While you stay indoors to work from home, finding new ways to spend quality time with friends is no longer a challenge. Besides playing online games and multiplayer games with your friends, you can watch movies and TV shows at the same time with them. While that requires the use of some alternatives, apps, and services, you and your friends can easily stream to watch the same movies and shows.
You can create virtual rooms for watch parties and invite your friends. You can message each other in that room, decide what you want to watch, and start streaming it. The same content will be available to everyone in the room. And that’s the idea, watching the same video stream together.
Let’s get started.
1. Landscape
The first group video viewing application on the list is Scener. It claims to allow users to host watch parties for up to a million guests. Well, did we keep an eye on a smaller number, like 20 for example? Scener supports popular streaming platforms like Netflix, YouTube, Hulu, and Prime, among others.
Not only can you watch movies/shows online together, but you can also text and video chat with your friends. See your friends’ reactions in real time as the story unfolds. However, that will require a fast internet connection for a lag-free experience. You can use the Scener extension in the Chrome browser. That means it can work with Edge or Brave powered by Chromium.
Scener is free, but the host has a ‘right’ to ask viewers to pay for a ticket or rent a movie from a partner service.
2. Kast
The main difference between Kast and other party viewing apps that allow users to watch online videos together is that it is not limited to videos. Basically, Kast shares your browser so you can use it to share anything, not just video content. Some examples might be games or articles. It works like a screen sharing app that works in the browser and has dedicated apps for all popular desktop and mobile platforms.
The mobile apps are view-only, so you can’t host watch parties yet. There is a limit of 100 people per hosted room, which should be enough for most users. The Kast Base plan will only cost $9.99 per year and allows sharing animated reactions during screen sharing. Kast Premium will cost you $4.99 per month but will improve video quality, remove ads, and allow simultaneous screen and webcam sharing.
3. Zoom
Millions of people are familiar with Zoom and use it for meetings and online lessons while working from home. You can get a little creative and use Zoom to stream and watch movies/shows with friends. Zoom allows you to share your computer screen while having an audio/video chat with your friends.
Zoom for video and audio calls. That said, you can watch videos and stream content online with friends. As such, it has some other cool features that you don’t find in dedicated video sharing apps like the ability to record screen, block users, or a waiting room for invitees.
The free version of Zoom allows up to 100 participants but limits the video length to 40 minutes. Then you will have to start over. Think of it as a short stay or upgrade to a premium plan to remove the limitations. Zoom works on all popular browsers, desktop and mobile platforms.
4. Working remotely
Formerly known as Netflix Party, Teleparty is a Chrome extension that will sync Netflix content across multiple computer screens. They all need to install the extension with an active Netflix subscription. This process is very simple. Just install the extension, open Netflix and start streaming. Once the streaming starts, pause the video, click the extension to create a shareable link. Anyone who clicks the link will join your room and see what you’re looking at.
Teleparty is free but has limited features. You can text each other, but not video chat. There are no advanced security features. Well, it’s a free extension, after all.
While Teleparty started out as a Netflix-specific extension, version 2.0 brings support for other popular streaming services like Hulu, Hotstar, HBO, etc.
5. Synchronization
Syncplay supports many desktop operating systems such as Windows, macOS, Linux, and BSD. Sadly, mobile users can’t join in on the fun because there’s no mobile app. It does not support popular streaming services like Netflix or YouTube. So what does it support?
Instead, you can play media files stored on your local computer. However, everyone needs files on their own hard drive/SSD to join the room. However, there are a number of file sharing and cloud storage sites for uploading and sharing media files. The app is free to download and use.
Live life in sync
These are difficult times, and it’s important to spend time with those close and loved ones, but it’s equally important to be safe and healthy. Watching movies and other online content with friends opens up a whole new world of possibilities. It’s as good as watching a good movie in the cinema. So grab some popcorn and something to drink, relax on the couch, and watch something online together.
Next: Don’t know what to stream? What about war documentaries? Here are some of the best war documentaries available to stream on Netflix.
Categories: How to
Source: thpttranhungdao.edu.vn/en/
