Plex Watch Together

[BillOatman 500]

1 hour ago, rbjtech said:

For users streaming from the same emby server (ie your friends and family are using your emby server), then this can all be controlled from the session manager - no need for any external server ?

If you mean cross Emby servers - then yes, some sort of common control point will be required and that will have many hurdles to overcome.  The obvious advantage Plex has here is they know everything each user does centrally anyway, Emby does not and never will - so any form of data sync will need to be strictly anonymous in design. 

Maybe the solo server option could be investigated as a quick win - gathering the session Id's and pushing the command to play them all at the same time is trivial..

Yeah that's probably true. But would require some sort of user feedback that they want to participate and are ready to begin. As you are well aware from IntroSkip, plugins can't really do that

Edited March 19, 2022 by BillOatman

[ebr 14910]

18 hours ago, jspanitz said:

I still love emby, but waiting two years for a feature that many have asked for is glacial development

Hi.  We have to prioritize our development time on the features that will impact and improve Emby for the largest possible audience and also take into account the cost of implementation.  This is still something we are potentially interested in but this feature request has 9 likes in that time period.  So, the antithesis of your analysis is that only 9 people have shown support for this in that fairly long time period.   This would also be a very large undertaking encompassing the entire suite of apps so the "cost" of implementing it is fairly high.  At this point in time, that cost/benefit simply doesn't make this something that we can prioritize over many other items.

Thanks.

[rbjtech 4254]

18 minutes ago, BillOatman said:

Yeah that's probably true. But would require some sort of user feedback that they want to participate and are ready to begin. As you are well aware from IntroSkip, plugins can't really do that

I guess all 'organising' needs to be done externally anyway - the only real 'lobby' would be the agreed film - the Admin can automatically take them to this page anyway.   They just need to wait until it's kicked off.  Crude, but certainly possible with the minimum of effort tbh..

I may have a play later ... 

[ertagon2 44]

12 minutes ago, ebr said:

Hi.  We have to prioritize our development time on the features that will impact and improve Emby for the largest possible audience and also take into account the cost of implementation.  This is still something we are potentially interested in but this feature request has 9 likes in that time period.  So, the antithesis of your analysis is that only 9 people have shown support for this in that fairly long time period.   This would also be a very large undertaking encompassing the entire suite of apps so the "cost" of implementing it is fairly high.  At this point in time, that cost/benefit simply doesn't make this something that we can prioritize over many other items.

Thanks.

Sounds like your code is a mess.

 

[EDIT]
Then... my code ain't any better.

Edited March 19, 2022 by ertagon2

[Vidarr 6]

Hello i think saying only 9 person are interested is close ot be a lie there's multiple post about this feature and for a very long time. A random guy did a plugin for that and it didn't sound that much complicated and/or difficult to implement. 

[rbjtech 4254]

1 hour ago, rbjtech said:

I guess all 'organising' needs to be done externally anyway - the only real 'lobby' would be the agreed film - the Admin can automatically take them to this page anyway.   They just need to wait until it's kicked off.  Crude, but certainly possible with the minimum of effort tbh..

I may have a play later ... 

The concept of getting a simultaneous playback from the same emby server I got working as a proof of concept in 15 minutes via the API ..

0. Grab the session Id's of all logged on users - API = /Sessions

1.  I run an API to force all the logged on clients (sessions) of my choosing to show the same 'Film'  (the same view as if they all selected the film manually) - API = /Sessions/{Id}/Viewing

2.  I run a 2nd API command to play the film on all of those sessions.  It starts simultaneously on all the clients.  Tested on a remote client as well - it works perfectly. API = /Sessions/{Id}/Playing

3.  I can play the film from anywhere - via Runticks - and restart anywhere I like (for all the sessions). (this is how Autoskip on IntroSkip works..)

4. I can control (pause etc) the film and sessions without issues.

What is missing is the control mechanism if somebody else (a non API request) pauses the film outside the API - this is where we need a 'watch' process to monitor each session - and if a pause is seen, then we just need to pause each session (and we can also easily display a message, that this viewing has been paused by 'user X' ) API = /Sessions/{Id}/Message

In summary, for the real basics, most of the functionality is already available - but for bells and whistles, lobbys, permisions (who can pause etc) etc - then this will need more development.

Edited March 19, 2022 by rbjtech

[dannymichel 102]

I use the feature on plex every day and I know many random unconnected people on discord and clubhouse who also use it every day

[khat17 2]

Hi all. Think I've stated here or in another thread that there's a fork which I use on one of 4 media servers. Until the feature gets implemented, I move any "watch together" content to that server and use it. Would love to have it. Been waiting since it first was available on Plex. I much rather Emby - and as was said - there may be lots of persons that don't participate who would want it. Do I use it every day? No. But it would make watching things easier. 

What I'd like to see is better or further development instead of what's already there. I wouldn't say drop all other development for it, but maybe have something where community programmers can assist? Throw ideas together? 

COVID protocols are more relaxed in my country now, but I still have friends and family that I'd watch with. 

Here's a suggestion to add to the "watch together" feature that I'm unaware of anywhere else having. A one-time generated link that can be sent to friends. So....you have something you want to watch. You have 5 friends (for example) that want to watch. Rather than create 5 accounts, you generate 5 temp links that would grant access to the watch session. Or one link they all use. Set expiry or remove manually. No need for them to create accounts. Just as an example. 

Let's see where it goes. @Luke I think said it's a feature they're interested in. Maybe if we get another vote going we'd have a better idea now. Maybe make the vote public to grab results from persons that are not registered? I dunno. 

Anyways. Stability is great. "Watch together" is still wanted by persons who host their own content. The persons that don't, they use the features in Netflix and Amazon. The others use Plex. Or the fork - which works. 

[dannymichel 102]

7 minutes ago, khat17 said:

Hi all. Think I've stated here or in another thread that there's a fork which I use on one of 4 media servers. Until the feature gets implemented, I move any "watch together" content to that server and use it. Would love to have it. Been waiting since it first was available on Plex. I much rather Emby - and as was said - there may be lots of persons that don't participate who would want it. Do I use it every day? No. But it would make watching things easier. 

What I'd like to see is better or further development instead of what's already there. I wouldn't say drop all other development for it, but maybe have something where community programmers can assist? Throw ideas together? 

COVID protocols are more relaxed in my country now, but I still have friends and family that I'd watch with. 

Here's a suggestion to add to the "watch together" feature that I'm unaware of anywhere else having. A one-time generated link that can be sent to friends. So....you have something you want to watch. You have 5 friends (for example) that want to watch. Rather than create 5 accounts, you generate 5 temp links that would grant access to the watch session. Or one link they all use. Set expiry or remove manually. No need for them to create accounts. Just as an example. 

Let's see where it goes. @Luke I think said it's a feature they're interested in. Maybe if we get another vote going we'd have a better idea now. Maybe make the vote public to grab results from persons that are not registered? I dunno. 

Anyways. Stability is great. "Watch together" is still wanted by persons who host their own content. The persons that don't, they use the features in Netflix and Amazon. The others use Plex. Or the fork - which works. 

what fork is that?

[seanbuff 840]

9 hours ago, ebr said:

This is still something we are potentially interested in but this feature request has 9 likes in that time period.  So, the antithesis of your analysis is that only 9 people have shown support for this in that fairly long time period.

To be fair this FR is only the most recent incarnation of this idea, especially since the other guys named it something.

Loosely this sort of thing has been requested since 2015, "Multi-Cast Support" -- with a lot more support than just 9 people.

[dannymichel 102]

Just now, seanbuff said:

To be fair this FR is only the most recent incarnation of this idea, especially since the other guys named it something.

Loosely this sort of thing has been requested since 2015, "Multi-Cast Support" -- with a lot more support than just 9 people.

Yikes 2015

[BillOatman 500]

5 hours ago, dannymichel said:

what fork is that?

Not sure if he means this or not, but JellyFin apparently has this feature as of July 2020 called SyncPlay.

[dannymichel 102]

8 hours ago, BillOatman said:

Not sure if he means this or not, but JellyFin apparently has this feature as of July 2020 called SyncPlay.

ive had jellyfin installed a long time

it's too buggy

feels very much like perpetual alpha

[Waffull 2]

I have to agree with what others have said...  Love Emby, but this missing feature is a problem.  I have a lifetime license for both Emby and Plex....  I maintain both, plex only for this one feature.  If Emby implemented this premier feature, I suspect you could pull a lot of Plex users over.  Plex has become very commercial and people are looking for a better alternative.

[Vidarr 6]

Totally agreed and we are many in the same situations. That's why i'm very surprised in all that time they didn't even start this project.

[AndyXH 70]

Oh this would be amazing! I miss the watch together feature plex has. Count me in for this  

[RossDanbyGamer 1]

I would also like this feature to be implemented. Watch parties are the best! Hopefully we can drive more attention here by getting more people to show interest in this feature. Right now I am having to stop using Emby and switch back to Plex so that we can take advantage of the Watch Together feature that Plex has.

[Mookdog 89]

What is the whole concept of watch together ? I am gonna have to look this up bc I never really paid much mind to it

 

Mook

 

Update : Well I watched a video about it although it is interesting its not a dealbreaker for me. Would be nice to see it implemented sometime but I can live without it

 

Edited May 11, 2022 by Mookdog
Update

[Raelone 2]

Basically it allows you to watch the same item with someone(s) in other locations.  When one pauses, both pause etc so always in sync.  Sorta like a date night when in different cities with out using something like skype or kik etc and type "1 2 3 hit play".  Mainly the only thing I use plex for with several different people.

I had a very very bad case of Covid last fall.  Once I got out of the hospital after 3 months being unconscious/coma I had to spend a month in rehab trying to learn to walk again because I lost so much muscle mass.  Each night I would watch shows/movies with My parents - me at rehab, them at their home.

 

[Mookdog 89]

1 minute ago, Raelone said:

Basically it allows you to watch the same item with someone(s) in other locations.  When one pauses, both pause etc so always in sync.  Sorta like a date night when in different cities with out using something like skype or kik etc and type "1 2 3 hit play".  Mainly the only thing I use plex for with several different people.

I had a very very bad case of Covid last fall.  Once I got out of the hospital after 3 months being unconscious/coma I had to spend a month in rehab trying to learn to walk again because I lost so much muscle mass.  Each night I would watch shows/movies with My parents - me at rehab, them at their home.

 

OMG I am so sorry you had to go through that. Glad to see you are better. It is an interesting feature and I am sure in the future it would be implemented eventually.

Glad to see u are well

Mook

[Ametz 9]

I would love this feature myself.

[mlwane 1]

I have been silently following this thread for around a year now, checking it every few months. I suppose that wasn't helping, and I should've posted to show that I am interested. So here I am, posting to show that this is a feature that I am even willing to get the life-time membership if it would offer it.

[Vidarr 6]

I don't know the developpement recently feel very akward.. I don't see much feature, many things that doesn't work for a very long time (Transcoding on the Android version often crash and don't load anything.) As a early supporter it break my heart to see how it is evolving..

Edited May 28, 2022 by Vidarr

[Waffull 2]

10 minutes ago, Vidarr said:

I don't know the developpement recently feel very akward.. I don't see much feature, many things that doesn't work for a very long time (Transcoding on the Android version often crash and don't load anything.) aren't correct. As a early supporter it break my heart to see how it is evolving..

I hope advancements will be made...  maybe there is behind the scenes work going on.  As a lifetime membership holder, I certainly hope to be able to use Emby for a long time to come.  The advantages over plex are a lot, the major one being it's not turned into some commercial application  with bloat and poor usability.

[BillOatman 500]

2 hours ago, Vidarr said:

I don't know the developpement recently feel very akward.. I don't see much feature, many things that doesn't work for a very long time (Transcoding on the Android version often crash and don't load anything.) aren't correct. As a early supporter it break my heart to see how it is evolving..

1) This last server release brought their code up to a current level of technology, and I suspect that was a pretty big effort.

2) As far as I know there are 2 developers. And they also are here doing support.  There are only so many hours in a day.