How to watch movies online with friends and family
Wiki Article
My family has a tradition of watching movies together every holiday. We don't celebrate the holidays if the TV is off and a movie we've seen many times isn’t on. Films are an integral part of Christmas festivities A Christmas Story and Planes, Trains and Automobiles. It's not always possible for people to get along, and especially during holidays, it was a good reason to be apart. These traditions don't have to go. Even though people are resuming their travels, there will be times when it is not possible to get everyone together. Every streaming service and many online apps offer ways to watch movies together, even if you are not connected or safe.
These are eight ways you can watch movies with your friends while still being apart.
1. Netflix
The Teleparty Chrome Extension, formerly known as Netflix Party (which requires everyone to have their own Netflix account), is very simple. It is easy to install to your browser. Next, you will need to go to Netflix and choose a movie. This is the most difficult part of the process. Finally, click the "NP" button to close the extension. The link opens the movie, as well as a sidebar chat similar to YouTube livestreams. It's not only Netflix. The site also claims functionality with Hulu, Disney+, and HBO.
2. Hulu
Hulu has its own way for people to watch from far away. It's called Hulu Watch Party. It is open to Hulu (No ads) and Hulu (+ Live TV) users. Everybody who wants to watch must have their own profile (not an account) on one the higher-tier subscriptions. Shared accounts allow subscribers to share the account with anyone else, provided that everyone has a unique profile. To make this a reality, simply click the Party icon on the movie detail page and share the link. You will then get the synced movie as well as the text chat.
3. Disney+
Teleparty may not be working for you Disney+. GroupWatch is an alternative offered by the House of Mouse streamer. There is no text chat, but you can use emoji responses. This is a downside to Teleparty. The GroupWatch icon is located on the Details page for your Disney+ movie. You can invite your family and friends. There are four streams per account and a maximum of seven viewers.
4. Amazon Prime
Amazon also has its own Watch Party feature. You can click the Watch Party icon next to the Watchlist button, pick a username and start text chat. If you have Prime subscriptions, you can grab an invitation link to share with up to 100 friends. This works with all browsers, except Safari.
5. Scener
We now move on to the less streamer-specific apps. These offer more robust features, but require a bit more effort. Scener is another Chrome extension that's free. Participants must either have an account with the streamer they choose or use a free site. There are many supported sites, including Netflix, Hulu Max, Hulu Prime, Amazon Prime, YouTube and Funimation. You can also video chat with up 10 "hosts" using the extension. Scener's other strength is its ability to allow people to watch, even if they are relegated only to text chat. This makes it a popular choice for streamers and larger groups.
6. Metastream
A Firefox/Chrome extension with similar support to Scener, but only with text chat, metastream is for those who are more tech-savvy. This might work for you if you are the one who fixes your parents' internet connection or computers. The show's host handles invites, allows people to join, and adds media to stream via URL. The queue is a fun feature that allows you to create a long playlist for background viewing.
7. TwoSeven
TwoSeven is another third-party app that supports video chat. It offers two tiers: a free tier with YouTube and Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Crunchyroll or Apple TV+, HBO Max and Vimeo, as well as personal videos (i.e. You can download anything, and you can also add Hulu, Disney+ and Screenshare to your paid tier. The $3 per month discount on the paid tier is available to social distancers right now. To get people onboard, you will need to go through the link-sharing process. Once they are added as friends, you can then video and text chat with them to your hearts' content.
8. Facebook
Now it's time to get the quick and dirty. Facebook now allows Watch Together so long as you have the video in question. All videos are hosted via the Messenger app. This video chat allows you to enjoy movies that have made it onto Facebook. However, the TV catalog is better.
9. Zoom & Skype
A video chat platform such as Zoom and Skype is a great way to schedule a watch party. This allows everyone to choose a movie, play it at the same time, and then enjoy the image with minimal tech requirements.
Simply create an account to use Zoom or Skype. Then schedule a meeting. This will create a link that you can share with your family and friends.
10. Teleparty
A Google extension allows subscribers to chat while watching the streaming service simultaneously. You just need to download the add-on, enable it when you are ready to stream and gossip about the most watched titles.
11. Rave
Rave is the only streaming platform that lets users sync their streaming services so that they can watch movies together. It's free and compatible with most streaming services like Netflix or Hulu.
Conclusion
A video chat platform such as Zoom or Skype is a great way to have a watch party. This allows everyone to choose a movie and press play simultaneously. Simply create an account to use Zoom or Skype and schedule a meeting.