diff --git a/internal/api/play.go b/internal/api/play.go
index 94329ae..02ea645 100644
--- a/internal/api/play.go
+++ b/internal/api/play.go
@@ -245,8 +245,38 @@ type transcodeMachine struct {
 }
 
 // getTranscode: GET /api/transcode — the setting, and what every machine can encode on,
-// asked of each now.
+// asked of each now. ?only=selected asks only the chosen machine, for the device's name.
 func (s *Server) getTranscode(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+	if r.URL.Query().Get("only") == "selected" {
+		c := s.transcodeChoice()
+		out := map[string]any{"selected": c}
+		if c != nil {
+			name := c.Device
+			ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(r.Context(), 5*time.Second)
+			defer cancel()
+			var devs []media.Device
+			if c.Node == "" {
+				caps, _ := s.thumbs.capsFor(ctx, false, false)
+				devs = media.Devices(caps)
+			} else if code, b, err := s.nodes.Do(ctx, c.Node, "GET", "/api/files/play-devices", nil, nil); err == nil && code == 200 {
+				var d struct{ Devices []media.Device }
+				_ = json.Unmarshal(b, &d)
+				devs = d.Devices
+			}
+			for _, d := range devs {
+				if d.ID == c.Device {
+					name = d.Name
+				}
+			}
+			host := c.Node
+			if host == "" {
+				host = s.hostName()
+			}
+			out["host"], out["name"] = host, name
+		}
+		jsonOK(w, 200, out)
+		return
+	}
 	names := []string{""}
 	if s.nodes != nil {
 		names = append(names, s.nodes.Names()...)
diff --git a/web/src/Files.tsx b/web/src/Files.tsx
index 80f0027..2eb37bf 100644
--- a/web/src/Files.tsx
+++ b/web/src/Files.tsx
@@ -307,6 +307,9 @@ export default function Files({ onOpenInTerminal }: { onOpenInTerminal?: (cmd: s
   const [thumbs, setThumbs] = useState<ThumbStatus | null>(null)
   const [listEl, setListEl] = useState<HTMLDivElement | null>(null)
   const near = useMemo(() => (listEl && previews ? new Near(listEl) : null), [listEl, previews])
+  // Video previews are made on the Transcode device (Settings), wherever it is.
+  const [tc, setTc] = useState<string>('')
+  useEffect(() => { api.transcodeSelected().then((t) => setTc(t.selected ? `videos on ${t.host}'s ${t.name} (Settings → Transcode device), images on this machine's CPU` : '')).catch(() => {}) }, [])
   const readThumbs = useCallback((refresh = false) => { api.thumbStatus(sudo, refresh).then(setThumbs).catch((e) => setThumbs({ ok: false, engine: '', summary: '', gpus: [], error: e instanceof Error ? e.message : 'failed', user: '', cache: { path: '', entries: 0, bytes: 0 } })) }, [sudo])
   useEffect(() => { try { localStorage.setItem(PREVIEWS_KEY, previews ? '1' : '0') } catch { /* private mode */ } }, [previews])
   useEffect(() => { if (previews) readThumbs(); else setThumbs(null) }, [previews, readThumbs])
@@ -409,7 +412,7 @@ export default function Files({ onOpenInTerminal }: { onOpenInTerminal?: (cmd: s
         <div className="files-tools">
           <button className={'btn' + (sudo ? ' on' : '')} title="browse as root" onClick={() => setSudo(!sudo)}>{sudo ? 'root' : 'sudo'}</button>
           <button className={'btn' + (hidden ? ' on' : '')} title="show hidden files" onClick={() => setHidden(!hidden)}>.hidden</button>
-          <button className={'btn' + (previews ? ' on' : '')} title={'thumbnails for images and videos' + (thumbs ? ` — ${thumbs.summary}` + (thumbs.cache.entries ? ` · ${thumbs.cache.entries} kept (${fmtBytes(thumbs.cache.bytes)})` : '') : '')} onClick={() => setPreviews(!previews)}>previews</button>
+          <button className={'btn' + (previews ? ' on' : '')} title={'thumbnails for images and videos' + (thumbs ? ` — ${tc || thumbs.summary}` + (thumbs.cache.entries ? ` · ${thumbs.cache.entries} kept (${fmtBytes(thumbs.cache.bytes)})` : '') : '')} onClick={() => setPreviews(!previews)}>previews</button>
           <select className="btn" value={sort} onChange={(e) => setSort(e.target.value as Sort)}><option value="name">name</option><option value="size">size</option><option value="mtime">modified</option></select>
           <input className="filter" placeholder="filter" value={q} onChange={(e) => setQ(e.target.value)} />
           <button className="btn" onClick={mkdir}>+ folder</button>
diff --git a/web/src/api.ts b/web/src/api.ts
index ca59890..b618a6e 100644
--- a/web/src/api.ts
+++ b/web/src/api.ts
@@ -298,6 +298,7 @@ export const api = {
   playStatus: (node: string, id: string) => req<PlayStatus>('GET', nodeAPI(node, `/api/files/play/${id}`), undefined, true),
   playStop: (node: string, id: string) => req<void>('DELETE', nodeAPI(node, `/api/files/play/${id}`), undefined, true),
   transcode: () => req<TranscodeSetting>('GET', '/api/transcode', undefined, true),
+  transcodeSelected: () => req<{ selected: { node: string; device: string } | null; host?: string; name?: string }>('GET', '/api/transcode?only=selected', undefined, true),
   setTranscode: (node: string, device: string) => req<TranscodeSetting>('PUT', '/api/transcode', device ? { node, device } : {}, true),
   fileReadURL: (path: string, sudo: boolean) => apiPath(`/api/files/read?${q(path, sudo)}`),
   fileDownloadURL: (path: string, sudo: boolean) => apiPath(`/api/files/download?${q(path, sudo)}`),