diff --git a/frontend/src/editor/player.tsx b/frontend/src/editor/player.tsx
index 8fb4f3f0..44413e53 100644
--- a/frontend/src/editor/player.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/editor/player.tsx
@@ -45,9 +45,18 @@ export function PlayerBar({
 
   const { videoSources, audioSources, hasVideo } = useMemo(() => {
     // do not play the original file, it may be large
-    const relevantMediaFiles =
+    let relevantMediaFiles =
       data?.media_files.filter((media) => !media.tags.includes('original')) || [];
 
+    // but if the original is all we have, better play this than nothing at all
+    if (
+      relevantMediaFiles.length == 0 &&
+      data?.media_files !== undefined &&
+      data?.media_files.length > 0
+    ) {
+      relevantMediaFiles = data.media_files;
+    }
+
     const videoFiles = relevantMediaFiles.filter((media) => media.tags.includes('video'));
     const audioFiles = relevantMediaFiles.filter((media) => !media.tags.includes('video'));