Seefilms Syncplay

To synchronize playback between multiple people, we'll use a program called Syncplay. Syncplay isn't a media player; it only coordinates them, so you'll also need to have a good player installed.

Installation

Media player

1. Download and install a compatible media player.
   • On Windows, install MPC-HC: https://github.com/clsid2/mpc-hc/releases/download/1.9.21/MPC-HC.1.9.21.2.x64.exe
   • On macOS, install mpv: https://laboratory.stolendata.net/~djinn/mpv_osx/mpv-0.34.1.tar.gz
   • Don't use VLC if you can possibly avoid it. It's a pretty bad media player. Admittedly, it sometimes works better than other players, especially if you haven't downloaded the file ahead of time (because its real strength is playing back content from the network), but its video output quality is very poor, and it is an unnecessarily large program and can introduce performance problems on slower computers.

Syncplay

2. Download and install Syncplay.
   • Windows: https://github.com/Syncplay/syncplay/releases/download/v1.6.9/Syncplay-1.6.9-Setup.exe
   • macOS: https://github.com/Syncplay/syncplay/releases/download/v1.6.9/Syncplay_1.6.9.dmg
3. Launch Syncplay. Its configuration dialog should open.
4. From the “Server address” dropdown box, select the last option: syncplay.pl:8999.
5. In the “Username” text field, enter your name, or the name you'd like to appear as to other people.
6. In the “Default room” text field, enter seefilms. This value is case-sensitive, so make sure you enter it in all lower-case.
7. In “Path to media player” Syncplay should have automatically detected the path to your media player (mpv or MPC-HC).
   • If it's detected another media player that you also have installed (e.g., VLC), try to find mpv or MPC-HC in the dropdown.
   • If you're running macOS and don't see mpv in the list, make sure you dragged and dropped the mpv app from your Downloads directory into Applications. Then restart Syncplay.
8. The Syncplay configuration window should look something like this:
9. Click the “Store configuration and run Syncplay” button at the bottom of the window.
10. You'll be asked whether it's okay for Syncplay to periodically check for updates. “Yes” is probably a good answer.
11. Two windows will open: one with the Syncplay interface, and one for your media player. Closing either will also cause the other to be closed – so leave both open while you're playing content.

Use

To ensure that Syncplay stays aware of what you're playing, use the Syncplay user interface to load media, not the UI of your media player.

• From the Syncplay “File” menu, you can use “Open media stream URL” to play back directly from a URL without downloading the file. (This is usually the easiest way to play.)
• Or, if you've downloaded the file ahead of time (e.g., to avoid playback issues on slow Internet), you can use “Open media file”.

Once the file is loaded, starting or pausing playback in the media player window should simultaneously start or pause playback for all other connected users.

Tips

• Syncplay doesn't use much bandwidth, but streaming video does. If you're watching while on a call with other people, it's probably a good idea to disable your webcam and just use your mic.