diff --git a/app/blueprints/main.py b/app/blueprints/main.py
index 322c377..7d9fd45 100644
--- a/app/blueprints/main.py
+++ b/app/blueprints/main.py
@@ -33,7 +33,20 @@ def dashboard():
                 storage_mb += os.path.getsize(filepath)
         storage_mb = round(storage_mb / (1024 * 1024), 2)  # Convert to MB
     
-    server_logs = get_recent_logs(20)
+    # Recent Activity.
+    #
+    # Player feedback ("Feedback received from ...") is a ~15s heartbeat: it is
+    # ~84% of all log rows, and 18 of the newest 20. Showing it unfiltered
+    # buries the events an operator actually cares about (uploads, logins,
+    # HTTPS changes, deployments), so the two kinds are queried separately and
+    # the card defaults to real activity, with heartbeats available on demand.
+    #
+    # The split is done in SQL rather than by filtering one wide window in
+    # Python: with a fleet of players the heartbeat rate is high enough that a
+    # fixed window would return mostly noise and only a handful of real events.
+    HEARTBEAT_PREFIX = 'Feedback received from'
+    activity_logs = get_recent_logs(25, exclude_prefix=HEARTBEAT_PREFIX)
+    heartbeat_logs = get_recent_logs(25, include_prefix=HEARTBEAT_PREFIX)
 
     # Per-playlist overview for the dashboard: which playlist holds what, and
     # which players consume it. This answers "where should I add media / which
@@ -69,7 +82,8 @@ def dashboard():
         total_playlists=total_playlists,
         total_content=total_content,
         storage_mb=storage_mb,
-        recent_logs=server_logs,
+        recent_logs=activity_logs,
+        heartbeat_logs=heartbeat_logs,
         playlist_overview=playlist_overview,
         unassigned_players=unassigned_players
     )
diff --git a/app/templates/dashboard.html b/app/templates/dashboard.html
index e4840e7..4b78ff4 100644
--- a/app/templates/dashboard.html
+++ b/app/templates/dashboard.html
@@ -121,6 +121,57 @@
             </div>
             {% endif %}
         </div>
+
+        <!-- Recent Activity sits under Playlist Overview: both describe what
+             the server and its players are actually doing. -->
+        {% if recent_logs or heartbeat_logs %}
+        <div class="card">
+            <h2 style="display: flex; align-items: center; justify-content: space-between; gap: 0.5rem;">
+                <span>Recent Activity</span>
+                <span class="log-tabs">
+                    <button type="button" class="log-tab is-active" data-log-tab="activity">
+                        Activity <span class="log-count">{{ recent_logs | length }}</span>
+                    </button>
+                    <button type="button" class="log-tab" data-log-tab="heartbeat">
+                        Player heartbeats <span class="log-count">{{ heartbeat_logs | length }}</span>
+                    </button>
+                </span>
+            </h2>
+
+            <div class="log-pane" data-log-pane="activity">
+                {% if recent_logs %}
+                    {% for log in recent_logs %}
+                    <div class="log-item">
+                        <span class="log-level" style="color: {% if log.level == 'error' %}#e74c3c{% elif log.level == 'warning' %}#f39c12{% elif log.level == 'debug' %}#718096{% else %}#27ae60{% endif %};">
+                            [{{ log.level.upper() }}]
+                        </span>
+                        <span class="log-message">{{ log.message }}</span>
+                        <small class="secondary-text log-time">{{ log.timestamp | localtime('%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S') }}</small>
+                    </div>
+                    {% endfor %}
+                {% else %}
+                    <p class="empty-hint">No activity recorded yet.</p>
+                {% endif %}
+            </div>
+
+            <div class="log-pane" data-log-pane="heartbeat" hidden>
+                {% if heartbeat_logs %}
+                    <p class="empty-hint" style="margin-top: 0;">
+                        Routine player status reports — newest first.
+                    </p>
+                    {% for log in heartbeat_logs %}
+                    <div class="log-item">
+                        <span class="log-level" style="color: #27ae60;">[{{ log.level.upper() }}]</span>
+                        <span class="log-message">{{ log.message }}</span>
+                        <small class="secondary-text log-time">{{ log.timestamp | localtime('%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S') }}</small>
+                    </div>
+                    {% endfor %}
+                {% else %}
+                    <p class="empty-hint">No player heartbeats recorded yet.</p>
+                {% endif %}
+            </div>
+        </div>
+        {% endif %}
     </div>
 
     <!-- ── Right sidebar: small, fixed-width helper cards ─────────────────── -->
@@ -347,29 +398,84 @@ body.dark-mode .player-chip.is-offline .status-dot { background: #718096; }
     color: var(--text-secondary);
 }
 
+/* ── Recent Activity: tabbed list, scrollable so it cannot dominate ────── */
+.log-tabs {
+    display: flex;
+    gap: 0.25rem;
+    flex-shrink: 0;
+}
+.log-tab {
+    background: var(--bg-color);
+    color: var(--text-secondary);
+    border: 1px solid var(--border-color);
+    border-radius: 999px;
+    padding: 0.25rem 0.7rem;
+    font-size: 0.78rem;
+    font-weight: 500;
+    cursor: pointer;
+    font-family: inherit;
+    display: inline-flex;
+    align-items: center;
+    gap: 0.35rem;
+    transition: all 0.2s;
+}
+.log-tab:hover {
+    border-color: var(--primary-color);
+    color: var(--text-color);
+}
+.log-tab.is-active {
+    background: var(--primary-gradient);
+    border-color: transparent;
+    color: #fff;
+}
+.log-count {
+    background: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.12);
+    border-radius: 999px;
+    padding: 0 0.4rem;
+    font-size: 0.72rem;
+    line-height: 1.5;
+}
+.log-tab.is-active .log-count {
+    background: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.25);
+}
+
+/* Cap the height and scroll: a fixed number of rows stay readable. */
+.log-pane {
+    max-height: 320px;
+    overflow-y: auto;
+    margin-top: 0.5rem;
+}
 .log-item {
-    padding: 0.5rem;
+    padding: 0.5rem 0.25rem;
     border-bottom: 1px solid var(--border-color);
+    font-size: 0.86rem;
+    line-height: 1.5;
+    display: flex;
+    align-items: baseline;
+    gap: 0.5rem;
+    flex-wrap: wrap;
+}
+.log-item:last-child {
+    border-bottom: none;
+}
+.log-level {
+    font-weight: 700;
+    flex-shrink: 0;
+}
+.log-message {
+    /* Long messages wrap instead of pushing the timestamp off-screen. */
+    flex: 1 1 auto;
+    min-width: 0;
+    word-break: break-word;
+}
+.log-time {
+    margin-left: auto;
+    flex-shrink: 0;
+    font-variant-numeric: tabular-nums;
+    white-space: nowrap;
 }
 </style>
 
-{% if recent_logs %}
-<div class="card">
-    <h2>Recent Activity</h2>
-    <div style="margin-top: 1rem;">
-        {% for log in recent_logs %}
-        <div class="log-item">
-            <span style="color: {% if log.level == 'error' %}#e74c3c{% elif log.level == 'warning' %}#f39c12{% else %}#27ae60{% endif %}; font-weight: bold;">
-                [{{ log.level.upper() }}]
-            </span>
-            {{ log.message }}
-            <small class="secondary-text" style="float: right;">{{ log.timestamp | localtime('%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S') }}</small>
-        </div>
-        {% endfor %}
-    </div>
-</div>
-{% endif %}
-
 <div class="card">
     <h2>System Status</h2>
     <p>✅ All systems operational</p>
@@ -377,4 +483,27 @@ body.dark-mode .player-chip.is-offline .status-dot { background: #718096; }
     <p>🔄 Groups removed - Streamlined workflow</p>
     <p>⚡ DigiServer v2.0</p>
 </div>
+
+<script>
+/* Recent Activity tabs. Toggles the `hidden` attribute so the panes work even
+   if this script is blocked — the activity pane is simply always shown. */
+(function () {
+    var tabs = document.querySelectorAll('.log-tab');
+    var panes = document.querySelectorAll('.log-pane');
+    if (!tabs.length) return;
+
+    tabs.forEach(function (tab) {
+        tab.addEventListener('click', function () {
+            var target = tab.getAttribute('data-log-tab');
+
+            tabs.forEach(function (t) {
+                t.classList.toggle('is-active', t === tab);
+            });
+            panes.forEach(function (p) {
+                p.hidden = p.getAttribute('data-log-pane') !== target;
+            });
+        });
+    });
+})();
+</script>
 {% endblock %}
diff --git a/app/utils/logger.py b/app/utils/logger.py
index 4f8cc73..f9383b2 100644
--- a/app/utils/logger.py
+++ b/app/utils/logger.py
@@ -23,21 +23,42 @@ def log_action(level: str, message: str) -> None:
         db.session.rollback()
 
 
-def get_recent_logs(limit: int = 20, level: Optional[str] = None) -> list:
+def get_recent_logs(limit: int = 20, level: Optional[str] = None,
+                    exclude_prefix: Optional[str] = None,
+                    include_prefix: Optional[str] = None) -> list:
     """Get the most recent log entries.
-    
+
     Args:
         limit: Maximum number of logs to return
         level: Optional filter by log level
-        
+        exclude_prefix: Drop entries whose message starts with this text.
+            Useful for high-frequency noise: player feedback alone is ~84% of
+            all rows, so over-fetching a window and filtering in Python makes
+            the number of *useful* entries depend on heartbeat volume. Filtering
+            in SQL keeps a busy fleet from starving the result.
+        include_prefix: Keep only entries whose message starts with this text.
+
     Returns:
-        List of ServerLog instances
+        List of ServerLog instances, newest first
+
+    Note:
+        Prefixes are escaped before reaching SQL LIKE (via ``autoescape``), so a
+        literal '%' or '_' inside the prefix matches itself rather than acting
+        as a wildcard.
     """
     query = ServerLog.query
     
     if level:
         query = query.filter_by(level=level)
     
+    if exclude_prefix:
+        query = query.filter(
+            ~ServerLog.message.startswith(exclude_prefix, autoescape=True))
+    
+    if include_prefix:
+        query = query.filter(
+            ServerLog.message.startswith(include_prefix, autoescape=True))
+    
     return query.order_by(ServerLog.timestamp.desc()).limit(limit).all()