diff --git a/.claude-plugin/plugin.json b/.claude-plugin/plugin.json
index e4c1d30211..c292ccf4c8 100644
--- a/.claude-plugin/plugin.json
+++ b/.claude-plugin/plugin.json
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 {
   "name": "hyperframes",
   "description": "HyperFrames by HeyGen. Write HTML, render video. Compositions, GSAP and runtime adapter animations, captions, voiceovers, audio-reactive visuals, and website capture for HyperFrames.",
-  "version": "0.8.15",
+  "version": "0.8.16",
   "author": {
     "name": "HeyGen",
     "email": "hyperframes@heygen.com",
diff --git a/.codex-plugin/plugin.json b/.codex-plugin/plugin.json
index ca1ac1b846..7d86e365ef 100644
--- a/.codex-plugin/plugin.json
+++ b/.codex-plugin/plugin.json
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 {
   "name": "hyperframes",
   "description": "Write HTML, render video. Compositions, Tailwind v4 styles, GSAP and runtime adapter animations, captions, voiceovers, audio-reactive visuals, and website capture for HyperFrames.",
-  "version": "0.8.15",
+  "version": "0.8.16",
   "author": {
     "name": "HeyGen",
     "email": "hyperframes@heygen.com",
diff --git a/.cursor-plugin/plugin.json b/.cursor-plugin/plugin.json
index ad6fdc0435..5005fb397c 100644
--- a/.cursor-plugin/plugin.json
+++ b/.cursor-plugin/plugin.json
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
   "name": "hyperframes",
   "displayName": "HyperFrames by HeyGen",
   "description": "Write HTML, render video. Compositions, Tailwind v4 styles, GSAP and runtime adapter animations, captions, voiceovers, audio-reactive visuals, and website capture for HyperFrames.",
-  "version": "0.8.15",
+  "version": "0.8.16",
   "author": {
     "name": "HeyGen",
     "email": "hyperframes@heygen.com"
diff --git a/docs/changelog.mdx b/docs/changelog.mdx
index b4954f882b..f4468ee700 100644
--- a/docs/changelog.mdx
+++ b/docs/changelog.mdx
@@ -8,6 +8,36 @@ Recent HyperFrames releases, including user-facing features, fixes, and migratio
 
 {/* New release entries are prepended by `bun run changelog:draft <version> --write`. */}
 
+<Update
+  label="HyperFrames v0.8.16"
+  description="Released - 2026-08-27"
+  tags={["Release", "Media Use", "Engine", "CLI"]}
+>
+Rendering is more reliable across audio, embedded sources, long sequences, and empty caches, while CJK and Thai captions keep phrase boundaries. Local video generation now avoids dead model tiers, and the player can retain runtime data channels for richer integrations.
+
+## Features
+
+- **Player:** Add retained runtime data channels ([4f00336c9](https://github.com/heygen-com/hyperframes/commit/4f00336c92f6418aab82c060853da604dd832197), [#3471](https://github.com/heygen-com/hyperframes/pull/3471)).
+
+## Fixes
+
+- **Media Use:** Repoint the dead videogen tier, demote past unusable local models ([8392e84a1](https://github.com/heygen-com/hyperframes/commit/8392e84a1839dbe083b74d093cb441f4610389c4), [#3509](https://github.com/heygen-com/hyperframes/pull/3509)).
+- **Engine:** Stop destroying the AAC priming edit list when muxing ([ee64c3b11](https://github.com/heygen-com/hyperframes/commit/ee64c3b1168a3466269344197ba6774f9eb15e14), [#3505](https://github.com/heygen-com/hyperframes/pull/3505)).
+- **CLI:** Keep phrase-level CJK and Thai transcripts as separate cues ([18409c9f2](https://github.com/heygen-com/hyperframes/commit/18409c9f2742e491ef7ff6a1454675a295e5d0a0), [#3436](https://github.com/heygen-com/hyperframes/pull/3436)).
+- **Engine,producer,lint:** Resolve \<source\> children for media extract and localize ([97991bbd3](https://github.com/heygen-com/hyperframes/commit/97991bbd3566a70f857412739dfa6ca9acfcaf27), [#3238](https://github.com/heygen-com/hyperframes/pull/3238)).
+- **Engine:** Preserve source frame identity above 99,999 ([c9f43ebcf](https://github.com/heygen-com/hyperframes/commit/c9f43ebcfbc05a83b18f46007f31a5cbd973ebb9), [#3503](https://github.com/heygen-com/hyperframes/pull/3503)).
+- **Studio:** Dedupe repeated selection telemetry ([9aaa7552f](https://github.com/heygen-com/hyperframes/commit/9aaa7552fc7a41d479e4b4638cd0c47472652ddc), [#3498](https://github.com/heygen-com/hyperframes/pull/3498)).
+- **Engine:** Treat a sentineled cache entry with no frames as a miss ([dae5b7b90](https://github.com/heygen-com/hyperframes/commit/dae5b7b90b7eefceffc9e64cc532b5cc74eeeedd), [#3434](https://github.com/heygen-com/hyperframes/pull/3434)).
+- **Producer,core:** Honor relative data-start id-refs in render media scheduling ([f52ec1c25](https://github.com/heygen-com/hyperframes/commit/f52ec1c25f3af20fcceefad24acb06f37feab24c), [#3252](https://github.com/heygen-com/hyperframes/pull/3252)).
+- **Producer:** Fall back to screenshot capture on drawElement canvas-not-initialized ([a7e867475](https://github.com/heygen-com/hyperframes/commit/a7e86747586b5aad0263b6b00bbd9d32c51ff7e6), [#3480](https://github.com/heygen-com/hyperframes/pull/3480)).
+- **Core:** Evict cached MediaElementSource on src mutation, soften enforcement-point claims ([f7fc0017a](https://github.com/heygen-com/hyperframes/commit/f7fc0017a6a6f31a4ae725f9f391d8dc63e3d9cc)).
+- **Core:** Correct web-audio-route subpath export resolution ([32ef37cfc](https://github.com/heygen-com/hyperframes/commit/32ef37cfc31975afbeae85a3f6805e575a43e87a)).
+- **Core:** Address review — gate early diagnostic, fix empty crossOrigin, document gaps ([acc689825](https://github.com/heygen-com/hyperframes/commit/acc689825543942939bbef14ccd2844b7f13298d)).
+- **Core:** Prevent cross-origin Web Audio capture from silencing audio ([cce17da5a](https://github.com/heygen-com/hyperframes/commit/cce17da5a9eb1c6efa21db084d786a1d34b5d8f9)).
+
+[View the full commit range](https://github.com/heygen-com/hyperframes/compare/v0.8.15...v0.8.16).
+</Update>
+
 <Update
   label="HyperFrames v0.8.15"
   description="Released - 2026-08-26"
diff --git a/packages/aws-lambda/package.json b/packages/aws-lambda/package.json
index ce159ef46a..69b4b2edbf 100644
--- a/packages/aws-lambda/package.json
+++ b/packages/aws-lambda/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@hyperframes/aws-lambda",
-  "version": "0.8.15",
+  "version": "0.8.16",
   "description": "AWS Lambda adapter for HyperFrames distributed rendering — handler, client-side SDK, and CDK construct.",
   "repository": {
     "type": "git",
diff --git a/packages/cli/package.json b/packages/cli/package.json
index a8414d1bd9..6988ee1734 100644
--- a/packages/cli/package.json
+++ b/packages/cli/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@hyperframes/cli",
-  "version": "0.8.15",
+  "version": "0.8.16",
   "description": "HyperFrames CLI — create, preview, and render HTML video compositions",
   "license": "Apache-2.0",
   "repository": {
diff --git a/packages/core/package.json b/packages/core/package.json
index 040cb16b3b..0e977de072 100644
--- a/packages/core/package.json
+++ b/packages/core/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@hyperframes/core",
-  "version": "0.8.15",
+  "version": "0.8.16",
   "description": "",
   "repository": {
     "type": "git",
diff --git a/packages/engine/package.json b/packages/engine/package.json
index dae9b782fe..bea895c57f 100644
--- a/packages/engine/package.json
+++ b/packages/engine/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@hyperframes/engine",
-  "version": "0.8.15",
+  "version": "0.8.16",
   "description": "Seekable web page to video rendering engine (Puppeteer + FFmpeg)",
   "repository": {
     "type": "git",
diff --git a/packages/gcp-cloud-run/package.json b/packages/gcp-cloud-run/package.json
index 4867213d13..ad0584c5f1 100644
--- a/packages/gcp-cloud-run/package.json
+++ b/packages/gcp-cloud-run/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@hyperframes/gcp-cloud-run",
-  "version": "0.8.15",
+  "version": "0.8.16",
   "description": "Google Cloud Run + Workflows adapter for HyperFrames distributed rendering — request handler, client-side SDK, and Terraform module.",
   "repository": {
     "type": "git",
diff --git a/packages/lint/package.json b/packages/lint/package.json
index 604229bcbe..f750631283 100644
--- a/packages/lint/package.json
+++ b/packages/lint/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@hyperframes/lint",
-  "version": "0.8.15",
+  "version": "0.8.16",
   "repository": {
     "type": "git",
     "url": "https://github.com/heygen-com/hyperframes",
diff --git a/packages/parsers/package.json b/packages/parsers/package.json
index 13aa4e5aee..a851bc174f 100644
--- a/packages/parsers/package.json
+++ b/packages/parsers/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@hyperframes/parsers",
-  "version": "0.8.15",
+  "version": "0.8.16",
   "repository": {
     "type": "git",
     "url": "https://github.com/heygen-com/hyperframes",
diff --git a/packages/player/package.json b/packages/player/package.json
index 69436a0b44..31be057abe 100644
--- a/packages/player/package.json
+++ b/packages/player/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@hyperframes/player",
-  "version": "0.8.15",
+  "version": "0.8.16",
   "description": "Embeddable web component for HyperFrames compositions",
   "repository": {
     "type": "git",
diff --git a/packages/producer/package.json b/packages/producer/package.json
index 626bad235c..b9162d7249 100644
--- a/packages/producer/package.json
+++ b/packages/producer/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@hyperframes/producer",
-  "version": "0.8.15",
+  "version": "0.8.16",
   "description": "HTML-to-video rendering engine using Chrome's BeginFrame API",
   "repository": {
     "type": "git",
diff --git a/packages/sdk/package.json b/packages/sdk/package.json
index 2fe7dd26a4..0a214db5f5 100644
--- a/packages/sdk/package.json
+++ b/packages/sdk/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@hyperframes/sdk",
-  "version": "0.8.15",
+  "version": "0.8.16",
   "description": "Headless, framework-neutral HyperFrames composition editing engine",
   "repository": {
     "type": "git",
diff --git a/packages/shader-transitions/package.json b/packages/shader-transitions/package.json
index 1a92628764..7252af70d5 100644
--- a/packages/shader-transitions/package.json
+++ b/packages/shader-transitions/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@hyperframes/shader-transitions",
-  "version": "0.8.15",
+  "version": "0.8.16",
   "description": "WebGL shader transitions for HyperFrames compositions",
   "repository": {
     "type": "git",
diff --git a/packages/studio-server/package.json b/packages/studio-server/package.json
index 20e8e0c845..8a61cf8825 100644
--- a/packages/studio-server/package.json
+++ b/packages/studio-server/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@hyperframes/studio-server",
-  "version": "0.8.15",
+  "version": "0.8.16",
   "repository": {
     "type": "git",
     "url": "https://github.com/heygen-com/hyperframes",
diff --git a/packages/studio/package.json b/packages/studio/package.json
index 26e46faef4..2e0c111eb9 100644
--- a/packages/studio/package.json
+++ b/packages/studio/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@hyperframes/studio",
-  "version": "0.8.15",
+  "version": "0.8.16",
   "description": "",
   "repository": {
     "type": "git",
diff --git a/releases/v0.8.16.md b/releases/v0.8.16.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..26b57c2feb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/releases/v0.8.16.md
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+# HyperFrames v0.8.16
+
+Released on 2026-08-27.
+
+Rendering is more reliable across audio, embedded sources, long sequences, and empty caches, while CJK and Thai captions keep phrase boundaries. Local video generation now avoids dead model tiers, and the player can retain runtime data channels for richer integrations.
+
+## Features
+
+- **Player:** Add retained runtime data channels ([4f00336c9](https://github.com/heygen-com/hyperframes/commit/4f00336c92f6418aab82c060853da604dd832197), [#3471](https://github.com/heygen-com/hyperframes/pull/3471)).
+
+## Fixes
+
+- **Media Use:** Repoint the dead videogen tier, demote past unusable local models ([8392e84a1](https://github.com/heygen-com/hyperframes/commit/8392e84a1839dbe083b74d093cb441f4610389c4), [#3509](https://github.com/heygen-com/hyperframes/pull/3509)).
+- **Engine:** Stop destroying the AAC priming edit list when muxing ([ee64c3b11](https://github.com/heygen-com/hyperframes/commit/ee64c3b1168a3466269344197ba6774f9eb15e14), [#3505](https://github.com/heygen-com/hyperframes/pull/3505)).
+- **CLI:** Keep phrase-level CJK and Thai transcripts as separate cues ([18409c9f2](https://github.com/heygen-com/hyperframes/commit/18409c9f2742e491ef7ff6a1454675a295e5d0a0), [#3436](https://github.com/heygen-com/hyperframes/pull/3436)).
+- **Engine,producer,lint:** Resolve <source> children for media extract and localize ([97991bbd3](https://github.com/heygen-com/hyperframes/commit/97991bbd3566a70f857412739dfa6ca9acfcaf27), [#3238](https://github.com/heygen-com/hyperframes/pull/3238)).
+- **Engine:** Preserve source frame identity above 99,999 ([c9f43ebcf](https://github.com/heygen-com/hyperframes/commit/c9f43ebcfbc05a83b18f46007f31a5cbd973ebb9), [#3503](https://github.com/heygen-com/hyperframes/pull/3503)).
+- **Studio:** Dedupe repeated selection telemetry ([9aaa7552f](https://github.com/heygen-com/hyperframes/commit/9aaa7552fc7a41d479e4b4638cd0c47472652ddc), [#3498](https://github.com/heygen-com/hyperframes/pull/3498)).
+- **Engine:** Treat a sentineled cache entry with no frames as a miss ([dae5b7b90](https://github.com/heygen-com/hyperframes/commit/dae5b7b90b7eefceffc9e64cc532b5cc74eeeedd), [#3434](https://github.com/heygen-com/hyperframes/pull/3434)).
+- **Producer,core:** Honor relative data-start id-refs in render media scheduling ([f52ec1c25](https://github.com/heygen-com/hyperframes/commit/f52ec1c25f3af20fcceefad24acb06f37feab24c), [#3252](https://github.com/heygen-com/hyperframes/pull/3252)).
+- **Producer:** Fall back to screenshot capture on drawElement canvas-not-initialized ([a7e867475](https://github.com/heygen-com/hyperframes/commit/a7e86747586b5aad0263b6b00bbd9d32c51ff7e6), [#3480](https://github.com/heygen-com/hyperframes/pull/3480)).
+- **Core:** Evict cached MediaElementSource on src mutation, soften enforcement-point claims ([f7fc0017a](https://github.com/heygen-com/hyperframes/commit/f7fc0017a6a6f31a4ae725f9f391d8dc63e3d9cc)).
+- **Core:** Correct web-audio-route subpath export resolution ([32ef37cfc](https://github.com/heygen-com/hyperframes/commit/32ef37cfc31975afbeae85a3f6805e575a43e87a)).
+- **Core:** Address review — gate early diagnostic, fix empty crossOrigin, document gaps ([acc689825](https://github.com/heygen-com/hyperframes/commit/acc689825543942939bbef14ccd2844b7f13298d)).
+- **Core:** Prevent cross-origin Web Audio capture from silencing audio ([cce17da5a](https://github.com/heygen-com/hyperframes/commit/cce17da5a9eb1c6efa21db084d786a1d34b5d8f9)).
+
+## Full changelog
+
+https://github.com/heygen-com/hyperframes/compare/v0.8.15...v0.8.16