foxyzandClaude Opus 5.5
d8a0729029
README for the repo page; HOW-IT-WORKS overview; ARCHITECTURE, PROTOCOL, DEVELOPMENT checked against the code; ROADMAP is backlog only (isolate/dedicated server, sync fixes, rendering+shaders, Windows build, Jellyfin epic). HANDOFF.md and mpv-http-contract.md folded in and deleted. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
77 lines
3.5 KiB
Markdown
77 lines
3.5 KiB
Markdown
# How it works
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A five-minute tour. Details: [ARCHITECTURE.md](ARCHITECTURE.md), wire format:
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[PROTOCOL.md](PROTOCOL.md).
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## The pieces
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```
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your PC friend's PC
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+-------------------+ +-------------------+
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| app (mpv inside) | | app (mpv inside) |
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+---------+---------+ +---------+---------+
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| sync (WebSocket) | sync (WebSocket)
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v v
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+----------------------------------------+
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| server (who is ready, where are we) |
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+----------------------------------------+
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video bytes come from somewhere else:
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- a link (Jellyfin, any http/https URL): each app fetches it directly
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- a file on the host's disk: the server streams it (/m/... endpoint)
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```
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- **App**: the desktop window. It draws the video with mpv, shows who is
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here, and sends what you do (ready, seek, chat).
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- **Server**: keeps one shared clock and the list of people. It never sees
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video frames, only "position 123 s, playing". There is exactly one server
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and one watch session on it.
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- **Jellyfin** (or any web host): where a link's video lives. The server does
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not touch it today; each app downloads it itself.
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## Ways to run
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- **Host from the app**: the app you click Host in also runs the server.
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Simplest. The server lives as long as that app.
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- **Dedicated server**: a separate server program on an always-on box.
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Planned, see [ROADMAP.md](ROADMAP.md).
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Friends join either way with the Join card on Home.
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## One session, start to finish
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1. **Connect.** The app opens a WebSocket to the server and says hello
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(version, password, name, avatar). Wrong password or version: refused with
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a reason. Otherwise the server answers with a welcome and the current state.
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2. **Catch up.** The app opens the current video, jumps to where the server
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says we are, and buffers. A new arrival is not ready yet and never holds
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anyone back.
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3. **Ready gate.** Press Space to say you are ready. The server starts
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playback only when everyone who is ready has at least 4 seconds buffered.
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If two or more people are ready, one person alone cannot start it for the
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others. A lone viewer can play alone.
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4. **Play.** The server owns the clock. Each app compares its mpv position
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to the clock: a small lead slows mpv a little (0.95x), a big gap (over 5 s)
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jumps. If someone's buffer runs dry the server pauses everyone and resumes
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when they have caught up.
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5. **Seek.** Anyone can seek, anytime. The server moves the clock and
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everybody follows. Seeking does not change anyone's ready flag.
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6. **Swap.** Anyone can change the video by pasting another link. Everybody
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stops at 0, ready flags clear, and the gate runs again.
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7. **Leave.** Closing or leaving drops you from the server; the others keep
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going. If you vanish without saying goodbye, you are marked stale after 15 s
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(stops blocking) and removed after 30 s. The app reconnects by itself and
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restores your ready flag.
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There are no roles: anyone can seek, swap, force-ready others and kick
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anyone except the host.
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## Where video comes from
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- **Link**: you paste an http(s) URL. Every app plays it directly with mpv.
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Works for a Jellyfin direct-download link or any file on the web.
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- **Local file (host only)**: you pick a file on your disk. The server
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streams it to everyone, host included, over HTTP with range requests, each
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with a per-person token. Nothing is stored or converted.
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- No transcoding, ever. Quality is whatever the file is.
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