diff --git a/src/components/PostCard.tsx b/src/components/PostCard.tsx
index 6616418..fb87ac7 100644
--- a/src/components/PostCard.tsx
+++ b/src/components/PostCard.tsx
@@ -87,9 +87,9 @@ export function PostCard({ post, now, onToggleLike, likeBusy, likeError, onSigne
       {deleteError ? <p className="like-error" role="alert">Could not delete the post.</p> : null}
       {post.text ? <p className="post-text">{post.text}</p> : null}
       {post.media.map((m, i) =>
-        m.kind === "video" && m.hlsUrl ? (
+        m.kind === "video" && (m.mp4Url || m.hlsUrl) ? (
           <div className="post-media post-video" key={i}>
-            <VideoPlayer hlsUrl={m.hlsUrl} poster={m.src} label={`Video from ${post.authorName}`} />
+            <VideoPlayer mp4Url={m.mp4Url} hlsUrl={m.hlsUrl} poster={m.src} label={`Video from ${post.authorName}`} />
           </div>
         ) : m.src ? (
           <div className={m.kind === "video" ? "post-media post-video" : "post-media"} key={i}>
diff --git a/src/components/VideoPlayer.tsx b/src/components/VideoPlayer.tsx
index dfb5f63..8c2c73e 100644
--- a/src/components/VideoPlayer.tsx
+++ b/src/components/VideoPlayer.tsx
@@ -4,7 +4,8 @@ import { useEffect, useRef, useState } from "react";
 import { choosePlayback, supportsNativeHls } from "@/lib/video-playback";
 
 export interface VideoPlayerProps {
-  hlsUrl: string;
+  mp4Url?: string | null;
+  hlsUrl?: string | null;
   poster: string | null;
   label: string;
 }
@@ -12,17 +13,19 @@ export interface VideoPlayerProps {
 const UNPLAYABLE = "Video can't be played here.";
 
 /**
- * Real <video controls>. hls.js (loaded only when a video card mounts) is
- * preferred; native HLS is used only where hls.js is unsupported. Never
+ * Real <video controls>. Order: direct mp4Url (plain progressive source), else
+ * hls.js (lazy-loaded, only for the HLS path; native HLS only where hls.js is
+ * unsupported), else thumbnail only. Never
  * autoplays. Any failure falls back to the thumbnail with a short note.
  */
-export function VideoPlayer({ hlsUrl, poster, label }: VideoPlayerProps) {
+export function VideoPlayer({ mp4Url, hlsUrl, poster, label }: VideoPlayerProps) {
   const ref = useRef<HTMLVideoElement>(null);
   const [failed, setFailed] = useState(false);
 
   useEffect(() => {
     const video = ref.current;
-    if (!video) return;
+    // A progressive MP4 needs no hls.js; only the HLS fallback loads it.
+    if (!video || mp4Url || !hlsUrl) return;
     let destroy: (() => void) | undefined;
     let cancelled = false;
     import("hls.js")
@@ -51,7 +54,7 @@ export function VideoPlayer({ hlsUrl, poster, label }: VideoPlayerProps) {
       cancelled = true;
       destroy?.();
     };
-  }, [hlsUrl]);
+  }, [mp4Url, hlsUrl]);
 
   if (failed) {
     return (
@@ -64,9 +67,16 @@ export function VideoPlayer({ hlsUrl, poster, label }: VideoPlayerProps) {
       </div>
     );
   }
+  if (!mp4Url && !hlsUrl) {
+    return poster ? (
+      // eslint-disable-next-line @next/next/no-img-element
+      <img src={poster} alt="Video thumbnail" loading="lazy" />
+    ) : null;
+  }
   return (
     <video
       ref={ref}
+      src={mp4Url ?? undefined}
       controls
       playsInline
       preload="none"
diff --git a/src/lib/feed-model.ts b/src/lib/feed-model.ts
index 13147f2..a19feb1 100644
--- a/src/lib/feed-model.ts
+++ b/src/lib/feed-model.ts
@@ -7,6 +7,8 @@ export interface CardMedia {
   src: string | null;
   /** Mux HLS playlist (videos only). Null when the video is not ready yet. */
   hlsUrl?: string | null;
+  /** Direct progressive MP4 on the feed CDN (videos only). Preferred for playback. */
+  mp4Url?: string | null;
 }
 
 export interface CardPost {
@@ -65,6 +67,18 @@ export function muxHlsUrl(v: unknown): string | null {
   }
 }
 
+/** The MP4 URL only when it is https on the feed CDN. */
+export function feedMp4Url(v: unknown): string | null {
+  const s = str(v);
+  if (!s) return null;
+  try {
+    const u = new URL(s);
+    return u.protocol === "https:" && u.hostname === "cdn.feed.sharedservices.vt.com" ? s : null;
+  } catch {
+    return null;
+  }
+}
+
 function toMedia(raw: unknown): CardMedia[] {
   if (!Array.isArray(raw)) return [];
   const items = raw
@@ -76,8 +90,9 @@ function toMedia(raw: unknown): CardMedia[] {
     if (m.mediaType === "video") {
       const thumb = str(m.thumbnailUrl);
       const hls = muxHlsUrl(m.hlsUrl);
-      // Keep a video even with no thumbnail or hlsUrl yet (just published).
-      out.push({ kind: "video", src: thumb, hlsUrl: hls });
+      const mp4 = feedMp4Url(m.mp4Url);
+      // Keep a video even with no thumbnail or playable URL yet (just published).
+      out.push({ kind: "video", src: thumb, hlsUrl: hls, mp4Url: mp4 });
       continue;
     }
     const src = str(m.imageMediumWebpUrl) ?? str(m.imageMediumUrl) ?? str(m.imageUrl);
@@ -143,10 +158,12 @@ export function mergePosts(...lists: CardPost[][]): CardPost[] {
   return sortByPublishedDesc(all);
 }
 
-const hasHls = (p: CardPost) => p.media.some((m) => m.kind === "video" && m.hlsUrl);
+/** A video is playable once it has an mp4Url or an hlsUrl. */
+export const isPlayableVideo = (m: CardMedia) => m.kind === "video" && !!(m.mp4Url || m.hlsUrl);
+const hasPlayable = (p: CardPost) => p.media.some(isPlayableVideo);
 
 /**
- * Swap in the media of shown posts whose video gained an hlsUrl on a refresh
+ * Swap in the media of shown posts whose video gained an mp4Url or hlsUrl on a refresh
  * (transcoding finished), so the thumbnail upgrades to the player in place.
  * Returns the same array when nothing changed.
  */
@@ -155,7 +172,7 @@ export function upgradeVideos(current: CardPost[], fresh: CardPost[]): CardPost[
   let changed = false;
   const next = current.map((p) => {
     const f = byKey.get(p.key);
-    if (f && !hasHls(p) && hasHls(f)) {
+    if (f && !hasPlayable(p) && hasPlayable(f)) {
       changed = true;
       return { ...p, media: f.media };
     }
diff --git a/tests/feed-view.test.ts b/tests/feed-view.test.ts
index 237c62f..48bcfbb 100644
--- a/tests/feed-view.test.ts
+++ b/tests/feed-view.test.ts
@@ -144,7 +144,7 @@ describe("video transcoding", () => {
 
   it("keeps a just-published video as a thumbnail with no hlsUrl", () => {
     const [p] = vid(null);
-    expect(p.media).toEqual([{ kind: "video", src: "https://i/t.jpg", hlsUrl: null }]);
+    expect(p.media).toEqual([{ kind: "video", src: "https://i/t.jpg", hlsUrl: null, mp4Url: null }]);
   });
 
   it("keeps a video with neither thumbnail nor hlsUrl as a pending card", () => {
@@ -161,6 +161,22 @@ describe("video transcoding", () => {
     expect(upgradeVideos(shown, vid(null))).toBe(shown);
   });
 
+  it("captures mp4Url on the feed CDN and rejects other hosts", () => {
+    const mk = (u: unknown) =>
+      toCardPosts([post("9", "2026-10-19T10:00:00Z", { mediaItems: [{ mediaType: "video", thumbnailUrl: "https://i/t.jpg", mp4Url: u }] })])[0].media[0];
+    expect(mk("https://cdn.feed.sharedservices.vt.com/v.mp4").mp4Url).toBe("https://cdn.feed.sharedservices.vt.com/v.mp4");
+    expect(mk("https://evil.example/v.mp4").mp4Url).toBeNull();
+    expect(mk("http://cdn.feed.sharedservices.vt.com/v.mp4").mp4Url).toBeNull();
+  });
+
+  it("upgrades the thumbnail in place when only mp4Url appears", () => {
+    const withMp4 = toCardPosts([post("7", "2026-10-19T10:00:00Z", { mediaItems: [{ mediaType: "video", thumbnailUrl: "https://i/t.jpg", mp4Url: "https://cdn.feed.sharedservices.vt.com/v.mp4" }] })]);
+    const shown = vid(null);
+    const next = upgradeVideos(shown, withMp4);
+    expect(next[0].media[0].mp4Url).toContain("cdn.feed");
+    expect(upgradeVideos(next, vid(null))).toBe(next);
+  });
+
   it("renders the thumbnail while transcoding and the player once hlsUrl is present", () => {
     const html = render({ posts: vid(null) });
     expect(html).toContain("https://i/t.jpg");
diff --git a/tests/video-playback.test.ts b/tests/video-playback.test.ts
index 6a96356..092f8fb 100644
--- a/tests/video-playback.test.ts
+++ b/tests/video-playback.test.ts
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import { PostCard } from "@/components/PostCard";
 import { toCardPosts } from "@/lib/feed-model";
 import { choosePlayback, supportsNativeHls } from "@/lib/video-playback";
 
+const MP4 = "https://cdn.feed.sharedservices.vt.com/v.mp4";
 const HLS = "https://stream.mux.com/abc.m3u8";
 const item = (media: Record<string, unknown>) => ({
   type: "post",
@@ -55,4 +56,24 @@ describe("video media in the card", () => {
     expect(out).not.toContain("<video");
     expect(out).toContain('src="https://i/v.jpg"');
   });
+  it("prefers mp4Url: plain video source, no hls.js needed", () => {
+    const out = html({ ...video, hlsUrl: HLS, mp4Url: MP4 });
+    expect(out).toContain("<video");
+    expect(out).toContain(`src="${MP4}"`);
+    expect(out).toContain('poster="https://i/v.jpg"');
+    expect(out).not.toContain("m3u8");
+    expect(out).not.toContain("autoplay");
+  });
+  it("mp4Url alone renders the player", () => {
+    expect(html({ ...video, mp4Url: MP4 })).toContain(`src="${MP4}"`);
+  });
+  it("hls-only video renders a video without a src (hls.js attaches it)", () => {
+    const out = html({ ...video, hlsUrl: HLS });
+    expect(out).toContain("<video");
+    expect(out).not.toContain(`src="${HLS}"`);
+  });
+  it("rejects an mp4Url off the feed CDN", () => {
+    const out = html({ ...video, mp4Url: "https://evil.example/v.mp4" });
+    expect(out).not.toContain("<video");
+  });
 });