diff --git a/vidflow.html b/vidflow.html
index 0631a04..d6fb8d9 100644
--- a/vidflow.html
+++ b/vidflow.html
@@ -72,6 +72,10 @@ html,body{width:100%;height:100%;overflow:hidden;background:var(--bg);font-famil
 .gl{position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;width:180px;background:linear-gradient(90deg,rgba(6,6,15,.85) 0%,rgba(6,6,15,.4) 50%,transparent 100%);z-index:2;pointer-events:none}
 #scanlines{position:absolute;inset:0;z-index:3;pointer-events:none;background:repeating-linear-gradient(0deg,transparent,transparent 3px,rgba(0,0,0,.055) 3px,rgba(0,0,0,.055) 4px);opacity:.5}
 #sc{position:absolute;inset:0;z-index:11;display:none}
+#ch-flash{position:absolute;inset:0;z-index:12;display:flex;align-items:center;justify-content:center;pointer-events:none;opacity:0}
+#ch-flash.active{animation:ch-show 2s ease forwards}
+#chf-num{font-family:var(--font-d);font-size:min(13vw,96px);color:var(--accent);letter-spacing:4px;text-shadow:0 0 60px rgba(255,34,0,.6),0 2px 12px rgba(0,0,0,.9)}
+@keyframes ch-show{0%{opacity:0}10%{opacity:1}80%{opacity:1}100%{opacity:0}}
 
 /* No channel */
 #nco{position:absolute;inset:0;z-index:6;display:flex;align-items:center;justify-content:center;background:var(--bg);background-image:radial-gradient(ellipse 70% 50% at 50% 50%,rgba(255,34,0,.07) 0%,transparent 70%)}
@@ -353,6 +357,8 @@ body.idle .gt,body.idle .gb,body.idle .gr,body.idle .gl{opacity:0;transition:opa
   <div id="tc"><div class="tc-bar"></div><div class="tc-artist" id="tc-artist"></div><div class="tc-title" id="tc-title"></div></div>
   <div id="scanlines"></div>
   <canvas id="sc"></canvas>
+  <!-- Channel number overlay — fades in/holds/fades out independently of static canvas -->
+  <div id="ch-flash"><span id="chf-num"></span></div>
 
   <!-- ── NCO MODAL (shown until first channel is added) ── -->
   <div id="nco">
@@ -450,7 +456,9 @@ const A = {
   tickerRaf:null, tickerPos:9999, tcTimer:null, idleTimer:null,
   tab:'channels',
   lastActivity:Date.now(), isIdle:false,
-  popoutWin:null
+  popoutWin:null,
+  prefetchNext:null,  // video ID last checked by checkNextVid
+  prefetchOk:true     // whether that video is playable (optimistic default)
 };
 const FD = "'Bebas Neue',Impact,'Arial Black',sans-serif";
 const DEBUG = false;
@@ -534,13 +542,21 @@ function onPState(e){
     pb.textContent='⏸'; A.playing=true;
     updateNP(); startPB(); hideTap(); hideNCO();
     try{ window.focus(); }catch(err){}
+    setTimeout(checkNextVid, 2000); // preflight the next video after player settles
   } else if(e.data===S.PAUSED){
     pb.textContent='▶'; A.playing=false;
   } else if(e.data===S.CUED||e.data===-1){
     // browser blocked autoplay — prompt user to tap
     pb.textContent='▶'; A.playing=false; showTap();
   } else if(e.data===S.ENDED){
-    try{ A.player.nextVideo(); }catch(e){}
+    if(A.prefetchOk === false){
+      // Next video known-bad — advance twice to skip over it, then reset
+      try{ A.player.nextVideo(); A.player.nextVideo(); }catch(e){}
+      A.prefetchOk = true;
+    } else {
+      try{ A.player.nextVideo(); }catch(e){}
+    }
+    // Fallback: if player stalls at ENDED (e.g. single-video playlist), restart from beginning
     setTimeout(()=>{
       try{
         if(A.player?.getPlayerState?.()===YT.PlayerState.ENDED) A.player.playVideoAt(0);
@@ -549,13 +565,15 @@ function onPState(e){
   }
 }
 
-// Player error (private video, geo-blocked, etc.) — wait 1.2s then skip
-function onPErr(e){ dbg('onPErr',e?.data); hideLoad(); setTimeout(()=>A.player?.nextVideo?.(),1200); }
+// Player error (private video, geo-blocked, deleted, etc.) — skip quickly now that prefetch catches most cases
+function onPErr(e){ dbg('onPErr',e?.data); hideLoad(); setTimeout(()=>A.player?.nextVideo?.(),400); }
 
 // ── Channel flip static effect ──
 // Renders a TV-static transition on #sc canvas before switching channels — chNum is 0-indexed channel index
 function flip(chNum, cb){
   const cv=qs('#sc');
+  // Show channel number overlay: CSS animation handles fade-in, hold, fade-out (~2s)
+  const fl=qs('#ch-flash'),fn=qs('#chf-num'); if(fl&&fn){ fn.textContent='CH '+(chNum+1); fl.classList.remove('active'); void fl.offsetWidth; fl.classList.add('active'); }
   cv.width=window.innerWidth; cv.height=window.innerHeight;
   cv.style.display='block';
   const ctx=cv.getContext('2d');
@@ -569,14 +587,6 @@ function flip(chNum, cb){
       d[i]=v;d[i+1]=v;d[i+2]=v;d[i+3]=fade;
     }
     ctx.putImageData(img,0,0);
-    // Briefly flash the channel number in the middle of the static burst
-    if(f>=4&&f<=15){
-      const alpha=1-Math.abs(f-9.5)/9;
-      ctx.fillStyle=`rgba(255,34,0,${alpha*.92})`;
-      ctx.font=`bold ${Math.min(cv.width*.13,96)}px ${FD}`;
-      ctx.textAlign='center'; ctx.textBaseline='middle';
-      ctx.fillText('CH '+(chNum+1), cv.width/2, cv.height/2);
-    }
     f++;
     if(f<max) requestAnimationFrame(draw);
     else { cv.style.display='none'; cb?.(); }
@@ -717,6 +727,32 @@ async function validateKey(key){
   if(d.error) throw new Error(d.error.message);
   return true;
 }
+// Preflights the next video in the queue — checks YouTube Data API for deleted/private/non-embeddable.
+// Called 2s after a video starts playing. Sets A.prefetchOk = false if the next video is unplayable.
+// Silently does nothing when no API key is present (demo mode).
+async function checkNextVid(){
+  if(!A.apiKey) return;
+  try{
+    const pl = A.player?.getPlaylist?.();
+    const idx = A.player?.getPlaylistIndex?.();
+    if(!pl || idx == null || !pl.length) return;
+    const nextIdx = (idx + 1) % pl.length;
+    const nextId = pl[nextIdx];
+    if(!nextId || nextId === A.prefetchNext) return; // already checked this video
+    A.prefetchNext = nextId;
+    A.prefetchOk = true; // optimistic until check resolves
+    const data = await apiFetch('videos', {part:'status', id:nextId});
+    if(!data.items?.length){
+      A.prefetchOk = false; // deleted or not found
+    } else {
+      const s = data.items[0].status;
+      A.prefetchOk = s.embeddable !== false && s.privacyStatus !== 'private';
+    }
+    dbg('checkNextVid', nextId, A.prefetchOk);
+  } catch(e){
+    A.prefetchOk = true; // network error or quota — stay optimistic
+  }
+}
 // Extracts a playlist ID from a URL (?list=...), a direct PL... ID, or a bare 20+ char ID
 function extractPID(s){
   s=s.trim();