If you wish to watch a high definition movie together with your close friend who is far overseas, and be able to talk while watching it, most connection speeds will probably be insufficient to stream your desktop directly.

What you could do is both download the same movie beforehand, and simultaneously click "Play" button, and converse over some VoIP app while watching it.

However, if you wanted to pause the movie for a while, you might have a hard time resynchronizing the playback time.

An idea: a video player feature allowing to synchronize the "Stop", "Play", "Pause" button clicks, and timeline manipulations of two or more video players on remote computers over the web.
-- Inyuki, Apr 18 2010

VLCIRC http://i.mindey.com/vlcirc
So, I made a script to control VLC player from IRC. It currently allows to start video at a desired point in its timeline through writing "play at MM:SS" to IRC channe, so, if you need to go to WC, you can stop the video, and restart from that point. [marked-for-outcome] [Inyuki, Mar 03 2012, last modified Aug 19 2014]

SYNCPLAY http://syncplay.pl
Uriziel has started developing a similar product since Oct 12 2012. [marked-for-outcome](?) [Inyuki, Aug 19 2014]

Good idea [+] Now, can you invent a digitally synchronized pair of blankets so my absent friend and I can each get under one and it'll be like we're under the same blanket watching the movie together?
-- mouseposture, Apr 19 2010


Okay, but is really a problem? I mean, who does this?
-- phoenix, Apr 19 2010


Ping time could be a problem. However, ping can be measured, and accounted for by delaying the action of a click on the clicker's side by the expected ping value.
-- Inyuki, Apr 19 2010


I really like this (+++). I think the most natural way to bake this would be as a feature on a Game System. Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo already have the servers set up to synchronize games across multiple systems. They all have now added the ability to stream movies, so combining the two seems simple enough, maybe add in conference VoIP during pauses or constant voice to text for in movie commentary so your could have long distance hang out and watch a movie sessions with multiple friends.

I would pay for this.
-- MisterQED, Apr 19 2010


Now, I made it for free. Look at the link.
-- Inyuki, Mar 03 2012



random, halfbakery