MediaBrief

Paste a link. Read the brief on your Mac.

MediaBrief is a free Mac app for Apple Silicon. Paste a YouTube, Bilibili, or podcast link, or drop a local file. Subtitles first. Whisper only when captions are missing. The summary appears while the full transcript finishes. No account.

Download for Apple Silicon View source

Version 1.0.0. Signed and notarized DMG from GitHub Releases. MIT licensed.

MediaBrief transcribe page with a pasted link and a streamed summary

How it works

  • Subtitles first. Existing captions are used without downloading audio.
  • Local transcription with mlx-whisper when captions are missing.
  • The summary appears while the full transcript is still being cleaned up.
  • History stays on this Mac. RSS, export, and optional bots are included.
MediaBrief RSS page with feed subscriptions MediaBrief history page with saved summaries

Install

Download the DMG, drag MediaBrief into Applications, then open it. First launch prepares the default transcription model in the background (about 1.6 GB). You do not install Python, FFmpeg, or Deno yourself.

Needs an Apple Silicon Mac. Intel Mac, Windows, and the Mac App Store are not in this release. Some sites fail; membership, DRM, and private videos are not unlocked.

Updates

There is no silent updater. In the app, Check for Updates opens this page. Download a new DMG when you want a newer build. yt-dlp inside the app still refreshes itself on a weekly schedule.

Questions

Is MediaBrief free?

Yes. It is MIT licensed. There is no account, purchase, or trial.

What Mac do I need?

An Apple Silicon Mac. Intel Mac, Windows, and the Mac App Store are not in this release.

How is this different from Otter or a YouTube summary extension?

It runs on your Mac, takes 30+ sites plus local files, keeps a full transcript and history, and can subscribe to RSS or YouTube channels.

Does my video leave this computer?

The file stays on the Mac. Transcript text is sent to an AI API for cleanup and summary. Details are on the privacy page.