+                        )}
+                      </div>
+                    ) : (
+                      // Linked video's stats come from the (already-fetched) video detail.
+                      <div
+                        className={`flex flex-wrap items-center gap-x-2 gap-y-0.5 text-sm text-muted ${wide ? META_OWN_LINE : META_MIN}`}
+                      >
+                        {detail.data?.view_count != null && (
+                          <span>
+                            {metaSep}
+                            {t("player.views", {
+                              count: detail.data.view_count,
+                              formattedCount: formatCompact(detail.data.view_count, lang),
+                            })}
+                          </span>
+                        )}
+                        {detail.data?.published_at && (
+                          <span>
+                            {metaSep}
+                            {relativeTime(detail.data.published_at, lang, t)} ·{" "}
+                            {fullDate(detail.data.published_at)}
+                          </span>
+                        )}
+                        {detail.data?.duration_seconds != null && (
+                          <span>
+                            {metaSep}
+                            {formatDuration(detail.data.duration_seconds)}
+                          </span>
+                        )}
+                      </div>
+                    )}
 
-                  {/* Reliable, discoverable path into our big view straight from the windowed player —
+                    {/* Reliable, discoverable path into our big view straight from the windowed player —
                 the docked bar's controls (incl. our own true-fullscreen ⛶) are off-screen here, and
                 the only fullscreen button previously reachable in the windowed video was YouTube's
                 own (which hides our chrome). Mirrors the F key (maximise, a CSS big view); from there
                 the docked bar offers OUR true fullscreen. */}
-                  {!navigated && (
-                    // Narrow: the actions end the channel line. Wide: their own line in the panel.
-                    <div className={`flex items-center gap-3 ${wide ? "flex-wrap" : "ml-auto"}`}>
-                      <IconButton
-                        variant="outline"
-                        size="md"
-                        onClick={toggleFullscreen}
-                        label={t("player.fullscreen")}
-                        title={`${t("player.fullscreen")} · F`}
-                      >
-                        <Maximize />
-                      </IconButton>
-                      <AddToPlaylist videoId={active.id} variant="outline" size="md" />
-                      <DownloadButton
-                        videoId={active.id}
-                        title={active.title}
-                        variant="outline"
-                        size="md"
-                      />
-                      {onRemoveFromList && (
+                    {!navigated && (
+                      // Narrow: the actions end the channel line. Wide: their own line in the panel.
+                      <div className={`flex items-center gap-3 ${wide ? "flex-wrap" : "ml-auto"}`}>
                         <IconButton
-                          variant="outline-danger"
+                          variant="outline"
                           size="md"
-                          onClick={() => void removeFromList()}
-                          // Named with its object, like the list's menu row: a bare "Remove" among Fullscreen /
-                          // Download / Mark watched reads as "delete this video".
-                          label={t("playlists.removeItemOf", { title: active.title })}
-                          title={t("playlists.removeItem")}
+                          onClick={toggleFullscreen}
+                          label={t("player.fullscreen")}
+                          title={`${t("player.fullscreen")} · F`}
                         >
-                          <Trash2 />
+                          <Maximize />
                         </IconButton>
-                      )}
-                      <Button
-                        variant="outline"
-                        size="sm"
-                        pressed={watched}
-                        onClick={() => setWatched(!watched)}
-                        title={watched ? t("player.watchedUnmark") : t("player.markWatched")}
-                        icon={watched ? <CheckCheck /> : <Check />}
-                      >
-                        {watched ? t("player.watched") : t("player.markWatched")}
-                      </Button>
-                    </div>
+                        <AddToPlaylist videoId={active.id} variant="outline" size="md" />
+                        <DownloadButton
+                          videoId={active.id}
+                          title={active.title}
+                          variant="outline"
+                          size="md"
+                        />
+                        {onRemoveFromList && (
+                          <IconButton
+                            variant="outline-danger"
+                            size="md"
+                            onClick={() => void removeFromList()}
+                            // Named with its object, like the list's menu row: a bare "Remove" among Fullscreen /
+                            // Download / Mark watched reads as "delete this video".
+                            label={t("playlists.removeItemOf", { title: active.title })}
+                            title={t("playlists.removeItem")}
+                          >
+                            <Trash2 />
+                          </IconButton>
+                        )}
+                        <Button
+                          variant="outline"
+                          size="sm"
+                          pressed={watched}
+                          onClick={() => setWatched(!watched)}
+                          title={watched ? t("player.watchedUnmark") : t("player.markWatched")}
+                          icon={watched ? <CheckCheck /> : <Check />}
+                        >
+                          {watched ? t("player.watched") : t("player.markWatched")}
+                        </Button>
+                      </div>
+                    )}
+                  </div>
+                  {wide && (
+                    <section className="mt-5" data-testid="player-description">
+                      <SectionLabel level={3} className="mb-2">
+                        {t("player.description")}
+                      </SectionLabel>
+                      <PlayerDescription
+                        className="text-sm whitespace-pre-wrap wrap-break-word leading-relaxed"
+                        clamp
+                        {...descriptionProps}
+                      />
+                    </section>
                   )}
                 </div>
-                {wide && (
-                  <section className="mt-5" data-testid="player-description">
-                    <SectionLabel level={3} className="mb-2">
-                      {t("player.description")}
-                    </SectionLabel>
-                    <PlayerDescription
-                      className="text-sm whitespace-pre-wrap wrap-break-word leading-relaxed"
-                      {...descriptionProps}
-                    />
-                  </section>
-                )}
               </div>
-            </div>
+            )}
           </div>
         </div>
-        {hasQueue && (
-          <Pressable
-            onClick={(e) => {
-              e.stopPropagation();
-              goNext();
-            }}
-            disabled={index >= queue!.length - 1}
-            aria-label={t("player.next")}
-            title={`${t("player.next")} · Shift+→`}
-            className="absolute right-0 top-0 bottom-0 hidden w-12 place-items-center rounded-2xl bg-white/5 text-white/40 backdrop-blur-xs transition hover:bg-white/15 hover:text-white disabled:pointer-events-none disabled:opacity-0 sm:grid"
-          >
-            <ChevronRight className="h-8 w-8" />
-          </Pressable>
-        )}
       </div>
       {/* Toasts raised while the player is open (a failed Remove, a lost connection) — the app's own
           Toaster is underneath this scrim. See ui/Toaster. In true fullscreen it moves into the
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/playerModalControls.tsx b/frontend/src/components/playerModalControls.tsx
index eb92132d..1ad217ab 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/playerModalControls.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/playerModalControls.tsx
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import type { VideoDetail } from "../lib/api";
 import type { AutoMode, LoopMode } from "../lib/playerModes";
 import { Button } from "./ui/Button";
 import { StateMessage } from "./ui/QueryState";
+import { ClampedText } from "./ui/ClampedText";
 import { renderDescription } from "./descriptionLinks";
 
 // Presentational controls for the YouTube modal player (PlayerModal), split out of the god component —
@@ -109,7 +110,8 @@ export function PlayerTransportControls({
 /** The description, said the same way in its two places (the popover under 1280 px, the panel beside
  *  the video above it): loading, failed with a retry, the text in the caller's box, or none. One
  *  ladder, so the two cannot drift (the failed state was once tested in the panel only).
- *  `ref` / `style` / `className` dress the text's box only. */
+ *  `ref` / `style` / `className` dress the text's box only. `clamp` cuts it to three lines with a
+ *  More / Less (the panel, where the description sits under the actions and is rarely read whole). */
 export function PlayerDescription({
   detail,
   currentId,
@@ -118,6 +120,7 @@ export function PlayerDescription({
   className,
   style,
   ref,
+  clamp = false,
 }: {
   detail: { isLoading: boolean; isError: boolean; data?: VideoDetail; refetch: () => unknown };
   currentId: string;
@@ -126,6 +129,7 @@ export function PlayerDescription({
   className: string;
   style?: CSSProperties;
   ref?: Ref<HTMLDivElement>;
+  clamp?: boolean;
 }) {
   const { t } = useTranslation();
   if (detail.isLoading) return <div className="text-sm text-muted">{t("player.loading")}</div>;
@@ -137,6 +141,18 @@ export function PlayerDescription({
     );
   const text = detail.data?.description;
   if (!text) return <div className="text-sm text-muted">{t("player.noDescription")}</div>;
+  if (clamp)
+    return (
+      <ClampedText
+        text={text}
+        lines={3}
+        moreLabel={t("player.descriptionMore")}
+        lessLabel={t("player.descriptionLess")}
+        textClassName={className}
+      >
+        {renderDescription(text, { currentId, onSeek, onLoadVideo, t })}
+      </ClampedText>
+    );
   return (
     <div ref={ref} style={style} className={className}>
       {renderDescription(text, { currentId, onSeek, onLoadVideo, t })}
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/ui/ClampedText.tsx b/frontend/src/components/ui/ClampedText.tsx
index 41ddf634..a331a29f 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/ui/ClampedText.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/ui/ClampedText.tsx
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { useLayoutEffect, useRef, useState } from "react";
+import { useLayoutEffect, useRef, useState, type ReactNode } from "react";
 import { Button } from "./Button";
 
 // Static class names, so Tailwind sees them.
@@ -8,19 +8,25 @@ const CLAMP = { 3: "line-clamp-3", 5: "line-clamp-5", 8: "line-clamp-8" } as con
  *  when the text is actually cut — measured, so a short text carries no dead button. Re-measured on a
  *  resize: the window and the text-size slider both move where the cut falls. Another text starts
  *  collapsed: a view reused for the next item (a show page opening another show) must not open its
- *  text already expanded. */
+ *  text already expanded. `children` draws the text in a richer form (a description's links and
+ *  timestamps); `text` still names it, so another text is still another text. */
 export function ClampedText({
   text,
   lines,
   moreLabel,
   lessLabel,
   className,
+  textClassName = "measure whitespace-pre-line text-sm leading-relaxed text-muted",
+  children,
 }: {
   text: string;
   lines: keyof typeof CLAMP;
   moreLabel: string;
   lessLabel: string;
   className?: string;
+  /** The text box's own dress (the default: a summary's muted paragraph). */
+  textClassName?: string;
+  children?: ReactNode;
 }) {
   const [expanded, setExpanded] = useState(false);
   const [clipped, setClipped] = useState(false);
@@ -29,7 +35,7 @@ export function ClampedText({
     setShown(text);
     setExpanded(false);
   }
-  const ref = useRef<HTMLParagraphElement>(null);
+  const ref = useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null);
   useLayoutEffect(() => {
     const el = ref.current;
     if (!el || expanded) return;
@@ -41,12 +47,9 @@ export function ClampedText({
   }, [text, expanded]);
   return (
     <div className={className}>
-      <p
-        ref={ref}
-        className={`measure whitespace-pre-line text-sm leading-relaxed text-muted ${expanded ? "" : CLAMP[lines]}`}
-      >
-        {text}
-      </p>
+      <div ref={ref} className={`${textClassName} ${expanded ? "" : CLAMP[lines]}`}>
+        {children ?? text}
+      </div>
       {(clipped || expanded) && (
         <Button
           variant="link"
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/ui/pressableSelectable.contract.test.ts b/frontend/src/components/ui/pressableSelectable.contract.test.ts
index 03e99279..c16e9881 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/ui/pressableSelectable.contract.test.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/components/ui/pressableSelectable.contract.test.ts
@@ -24,7 +24,6 @@ const PLAIN: Record<string, [number, string]> = {
   "LanguageSwitcher.tsx": [1, "an option row"],
   "NavSidebar.tsx": [4, "the account trigger and its menu rows"],
   "PaletteLauncher.tsx": [2, "launcher controls"],
-  "PlayerModal.tsx": [2, "previous / next arrows"],
   "PlaylistsRail.tsx": [1, "the load-error retry"],
   "PlexCollectionEditor.tsx": [1, "a checkbox row in a picker"],
   "PlexInfo.tsx": [1, "the rating filter (a number)"],
diff --git a/frontend/src/i18n/locales/en/player.json b/frontend/src/i18n/locales/en/player.json
index ac70e6d0..6ab34ace 100644
--- a/frontend/src/i18n/locales/en/player.json
+++ b/frontend/src/i18n/locales/en/player.json
@@ -24,6 +24,10 @@
   "description": "Description",
   "noDescription": "No description.",
   "descriptionFailed": "Couldn't load the description",
+  "descriptionMore": "More",
+  "descriptionLess": "Less",
+  "collapsePanel": "Hide the details",
+  "expandPanel": "Show the details",
   "channel": "Channel",
   "views": "{{formattedCount}} views",
   "stream": "stream",
diff --git a/frontend/src/i18n/locales/hu/player.json b/frontend/src/i18n/locales/hu/player.json
index b150a7c0..ab9ca61a 100644
--- a/frontend/src/i18n/locales/hu/player.json
+++ b/frontend/src/i18n/locales/hu/player.json
@@ -24,6 +24,10 @@
   "description": "Leírás",
   "noDescription": "Nincs leírás.",
   "descriptionFailed": "Nem sikerült betölteni a leírást",
+  "descriptionMore": "Több",
+  "descriptionLess": "Kevesebb",
+  "collapsePanel": "Részletek elrejtése",
+  "expandPanel": "Részletek megjelenítése",
   "channel": "Csatorna",
   "views": "{{formattedCount}} megtekintés",
   "stream": "élő adás",
diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/playerModalHooks.ts b/frontend/src/lib/playerModalHooks.ts
index d630393c..3b283d65 100644
--- a/frontend/src/lib/playerModalHooks.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/playerModalHooks.ts
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ function loadYouTubeApi(): Promise<YTNamespace> {
  * per video and always starts at 100, so the level lives in a ref and onReady re-applies it. Level 0 IS
  * the muted state (that's how YouTube's own control behaves), so there's no separate `muted` flag.
  * Mouse-wheel over the WHOLE modal (backdrop + card) adjusts volume, not just the small player area —
- * except over a `[data-wheel-scrolls]` panel that can still scroll that way. */
+ * except over a `[data-wheel-scrolls]` panel that has anything to scroll, which keeps the wheel. */
 export function useYtVolume({
   playerRef,
   dialogRef,
@@ -154,15 +154,17 @@ export function useYtVolume({
   const onWheelSpin = useEffectEvent((e: WheelEvent) => {
     // Ctrl/⌘+wheel is the browser's zoom gesture — never swallow it.
     if (e.ctrlKey || e.metaKey) return;
-    // Over a panel that can still scroll that way, the wheel scrolls it: the wide player's side panel
-    // holds the description, which a wheel spent on the volume could never be read past.
-    const panel =
-      e.target instanceof Element ? e.target.closest<HTMLElement>("[data-wheel-scrolls]") : null;
+    // One gesture, one meaning (owner): over a panel with something to scroll the wheel only ever
+    // scrolls it — at its end too, where it once fell through to the volume mid-spin. Over the video,
+    // or a panel that fits, it is the volume. The nearer mark wins: the video inside a stacked card
+    // that scrolls is still the volume.
+    const zone =
+      e.target instanceof Element
+        ? e.target.closest<HTMLElement>("[data-wheel-scrolls],[data-wheel-volume]")
+        : null;
     if (
-      panel &&
-      (e.deltaY < 0
-        ? panel.scrollTop > 0
-        : panel.scrollTop + panel.clientHeight < panel.scrollHeight - 1) // -1: sub-pixel heights
+      zone?.hasAttribute("data-wheel-scrolls") &&
+      zone.scrollHeight > zone.clientHeight + 1 // +1: sub-pixel heights
     )
       return;
     e.preventDefault();