diff --git a/tests/test_video_downloads_page.py b/tests/test_video_downloads_page.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..9bc0405f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_video_downloads_page.py
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+"""Downloads page UX overhaul — string-contract level (like test_video_side_shell.py), so a
+refactor that silently drops the per-type theming, the sidebar count, or the new statuses
+fails here."""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+from pathlib import Path
+
+_ROOT = Path(__file__).resolve().parent.parent
+_JS = (_ROOT / "webui" / "static" / "video" / "video-downloads-page.js").read_text(encoding="utf-8")
+_CSS = (_ROOT / "webui" / "static" / "video" / "video-side.css").read_text(encoding="utf-8")
+_INDEX = (_ROOT / "webui" / "index.html").read_text(encoding="utf-8", errors="replace")
+
+
+def test_cards_carry_a_type_for_cinema_theming():
+    assert "function dlType(" in _JS
+    assert "data-vtype" in _JS                       # set on each card
+    # the three Cinema palette colours are defined per type
+    for vt in ('[data-vtype="movie"]', '[data-vtype="tv"]', '[data-vtype="youtube"]'):
+        assert vt in _CSS, vt
+    assert "--vt: 79, 143, 247" in _CSS and "--vt: 240, 69, 75" in _CSS   # azure + red
+
+
+def test_importing_is_a_first_class_active_status():
+    assert "importing:" in _JS and "import_failed:" in _JS
+    assert "s === 'importing'" in _JS                # counts as active
+    assert "vdpg-prog-indet" in _JS                  # indeterminate sweep for queued/searching/importing
+
+
+def test_sidebar_has_a_live_downloads_count():
+    assert "data-video-downloads-badge" in _INDEX     # the nav badge element
+    assert "function setDownloadsBadge(" in _JS
+    assert "function badgePoll(" in _JS               # stays live off-page too
diff --git a/webui/index.html b/webui/index.html
index 73c613d0..e971aab6 100644
--- a/webui/index.html
+++ b/webui/index.html
@@ -354,6 +354,7 @@
                 <a class="nav-button" data-video-page="video-downloads" href="/video-downloads">
                     <span class="nav-icon"><svg class="nav-svg" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="1.8" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round"><path d="M21 15v4a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H5a2 2 0 0 1-2-2v-4"/><polyline points="7 10 12 15 17 10"/><line x1="12" y1="15" x2="12" y2="3"/></svg></span>
                     <span class="nav-text">Downloads</span>
+                    <span class="dl-nav-badge hidden" data-video-downloads-badge>0</span>
                 </a>
                 <a class="nav-button" data-video-page="video-calendar" href="/video-calendar">
                     <span class="nav-icon"><svg class="nav-svg" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="1.8" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round"><rect x="3" y="4" width="18" height="18" rx="2" ry="2"/><line x1="16" y1="2" x2="16" y2="6"/><line x1="8" y1="2" x2="8" y2="6"/><line x1="3" y1="10" x2="21" y2="10"/></svg></span>
diff --git a/webui/static/video/video-downloads-page.js b/webui/static/video/video-downloads-page.js
index 854144f9..86fc502a 100644
--- a/webui/static/video/video-downloads-page.js
+++ b/webui/static/video/video-downloads-page.js
@@ -21,6 +21,12 @@
             .replace(/&/g, '&amp;').replace(/</g, '&lt;').replace(/>/g, '&gt;').replace(/"/g, '&quot;');
     }
     function toast(m, t) { if (typeof showToast === 'function') showToast(m, t); }
+    function setDownloadsBadge(n) {
+        var b = document.querySelector('[data-video-downloads-badge]');
+        if (!b) return;
+        if (n > 0) { b.textContent = n > 99 ? '99+' : n; b.classList.remove('hidden'); }
+        else { b.classList.add('hidden'); }
+    }
     function getJSON(u) {
         return fetch(u, { headers: { Accept: 'application/json' } })
             .then(function (r) { return r.ok ? r.json() : null; }).catch(function () { return null; });
@@ -31,6 +37,11 @@
     }
 
     var KIND_ICON = { movie: '🎬', show: '📺', episode: '📺', season: '📺', series: '📺', youtube: '▶️' };
+    // collapse the kinds into the three colour groups (Cinema palette in CSS): movie / tv / youtube
+    function dlType(kind) {
+        var k = (kind || '').toLowerCase();
+        return k === 'youtube' ? 'youtube' : (k === 'movie' ? 'movie' : 'tv');
+    }
     // status -> { label, cls } where cls is the music .adl-row-/.adl-status-dot class
     var STATUS = {
         downloading: { label: 'Downloading', cls: 'active' },
@@ -59,10 +70,11 @@
 
     function makeCard(d) {
         var el = document.createElement('div');
-        el.className = 'adl-row';
+        el.className = 'vdpg-card adl-row';
         el.setAttribute('data-dl-id', d.id);
         el.innerHTML =
-            '<div class="adl-row-art adl-row-art-empty vdpg-art" data-f="ic"></div>' +
+            '<div class="vdpg-artwrap"><div class="adl-row-art adl-row-art-empty vdpg-art" data-f="ic"></div>' +
+                '<span class="vdpg-tbadge" data-f="tbadge"></span></div>' +
             '<div class="adl-row-info">' +
                 '<div class="adl-row-title" data-f="name"></div>' +
                 '<div class="adl-row-meta" data-f="meta"></div>' +
@@ -77,13 +89,21 @@
     function patchCard(el, d) {
         var info = STATUS[d.status] || STATUS.downloading;
         var cls = info.cls, active = isActive(d.status);
-        var showBar = d.status === 'downloading' || d.status === 'queued';
+        var showBar = active;   // downloading/queued/searching/importing all get a bar
+        // queued/searching/importing have no real % → an indeterminate shimmer (not "frozen at 0/100")
+        var indet = d.status === 'queued' || d.status === 'searching' || d.status === 'importing';
         var pct = Math.max(0, Math.min(100, d.progress || 0));
         var q = function (f) { return el.querySelector('[data-f="' + f + '"]'); };
 
-        var want = 'adl-row adl-row-' + cls;
+        var vt = dlType(d.kind);
+        if (el.getAttribute('data-vtype') !== vt) el.setAttribute('data-vtype', vt);
+        var want = 'vdpg-card adl-row adl-row-' + cls;
         if (el.className !== want) el.className = want;
 
+        // type badge on the art corner (so you can tell movie / TV / youtube even with a poster)
+        var tb = q('tbadge');
+        if (tb) { var tbi = KIND_ICON[(d.kind || '').toLowerCase()] || '🎬'; if (tb.textContent !== tbi) tb.textContent = tbi; }
+
         // poster art tile (falls back to the kind emoji)
         var ic = q('ic');
         if (d.poster_url) {
@@ -102,6 +122,8 @@
         var ctx;
         if (d.status === 'completed' && d.dest_path) ctx = '→ ' + d.dest_path;
         else if (d.status === 'searching') ctx = 'Trying another release…';
+        else if (d.status === 'importing') ctx = 'Moving into your library…';
+        else if (d.status === 'queued') ctx = 'Waiting for a free slot…';
         else if (showBar) ctx = [fmtSize(d.size_bytes), d.username ? ('👤 ' + d.username) : '', Math.round(pct) + '%'].filter(Boolean).join('  ·  ');
         else ctx = (d.release_title && d.release_title !== (d.title || '')) ? d.release_title : fmtSize(d.size_bytes);
         var chip = d.quality_label ? '<span class="vdpg-qchip">' + esc(d.quality_label) + '</span>' : '';
@@ -115,7 +137,10 @@
 
         var bar = q('bar');
         bar.style.display = showBar ? '' : 'none';
-        if (showBar) q('fill').style.width = pct + '%';
+        if (showBar) {
+            bar.classList.toggle('vdpg-prog-indet', indet);
+            q('fill').style.width = indet ? '100%' : pct + '%';
+        }
 
         var st = q('status'); var stWant = 'adl-row-status ' + cls;
         if (st.className !== stWant) st.className = stWant;
@@ -148,6 +173,7 @@
             else if (d.status === 'completed') counts.completed++;
             else counts.failed++;
         });
+        setDownloadsBadge(counts.active);   // sidebar live count (this page's poll keeps it fresh)
         var cancelAll = document.querySelector('[data-vdpg-cancel-all]'); if (cancelAll) cancelAll.style.display = counts.active ? '' : 'none';
         var clearBtn = document.querySelector('[data-vdpg-clear]'); if (clearBtn) clearBtn.style.display = (counts.completed + counts.failed) ? '' : 'none';
         var sub = document.querySelector('[data-vdpg-sub]');
@@ -248,5 +274,22 @@
     document.addEventListener('soulsync:video-download-started', function () {
         if (document.querySelector('[data-video-subpage="video-downloads"]:not([hidden])')) setTimeout(poll, 350);
     });
+
+    // Keep the sidebar Downloads badge live even when you're NOT on the page (the on-page
+    // poll already refreshes it, so skip the fetch then). Only runs on the video side.
+    var _badgeTimer = null;
+    function badgePoll() {
+        var onVideo = document.body.getAttribute('data-side') === 'video';
+        if (onVideo && !_onPage() && !document.hidden) {
+            getJSON(URL_ACTIVE).then(function (d) {
+                if (d) setDownloadsBadge((d.downloads || []).filter(function (x) { return isActive(x.status); }).length);
+                scheduleBadgePoll();
+            });
+        } else { scheduleBadgePoll(); }
+    }
+    function scheduleBadgePoll() { if (_badgeTimer) clearTimeout(_badgeTimer); _badgeTimer = setTimeout(badgePoll, 8000); }
+    document.addEventListener('soulsync:video-wishlist-changed', function () { setTimeout(badgePoll, 200); });
+    scheduleBadgePoll();
+
     window._vdpgAnyActive = anyActive;
 })();
diff --git a/webui/static/video/video-side.css b/webui/static/video/video-side.css
index 5877e8d8..6cc63561 100644
--- a/webui/static/video/video-side.css
+++ b/webui/static/video/video-side.css
@@ -3753,6 +3753,50 @@ body[data-side="video"] #soulsync-toggle { display: none; }
 .vdpg-row-retry:disabled { opacity: 0.5 !important; pointer-events: none; }
 @media (hover: none) { .vdpg-row-retry { opacity: 1; pointer-events: auto; transform: none; } }
 
+/* ───────────────────────── Downloads — Cinema per-type theming ───────────────────
+   movie = azure · TV = violet · youtube = red. --vt is the type's RGB triplet, used for
+   the left accent bar, status pill, progress fill + quality chip. Scoped to .vdpg-card so
+   the music downloads page (.adl-row) is byte-untouched. */
+.vdpg-card[data-vtype="movie"]   { --vt: 79, 143, 247; }
+.vdpg-card[data-vtype="tv"]      { --vt: 164, 114, 245; }
+.vdpg-card[data-vtype="youtube"] { --vt: 240, 69, 75; }
+.vdpg-card { position: relative; overflow: hidden; padding-left: 16px;
+    transition: transform 0.16s ease, box-shadow 0.16s ease, background 0.16s ease; }
+.vdpg-card::before { content: ''; position: absolute; left: 0; top: 0; bottom: 0; width: 3px;
+    background: rgb(var(--vt, 255, 255, 255)); opacity: 0.9; }
+.vdpg-card:hover { transform: translateY(-1px); background: rgba(var(--vt, 255, 255, 255), 0.05);
+    box-shadow: 0 7px 24px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.3), inset 0 0 0 1px rgba(var(--vt, 255, 255, 255), 0.14); }
+
+/* bigger poster art + a type corner badge (so the type reads even with a poster) */
+.vdpg-artwrap { position: relative; flex-shrink: 0; }
+.vdpg-card .adl-row-art { width: 50px; height: 74px; border-radius: 8px; }
+.vdpg-tbadge { position: absolute; right: -5px; bottom: -5px; width: 20px; height: 20px; border-radius: 6px;
+    display: grid; place-items: center; font-size: 11px; line-height: 1; color: #fff;
+    background: rgb(var(--vt, 90, 90, 90));
+    box-shadow: 0 2px 6px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5), 0 0 0 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4); }
+
+/* status as a colored pill */
+.vdpg-card .adl-row-status { padding: 4px 11px; border-radius: 999px; min-width: 0; gap: 6px;
+    border: 1px solid transparent; font-weight: 700; font-size: 0.72rem; }
+.vdpg-card .adl-row-status.active { color: rgb(var(--vt)); background: rgba(var(--vt), 0.14); border-color: rgba(var(--vt), 0.4); }
+.vdpg-card .adl-row-status.queued { color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.55); background: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.06); border-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.12); }
+.vdpg-card .adl-row-status.completed { color: #2bd17e; background: rgba(34, 197, 94, 0.14); border-color: rgba(34, 197, 94, 0.36); }
+.vdpg-card .adl-row-status.failed { color: #f87171; background: rgba(239, 68, 68, 0.14); border-color: rgba(239, 68, 68, 0.36); }
+.vdpg-card .adl-row-status.cancelled { background: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.05); border-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.1); }
+.vdpg-card .adl-row-status .adl-status-dot { width: 6px; height: 6px; background: currentColor; }
+.vdpg-card.adl-row-active .adl-row-status .adl-status-dot { animation: vdpg-pulse 1.4s ease-in-out infinite; }
+
+/* progress in the type color; queued/searching/importing get an indeterminate sweep */
+.vdpg-card .vdpg-prog-fill { background: linear-gradient(90deg, rgba(var(--vt), 0.6), rgb(var(--vt))); }
+.vdpg-card .vdpg-prog-indet .vdpg-prog-fill { width: 100% !important; transition: none;
+    background: linear-gradient(90deg, transparent, rgb(var(--vt)), transparent);
+    background-size: 38% 100%; background-repeat: no-repeat; animation: vdpg-indet 1.3s ease-in-out infinite; }
+@keyframes vdpg-indet { 0% { background-position: -40% 0; } 100% { background-position: 140% 0; } }
+@keyframes vdpg-pulse { 0%, 100% { opacity: 1; } 50% { opacity: 0.3; } }
+
+/* quality chip follows the type color */
+.vdpg-card .vdpg-qchip { background: rgba(var(--vt), 0.16); border-color: rgba(var(--vt), 0.36); }
+
 
 /* Automation Hub panes that are music-specific — emptied on the video side for now. */
 .vauto-hub-soon { padding: 36px 20px; text-align: center; font-size: 13.5px; font-weight: 600;