sync_replay_project/CHANGELOG.md

Changelog

What changed in each Starsync version, newest first, in plain words. The app shows a version's section when it offers the update and once after it (What's new); the release page shows it too. How entries are added and cut into a release: docs/DEVELOPMENT.md.

Unreleased

Links you put up are downloaded once for everyone, quick chat and danmaku in the player, plus What's new and fixes for Windows, the relay and chat.

Added

• What's new: the update band shows what changed, and after an update the app shows the full list once (also in Settings → About)
• Update channel in Settings → Updates: Stable, or Dev for test builds; Dev stays on test builds after a release and still gets the newer release when there is one
• Sharper subtitles and picture: the video and its subtitles are drawn at your screen's resolution instead of the video's (Settings → Player → Sharp video and subtitles, on by default)
• Invite links: Invite copies a starsync:// link; a friend clicks it (or just copies it and switches to Starsync) and the app asks "Join Bob's server?"
• Invite finds your internet address, lets you pick it or your home-network address, and says when your router needs the port forwarded
• The password goes into an invite link only when you tick "Include the password in the link"
• Starsync runs once: a link clicked while it is open goes to the open window
• Quick chat: press Enter in the big player to type a message in a small box at the bottom, without opening the chat panel and without the mouse pointer or the controls popping up; it shares its draft with the chat panel, closes by itself when you stop typing, and subtitles move up out of its way
• Danmaku notifications: chat, joins, leaves and Up next can fly across the top of the picture instead of popping up (Settings → Notifications & sounds → Notifications: Danmaku, off by default), with speed, how many at once, where, opacity, size, boldness, outline and avatars all adjustable and a live preview
• Player panel: ⚙ → Player settings opens a panel at the right of the player that stays open while you watch, with tracks, subtitle size, picture, volume and notification settings
• Subtitles can move up above the controls while they show (Settings → Player → Subtitles above the controls, off by default), and their size can be changed

Changed

• A link you put up is downloaded once: you and everyone else watch the same stream, so nobody drifts ahead or stalls alone, and sites like Bilibili are far less likely to block it

Fixed

• Upscaling shaders (Anime4K, the HQ modes) no longer shift the colours or draw a grid over the picture, which showed most in a large window or fullscreen
• Sharp video: resizing the window or opening the chat panel no longer shrinks the picture for a moment before it jumps back
• Joining while something plays on Windows: the video opens again by itself when it was too early
• Relay: players no longer get stuck after a slow or stalled source
• Relay: X (Twitter) clips play through the relay
• Relay: gentler retries, so Bilibili stops blocking the server
• Relay: a source that refuses the old link (412) gets a fresh address and keeps playing
• Chat pop-ups stay away while the chat panel is open (the sound still plays)
• Bilibili and other sites no longer stop a video halfway when you watch alone or with "Everyone fetches it": a cut connection picks up where it left off

1.3.2

Fixes Windows closing by itself about 3 seconds after every start.

Fixed

• Windows: the app no longer closes by itself about 3 seconds after starting (1.3.0 and 1.3.1)

1.3.1

Joining another server no longer opens an empty player, a cleaner mini player and a softer Minimal progress line.

Changed

• A cleaner mini player: just the picture, play and a plain progress bar
• Minimal controls: the progress line shown while the controls hide is softer and easier on the eyes

Fixed

• Joining another server no longer opens an empty player

1.3.0

The app is now called Starsync and was rebuilt inside for stability: a shared countdown to what plays next, honest watched marks, faster relay seeks and many fixes. Everyone must update to keep watching together.

Added

• A shared countdown to what plays next, and anyone can cancel it
• The next episode of your local files continues by itself ("Continues with")
• System notifications while the window is in the background
• Your own server is always running: Invite your friends straight in
• See the server's version and everyone's app version
• The library matches your shows with AniList
• A new sound engine and new sounds

Changed

• The app is now called Starsync (your settings and data come along)
• "Watched" counts only the time you actually watched (Jellyfin too)
• Joining no longer pauses everyone
• A dropped connection comes back as the same member, not a new one
• A server restart no longer loses what was playing
• Faster seeks over the relay

Fixed

• The app no longer freezes on exit
• Shaders on Windows
• X11: video renders properly again (also with software rendering)
• Black video when joining mid-play on X11
• Many stability fixes from the rebuild