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Feature Request - Watching Together


337Manni

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337Manni

Feature Request.

A present I have several user accounts setup for family members. When we sit down together to watch a movie we currently log into one account (Mostly mine), so obviously only this account gets the watched status.

 

What happens then is everyone uses my account because there's isn't up-to date and it's "just easier". This results in my account telling me I've watched something when I haven't...

 

 

I would like the ability to log into my account and select/deselect which other users are present so that when a movie/TV episode is watched together, their watched statuses are updated accordingly?

 

The next time you log in again all other users would have been deselected.

 

It could be implemented so each user account can do this, or only select user accounts can. Even a special "Family" user account, or multiple viewers button as long as everyone's watched status is correct.

 

Even just ticking the users present on the login screen before login into an account.

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BAlGaInTl

I'm not really sure that's the best solution.

 

I know there have been multiple requests for a sort of multi-cast solution where a single media file is streamed to multiple clients/users simultaneously.  That being said, I think its a tall order.  I couldn't find what is now the official request for that...  does anyone else know which thread is the best one to "like" for that feature?

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BAlGaInTl

Guess I should have looked harder...

 

here are several links from @@ebr

 

https://emby.media/community/index.php?/topic/47721-broadcast-to-all-players/?hl=simultaneous&do=findComment&comment=451470

 

ETA:

 

This thread looks likes it's the original unlocked one...

 

https://emby.media/community/index.php?/topic/17805-multi-cast-support/?hl=multicast&do=findComment&comment=221776

 

I suggest going there and "liking" the topic.

Edited by BAlGaInTl
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Our API actually already has this capability but we've found that it is just too difficult for people to maintain so it doesn't get used.

 

What I mean is, you have to remember every time you start up a session to actively go in and mark the people who are in the room and people just almost never remember to do that.  Therefore, we haven't implemented the interface in very many of the apps (our older WMC app does have this feature).

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Guess I should have looked harder...

 

here are several links from @@ebr

 

https://emby.media/community/index.php?/topic/47721-broadcast-to-all-players/?hl=simultaneous&do=findComment&comment=451470

 

ETA:

 

This thread looks likes it's the original unlocked one...

 

https://emby.media/community/index.php?/topic/17805-multi-cast-support/?hl=multicast&do=findComment&comment=221776

 

I suggest going there and "liking" the topic.

 

I don't thin this is what he was requesting...

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337Manni

It's a shame it's not an option for those that would use it fully. I would of thought it would be more difficult to maintain several individual watched lists than just selecting the users present.

I know at present the one thing I hate doing is having to unwatch items to get my status back.

 

Is there anyway to enable this as it's in the API?

 

Would be good if it was an option.

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It's a shame it's not an option for those that would use it fully. I would of thought it would be more difficult to maintain several individual watched lists than just selecting the users present.

I know at present the one thing I hate doing is having to unwatch items to get my status back.

 

Is there anyway to enable this as it's in the API?

 

Would be good if it was an option.

 

The only way to enable "also watching/also here", is to have access to the source code of the app and write in the funcrtion yourself.  It isn't that hard to enable since you can reuse part of the login screen to display the users who are present. An entire new function doesnt necessarily have to be written. It can be stubbed into the existing login function. The only apps I know of presently supporting this are Kodi, Emby on WMC, and the roku blue neon app.

 

The problem ebr mentions can be easily solved, if the apps keep persistent user sessions. Unless a user specifically signs out, the users attached to their session should remain. Then you can create a user called "family", and attach all the family members to this user: dad, mom, sis, bro, nephew, uncle, etc.. Now when logging in, simply choose the user "family" and since all family members are already added on to this users session it is one click and done. The blue neon roku app works like this. Every time a user logs in and other users are attached to their session the app will ask if those users are still present. Unless the user "family" signs out in which case the session is terminated and all the users are removed. It works quite swell. You can't say its difficult if you do it like I have in blue neon. It is actually quite simple.

 

You will need to be patient and wait until the feature gets added. Eventually it will get there...maybe? hopefully.. lol

Edited by speechles
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  • 9 months later...

Our API actually already has this capability but we've found that it is just too difficult for people to maintain so it doesn't get used.

 

What I mean is, you have to remember every time you start up a session to actively go in and mark the people who are in the room and people just almost never remember to do that.  Therefore, we haven't implemented the interface in very many of the apps (our older WMC app does have this feature).

 

+1

Add me to the list of those that would like to see this featyre in Emby Theatre, just like in Emby for WMC. It's very practical, and one of the reasons why we still use WMC for family viewing.

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  • 5 months later...
jackandjohn

If I may suggest:

 

In the short-term, allow a "Login user" that's a list of existing users.

For example: I watch some shows myself, some I'm rewatching with 1 kid, some I would watch with everyone.

 

I think the point is valid: we would forget to check/uncheck users, but I'm comfortable now with logging in/out

 

 

B9aZ7s7.png

Edited by jackandjohn
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kingy444

If I may suggest:

 

In the short-term, allow a "Login user" that's a list of existing users.

For example: I watch some shows myself, some I'm rewatching with 1 kid, some I would watch with everyone.

 

I think the point is valid: we would forget to check/uncheck users, but I'm comfortable now with logging in/out

 

 

 

 

 

This is very similiar to how i pictured it, and netflix are doing something similiar.

However instead of having a set list like you have suggested i would simply call it Watch Together

 

Once you select Watch Together you should then be taken to a screen to select the 'Host' user (the one who would control the library access) and any secondary viewers. If the primary had a password then ask for it and login

 

I've done a mock up below - notice disabling so there is only one host and the host can not also be a spectator. 

 

5c73b4c82f3a7_step1.png

 

5c73b68bcaeb9_step2.png

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That's pretty slick looking and I do like the Watched Together concept.  The problem with this is that it won't work well with actual Emby use for anyone other than the Admin's family.

 

Imagine if you gave access to a neighbor and setup two accounts for the husband & wife (Jane and John).  How would Jane and John use this functionality since they aren't on your quick login screen?  Even if they were, would you want Jane or John to see or get a full listing of all users on your system to pick from?

 

IMHO, for this to really useful we need the concept of multiple quick logins (groups).  Then instead of logging in on a device with a specific user you login with a group name/password which then gives you access to all users in that group. The group of people would have their own Quick Login screen as well which could have their own Watch Together.  This would also allow your brother/sister to have a full quick login for all members of their immediate family as well as use the Watch Together with just their family members.

 

So while I really like this feature I'd love to see multiple quick logins supported first via a group login then implement this functionality based on the group logged in.  That would allow it to work like Netflix and would be quite powerful.

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ginjaninja

 

 

That's pretty slick looking and I do like the Watched Together concept. The problem with this is that it won't work well with actual Emby use for anyone other than the Admin's family.

 

Imagine if you gave access to a neighbor and setup two accounts for the husband & wife (Jane and John). How would Jane and John use this functionality since they aren't on your quick login screen? Even if they were, would you want Jane or John to see or get a full listing of all users on your system to pick from?

 

IMHO, for this to really useful we need the concept of multiple quick logins (groups). Then instead of logging in on a device with a specific user you login with a group name/password which then gives you access to all users in that group. The group of people would have their own Quick Login screen as well which could have their own Watch Together. This would also allow your brother/sister to have a full quick login for all members of their immediate family as well as use the Watch Together with just their family members.

 

So while I really like this feature I'd love to see multiple quick logins supported first via a group login then implement this functionality based on the group logged in. That would allow it to work like Netflix and would be quite powerful.

I would find this feature very useful, namely the ability to manage watch status based on who is actually watching

Most of the times i watch with the wife, sometimes each of us on our own.

 

Perhaps for a single household it would be acceptable to publish the names of all the users, indeed i would not share my system with anyone i wasnt more than happy to know all the usernames.

 

Although this feature (as others have said) has to be exceeding simple , ultimately the 'joining user' has to authenticate to be part of the group (lest someone else 'corrupts' their watched status).

 

perhaps borrowing other suggestions the right balance is

 

In summary

  • give the publishing user the ability to define the circumstances they are happy to publish but opt out on specific instances
  • allow the joining user to control when and how their watched history is updated (within the boundaries of the publishing users preferences) as easily as possible.
  • adding specific "recently watched views" [to tv and movies especially] would go a very long way to clear up mistakes quickly and easily.
  • 1st stage may not require any app coding, the server could control the process completely.

[dont take the wording literally its just to help articulate the idea]

1. A user profile setting "'make me a publishing user' - allow other users to see my username and watch history"

2. a web ui eg for use on a phone which allows a 'joining user' to join an existing media playback instance (of participating 'publishing users' above) on a existing device to align their watch history.

 

List the publishing users and the published media current playing by device..with options

  • Align my watch history for current media only
  • Align my watch history with this user's published content, until i say otherwise
  • Align my watch history with this user' published content on this device, until i say otherwise
List the current active alignments, and option
  • remove this alignment
  • toggle on/off [default] sync unwatch as well (as opposed to watched)

and perhaps for privacy/security/age classification [i dont think this an early requirement, but for parents with children it might become one]

  • a UI setting to allow the publishing user to easily 'go private/public' and not broadcast watched history
  • an indicator on the screen to remind the 'publishing user' that their watched history is shared (potentially and/or actually)
  • a user profile setting/ default - Do not share watched history on media above the age classification of the joining user.
  • a user profile setting to define which libraries they wish to share their watched history for - all or by library
  • a user profile setting to define which users you are happy to share with - all or by user - (only show users who have agreed to participate in their profile)
  • a user profile setting to define which devices you are happy to share from - all or by device currently known to server

maybe later

the ability for the publishing user to send out an invite for current media only, for the joining user to easily approve (like a 2FA authenticator app) (override all publishing preferences for this 'onetime' share)

the ability to join/specify alignments from within the client apps themselves [although its possibly easier for coder and users to drive this all from web ui to server on phone for both publisher and joiner]

 

the creation of static groups (although simple for some basic use cases) i dont think meets the granularity of the requirements for publisher and joiner..

 

 

on 2nd thoughts the group idea can be accommodated

  • users are allowed to create groups linked to their account to 'offer a spaces' to one or more users,
  • groups are like users with the privileges of the creating user, with a password with group name %creating user%_Name
  • amend the web ui to allow joining users to also align/unalign to groups
  • have an admin interface to control joining/alignment (on behalf of kids)
  • logging on to a client app as a 'group', shows the library \ watched status of the creating user, and updates the watched status of the members of the group on media playback.
  • Aligning to a group overrides all publishing and joining preferences and necessitates update of watched status for members of the group.
  • again the server could do all the heavy lifting without the clients needing to be aware.
you could logon as a predefined group (using group idea)...or the joining user can join the publishing user ad hoc (using the publisher/joiner idea) Edited by ginjaninja
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  • 1 year later...
jmunowitch

I came here searching for this!

 

COVID-19 watch parties indeed. This feature would be great! Watching shows with friends while on a video call would somewhat normalize this situation that we all are in. 

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jackandjohn

I came here searching for this!

 

COVID-19 watch parties indeed. This feature would be great! Watching shows with friends while on a video call would somewhat normalize this situation that we all are in. 

 

 

Great marketing opportunity for Emby!

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Cbrookins

There are also some browser plugins (metastream / twoseven) that may possibly add Emby support, if approached.  Not as nice as full feature as discussed above, but still nice to have.

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castillo92

I would like to enjoy with this feature, inviting other users to watch the movie at the same time and same position

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miniliQuid

This is very similiar to how i pictured it, and netflix are doing something similiar.

However instead of having a set list like you have suggested i would simply call it Watch Together

 

Once you select Watch Together you should then be taken to a screen to select the 'Host' user (the one who would control the library access) and any secondary viewers. If the primary had a password then ask for it and login

 

I've done a mock up below - notice disabling so there is only one host and the host can not also be a spectator. 

 

5c73b4c82f3a7_step1.png

 

5c73b68bcaeb9_step2.png

This looks great :) good idea and worked out in to a picture example :D

+1 for this!

Edited by miniliQuid
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DarkZrobe

I know his original request was for some sort of tracking when a group of folks watch at a time. But I do believe more folks would like the feature where we could sync multiple remote streams. I would also REALLY like that during this pandemic. A watch together/watch party native to the web client would allow me to stream with multiple folks.

 

If a new post/request needs to be made let me know and I will create a new one.

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I know his original request was for some sort of tracking when a group of folks watch at a time. But I do believe more folks would like the feature where we could sync multiple remote streams. I would also REALLY like that during this pandemic. A watch together/watch party native to the web client would allow me to stream with multiple folks.

 

If a new post/request needs to be made let me know and I will create a new one.

 

There is already a feature request for that.

 

Multi-Cast Support

 

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DarkZrobe

There is already a feature request for that.

 

Multi-Cast Support

 

Is multi-cast and a plugin/setting for group play the same? The multicast seems more in the same network. I would like to see something for folks outside of my network built in to the webpage.

 

But if that request is for the same thing, I will be quiet.

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  • 1 month later...

I deleted a duplicate post that was unrelated to this actual feature request so was just going to confuse people :).  You can find the same post in the proper feature request.

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