diff --git a/assets/js/player.js b/assets/js/player.js
index 1b6f212..1aef517 100644
--- a/assets/js/player.js
+++ b/assets/js/player.js
@@ -23,14 +23,30 @@
     if (big) big.addEventListener("click", toggle);
     v.addEventListener("click", toggle);
 
-    v.addEventListener("play", function () { root.classList.add("is-playing"); if (play) play.textContent = "❚❚"; });
-    v.addEventListener("pause", function () { root.classList.remove("is-playing"); if (play) play.textContent = "▶"; });
-    v.addEventListener("loadedmetadata", function () { if (time) time.textContent = "00:00 / " + fmt(v.duration); });
-    v.addEventListener("timeupdate", function () {
+    // drive the scrub bar off rAF instead of `timeupdate` — timeupdate only
+    // fires a handful of times a second (browser-dependent), which made the
+    // fill visibly step instead of glide; rAF ties it to the display's own
+    // refresh rate, only running while actually playing.
+    var raf = null;
+    function sync() {
       var p = v.duration ? v.currentTime / v.duration : 0;
       if (fill) fill.style.width = (p * 100) + "%";
       if (time) time.textContent = fmt(v.currentTime) + " / " + fmt(v.duration || 0);
+    }
+    function tick() { sync(); raf = requestAnimationFrame(tick); }
+
+    v.addEventListener("play", function () {
+      root.classList.add("is-playing"); if (play) play.textContent = "❚❚";
+      if (!raf) raf = requestAnimationFrame(tick);
     });
+    v.addEventListener("pause", function () {
+      root.classList.remove("is-playing"); if (play) play.textContent = "▶";
+      if (raf) { cancelAnimationFrame(raf); raf = null; }
+      sync();   // one last sync so the bar lands exactly on the paused frame
+    });
+    v.addEventListener("ended", function () { if (raf) { cancelAnimationFrame(raf); raf = null; } });
+    v.addEventListener("loadedmetadata", function () { if (time) time.textContent = "00:00 / " + fmt(v.duration); });
+    v.addEventListener("seeked", sync);   // scrubbing while paused still needs to reflect immediately
     if (scrub) scrub.addEventListener("click", function (e) {
       var r = scrub.getBoundingClientRect();
       if (v.duration) v.currentTime = ((e.clientX - r.left) / r.width) * v.duration;
diff --git a/layouts/portfolio/single.html b/layouts/portfolio/single.html
index 2ecb7a8..b6eecc2 100644
--- a/layouts/portfolio/single.html
+++ b/layouts/portfolio/single.html
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@
   <figure class="tui__preview">
     {{ if $video }}
     <div class="player">
-      <video preload="none" playsinline{{ with .Params.thumbnail }} poster="{{ . }}"{{ end }}>
+      <video preload="metadata" playsinline{{ with .Params.thumbnail }} poster="{{ . }}"{{ end }}>
         <source src="{{ $video }}" type="video/mp4">
       </video>
       <button class="player__big" type="button" aria-label="play">▶</button>