diff --git a/app/src/main/java/net/jeena/jtubetv/ui/screens/HomeScreen.kt b/app/src/main/java/net/jeena/jtubetv/ui/screens/HomeScreen.kt
index 019e2ff..5f8726b 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/net/jeena/jtubetv/ui/screens/HomeScreen.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/net/jeena/jtubetv/ui/screens/HomeScreen.kt
@@ -91,6 +91,8 @@ fun HomeScreen(viewModel: AppViewModel = androidx.lifecycle.viewmodel.compose.vi
     var playingVideo by rememberSaveable { mutableStateOf<String?>(null) }  // shortUUID
     // Non-null while the playing video lives on ANOTHER instance (vidiverse results).
     var playingVideoHost by rememberSaveable { mutableStateOf<String?>(null) }
+    // Thumbnail of the opened card — shown as the player's poster while it loads.
+    var playingVideoThumb by rememberSaveable { mutableStateOf<String?>(null) }
     var restoreToken by rememberSaveable { mutableStateOf(0) } // increments when playback ends
     var drawerOpen by rememberSaveable { mutableStateOf(false) }
     val context = androidx.compose.ui.platform.LocalContext.current
@@ -175,6 +177,8 @@ fun HomeScreen(viewModel: AppViewModel = androidx.lifecycle.viewmodel.compose.vi
                     val localHost = AppGraph.tokenStore.baseUrl?.substringAfter("://")?.substringBefore('/')
                     val host = video.channel.host
                     playingVideoHost = if (host != null && host != localHost) host else null
+                    playingVideoThumb = video.thumbnailUrl
+                        ?: video.thumbnailPath?.takeIf { it.isNotBlank() }?.let { AppGraph.repository.absoluteUrl(it) }
                     playingVideo = video.shortUUID
                 }
                 Box(modifier = Modifier.fillMaxSize()) {
@@ -273,13 +277,15 @@ fun HomeScreen(viewModel: AppViewModel = androidx.lifecycle.viewmodel.compose.vi
             PlayerScreen(
                 shortUuid = playingVideo!!,
                 sourceHost = playingVideoHost,
+                posterUrl = playingVideoThumb,
                 onBack = { playingVideo = null },
                 onOpenChannel = { handle, displayName ->
                     playingVideo = null
                     channelDetails = handle
                     channelName = displayName
                 },
-                onOpenVideo = { playingVideo = it; playingVideoHost = null },
+                // A link-opened video has no card thumbnail to pose with.
+                onOpenVideo = { playingVideo = it; playingVideoHost = null; playingVideoThumb = null },
             )
         }
     }
diff --git a/app/src/main/java/net/jeena/jtubetv/ui/screens/PlayerScreen.kt b/app/src/main/java/net/jeena/jtubetv/ui/screens/PlayerScreen.kt
index 3ba847b..95bcf0a 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/net/jeena/jtubetv/ui/screens/PlayerScreen.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/net/jeena/jtubetv/ui/screens/PlayerScreen.kt
@@ -207,6 +207,9 @@ fun PlayerScreen(
     onBack: () -> Unit,
     /** Set when the video lives on another instance (vidiverse search results). */
     sourceHost: String? = null,
+    /** Thumbnail of the opened card, shown full-screen while the metadata loads so
+     *  the player doesn't flash black before buffering starts (user report). */
+    posterUrl: String? = null,
     // From the info sidebar's local PeerTube video links: switches the player over.
     onOpenVideo: (String) -> Unit = {},
     // From the paused/controls overlay's channel icon: (handle, displayName),
@@ -227,15 +230,27 @@ fun PlayerScreen(
     }
 
     when (val s = state) {
-        is PlayerUiState.Loading -> PlayerLoading()
+        is PlayerUiState.Loading -> PlayerLoading(posterUrl)
         is PlayerUiState.Error -> PlayerError(s.message, viewModel, onBack)
         is PlayerUiState.Ready -> PlayerSurface(s, viewModel, shortUuid, onBack, onOpenChannel, onOpenVideo)
     }
 }
 
 @Composable
-private fun PlayerLoading() {
+private fun PlayerLoading(posterUrl: String? = null) {
     Box(Modifier.fillMaxSize().background(Color.Black), contentAlignment = Alignment.Center) {
+        // Show the card's thumbnail (dimmed) while the metadata resolves, so the
+        // player opens onto the video's own poster instead of plain black; it
+        // hands off seamlessly to the buffering thumbnail once the stream is ready.
+        if (posterUrl != null) {
+            coil.compose.AsyncImage(
+                model = posterUrl,
+                contentDescription = null,
+                contentScale = ContentScale.Crop,
+                modifier = Modifier.fillMaxSize(),
+            )
+            Box(Modifier.fillMaxSize().background(Color(0xB3000000)))
+        }
         CircularProgressIndicator()
     }
 }