foxyzandClaude Opus 5.5
ae4edc29e8
- Host/swap send refs only; pasted Jellyfin links become refs; the host hands the relay its own app-obtained credential. - Each viewer resolves with their own account (token in a header) or via the relay, else a clear blocked card with Link account. - Per-account progress reporting (Playing/Progress/Stopped), 401 marks the account expired. - Previous/next episode in the controls (< > / Shift+P/N), floating Next episode pill near the end, auto-advance countdown (one designated swapper), track carry-over per series. - Swap panel uses the shared MediaPicker; browser location remembered per server and opens on the current series. - Fix: states are applied one at a time (a stale pause could land after a newer play). Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
85 lines
4.1 KiB
Markdown
85 lines
4.1 KiB
Markdown
# How it works
|
|
|
|
A five-minute tour. Details: [ARCHITECTURE.md](ARCHITECTURE.md), wire format:
|
|
[PROTOCOL.md](PROTOCOL.md).
|
|
|
|
## The pieces
|
|
|
|
```
|
|
your PC friend's PC
|
|
+-------------------+ +-------------------+
|
|
| app (mpv inside) | | app (mpv inside) |
|
|
+---------+---------+ +---------+---------+
|
|
| sync (WebSocket) | sync (WebSocket)
|
|
v v
|
|
+----------------------------------------+
|
|
| server (who is ready, where are we) |
|
|
+----------------------------------------+
|
|
|
|
video bytes come from somewhere else:
|
|
- a link (any http/https URL): each app fetches it directly
|
|
- a Jellyfin item: each app plays it with its own Jellyfin account,
|
|
friends without one through the server (/j/... endpoint)
|
|
- a file on the host's disk: the server streams it (/m/... endpoint)
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
- **App**: the desktop window. It draws the video with mpv, shows who is
|
|
here, and sends what you do (ready, seek, chat).
|
|
- **Server**: keeps one shared clock and the list of people. It never sees
|
|
video frames, only "position 123 s, playing". There is exactly one server
|
|
and one watch session on it.
|
|
- **Jellyfin** (or any web host): where the video lives. For a Jellyfin
|
|
item the server only knows which item it is; each app signs in with its
|
|
own account and reports what it watched. For friends without an account
|
|
the server fetches the item with the host's sign-in and passes it on.
|
|
|
|
## Ways to run
|
|
|
|
- **Host from the app**: the app you click Host in also runs the server.
|
|
Simplest. The server lives as long as that app.
|
|
- **Dedicated server**: `watch-together-server`, a separate program in the
|
|
release tarball, for an always-on box. See the README.
|
|
|
|
Friends join either way with the Join card on Home.
|
|
|
|
## One session, start to finish
|
|
|
|
1. **Connect.** The app opens a WebSocket to the server and says hello
|
|
(version, password, name, avatar). Wrong password or version: refused with
|
|
a reason. Otherwise the server answers with a welcome and the current state.
|
|
2. **Catch up.** The app opens the current video, jumps to where the server
|
|
says we are, and buffers. A new arrival is not ready yet and never holds
|
|
anyone back.
|
|
3. **Ready gate.** Press Space to say you are ready. The server starts
|
|
playback only when everyone who is ready has at least 4 seconds buffered
|
|
(or what is left, near the end). At the end everyone stops and the server
|
|
stays finished until someone seeks back or changes the video.
|
|
If two or more people are ready, one person alone cannot start it for the
|
|
others. A lone viewer can play alone.
|
|
4. **Play.** The server owns the clock. Each app compares its mpv position
|
|
to the clock: a small lead slows mpv a little (0.95x), a big gap (over 5 s)
|
|
jumps. If someone's buffer runs dry the server pauses everyone and resumes
|
|
when they have caught up.
|
|
5. **Seek.** Anyone can seek, anytime. The server moves the clock and
|
|
everybody follows. Seeking does not change anyone's ready flag.
|
|
6. **Swap.** Anyone can change the video by pasting another link. Everybody
|
|
stops at 0, ready flags clear, and the gate runs again.
|
|
7. **Leave.** Closing or leaving drops you from the server; the others keep
|
|
going. If you vanish without saying goodbye, you are marked stale after 15 s
|
|
(stops blocking) and removed after 30 s. The app reconnects by itself and
|
|
takes over your old place (same member, ready flag and video).
|
|
|
|
There are no roles: anyone can seek, swap, force-ready others and kick
|
|
anyone except the host.
|
|
|
|
## Where video comes from
|
|
|
|
- **Link**: you paste an http(s) URL. Every app plays it directly with mpv.
|
|
A pasted Jellyfin link becomes the Jellyfin item below when possible.
|
|
- **Jellyfin item**: picked in the app's library browser. Shared as "this
|
|
item on this Jellyfin server", never as a link with someone's sign-in.
|
|
- **Local file (host only)**: you pick a file on your disk. The server
|
|
streams it to everyone, host included, over HTTP with range requests, each
|
|
with a per-person token. Nothing is stored or converted.
|
|
- No transcoding, ever. Quality is whatever the file is.
|