diff --git a/Sources/PlumTV/PlayerView.swift b/Sources/PlumTV/PlayerView.swift
index 1736c3e..8c32324 100644
--- a/Sources/PlumTV/PlayerView.swift
+++ b/Sources/PlumTV/PlayerView.swift
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import SwiftUI
+import Charts
 import PlumTVCore
 
 struct PlayerView: View {
@@ -17,6 +18,7 @@ struct PlayerView: View {
             transport
             volume
             qualityPicker
+            hostStatsCard
             Button("Stop", role: .destructive) { controller.command { await $0.stop() } }
                 .disabled(snap.state == .unreachable)
             Spacer()
@@ -132,6 +134,54 @@ struct PlayerView: View {
         .disabled(snap.state == .unreachable)
     }
 
+    /// Live host-load card — leads with mpv decode %CPU (what changes with
+    /// quality), charts its recent history so a 1080p→720p switch shows a step
+    /// down, and gives load average / cores as context.
+    @ViewBuilder private var hostStatsCard: some View {
+        if let s = controller.hostStats {
+            VStack(spacing: 8) {
+                HStack {
+                    Label("Decode", systemImage: "cpu")
+                    Spacer()
+                    Text(s.mpv_cpu.map { String(format: "%.0f%%", $0) } ?? "—")
+                        .bold().monospacedDigit()
+                        .foregroundStyle(decodeColor(s.mpv_cpu))
+                }
+                if controller.decodeHistory.count >= 2 {
+                    Chart(Array(controller.decodeHistory.enumerated()), id: \.offset) { idx, v in
+                        LineMark(x: .value("t", idx), y: .value("cpu", v))
+                            .interpolationMethod(.monotone)
+                            .foregroundStyle(.tint)
+                        AreaMark(x: .value("t", idx), y: .value("cpu", v))
+                            .interpolationMethod(.monotone)
+                            .foregroundStyle(.tint.opacity(0.12))
+                    }
+                    .chartYScale(domain: 0...max(160, (controller.decodeHistory.max() ?? 100) + 20))
+                    .chartXAxis(.hidden)
+                    .chartYAxis { AxisMarks(values: [0, 100]) }
+                    .frame(height: 40)
+                }
+                HStack(spacing: 6) {
+                    Image(systemName: "gauge.with.dots.needle.50percent")
+                    Text("load \(String(format: "%.1f", s.load1))")
+                    Text("·").foregroundStyle(.tertiary)
+                    Text("\(s.cores) cores")
+                    Spacer()
+                    Text("100% = 1 core").foregroundStyle(.tertiary)
+                }
+                .font(.caption).foregroundStyle(.secondary)
+            }
+            .padding(12)
+            .background(.quaternary.opacity(0.25), in: RoundedRectangle(cornerRadius: 10))
+            .frame(maxWidth: 360)
+        }
+    }
+
+    private func decodeColor(_ cpu: Double?) -> Color {
+        guard let c = cpu else { return .secondary }
+        return c > 130 ? .orange : .green
+    }
+
     private func iconButton(_ system: String, big: Bool = false,
                             _ op: @escaping (any PlayerTarget) async -> Void) -> some View {
         Button { controller.command(op) } label: {
diff --git a/Sources/PlumTVCore/BlackTVTarget.swift b/Sources/PlumTVCore/BlackTVTarget.swift
index 2d3273c..60699ca 100644
--- a/Sources/PlumTVCore/BlackTVTarget.swift
+++ b/Sources/PlumTVCore/BlackTVTarget.swift
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ import Foundation
 ///  • Endpoint pinning — try the configured endpoints in order once, pin the
 ///    winner, and only re-probe the rest after a failure (so a down LAN address
 ///    doesn't cost a ConnectTimeout on every poll).
-public final class BlackTVTarget: PlayerTarget, QualitySwitchable {
+public final class BlackTVTarget: PlayerTarget, QualitySwitchable, HostStatsProvider {
     public let id: String
     public let name: String
     public let kind: HostKind = .blacktv
@@ -74,4 +74,13 @@ public final class BlackTVTarget: PlayerTarget, QualitySwitchable {
     }
 
     public func switchRelease(_ id: String) async { _ = await sh("switch", [id]) }
+
+    // MARK: HostStatsProvider
+
+    public func stats() async -> HostStats? {
+        let r = await sh("stats")
+        guard r.ok, let data = r.stdout.data(using: .utf8),
+              let s = try? JSONDecoder().decode(HostStats.self, from: data) else { return nil }
+        return s
+    }
 }
diff --git a/Sources/PlumTVCore/HostStats.swift b/Sources/PlumTVCore/HostStats.swift
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f992796
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Sources/PlumTVCore/HostStats.swift
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+import Foundation
+
+/// Host load for a target — load averages plus mpv's instantaneous decode %CPU
+/// (100 = one core), the figure that actually moves when you change quality.
+public struct HostStats: Decodable, Sendable, Equatable {
+    public let load1: Double
+    public let load5: Double
+    public let load15: Double
+    public let cores: Int
+    public let mpv_cpu: Double?   // null when nothing is playing
+}
+
+/// A target that can report its host's load (only black — it's a real machine
+/// we have a shell on; VLC-on-plum is local and not interesting to chart).
+public protocol HostStatsProvider: AnyObject {
+    func stats() async -> HostStats?
+}
diff --git a/Sources/PlumTVCore/PlayerController.swift b/Sources/PlumTVCore/PlayerController.swift
index e3c9699..c88990e 100644
--- a/Sources/PlumTVCore/PlayerController.swift
+++ b/Sources/PlumTVCore/PlayerController.swift
@@ -18,11 +18,18 @@ public final class PlayerController {
     public private(set) var snapshots: [String: Snapshot] = [:]
     /// Releases of the active target's current show (empty unless switchable).
     public private(set) var releases: [Release] = []
+    /// Host load of the active target (nil unless it reports stats), plus a
+    /// rolling window of decode %CPU so the UI can chart the drop on a switch.
+    public private(set) var hostStats: HostStats?
+    public private(set) var decodeHistory: [Double] = []
 
     private var pollTask: Task<Void, Never>?
-    private var polling = false        // single-flight guard
+    private var statsTask: Task<Void, Never>?
+    private var polling = false        // single-flight guard for status
     private var tickCount = 0
     private var lastReleaseKey: String?
+    private var statsTarget: String?
+    private let historyCap = 48
 
     public init() { reload() }
 
@@ -62,9 +69,36 @@ public final class PlayerController {
                 try? await Task.sleep(for: .seconds(1.5))
             }
         }
+        // Stats run on their own cadence so the 0.25s decode sample never slows
+        // the transport status poll (ControlMaster multiplexes the two channels).
+        statsTask?.cancel()
+        statsTask = Task { [weak self] in
+            while !Task.isCancelled {
+                await self?.refreshStats()
+                try? await Task.sleep(for: .seconds(2))
+            }
+        }
     }
 
-    public func stop() { pollTask?.cancel() }
+    public func stop() { pollTask?.cancel(); statsTask?.cancel() }
+
+    public func refreshStats() async {
+        guard let p = active as? HostStatsProvider else {
+            if hostStats != nil { hostStats = nil }
+            if !decodeHistory.isEmpty { decodeHistory = [] }
+            statsTarget = nil
+            return
+        }
+        if statsTarget != activeID { statsTarget = activeID; decodeHistory = [] }
+        let s = await p.stats()
+        hostStats = s
+        if let cpu = s?.mpv_cpu {
+            decodeHistory.append(cpu)
+            if decodeHistory.count > historyCap {
+                decodeHistory.removeFirst(decodeHistory.count - historyCap)
+            }
+        }
+    }
 
     /// Poll the active target every tick; the others every 4th (their state only
     /// drives the picker's reachability dot).