Mac Application for watching movies together via Internet?


Recommended Posts

Heya guys,

I'm looking for a software that will let my fiancé and me watch a movie (same file on both our Macs) together with synchronous play position and maybe audio-chat (maybe even video chat?) along with it.

It's important that those files are local and don't have to be streamed to her / to me, apart from youtube stuff maybe (bonus, but priority is local files)

I know I could google this, but I'm looking for Neowin user input as to what is good or best, what's a bargain, etc...

any input is appreciated!

Thanks in advance

Glassed Silver:mac

What's wrong with using Skype for video chat and counting down from three before pushing play?

Aye, this seems like your best option. Just watch it in VLC hit the space to pause it right at the start, go on skype, get your popcorn, count to 3 or whatever and both hit space at the same time.

I know there are a lot of stream based ones such as the Justin.TV videos.. you could stream it and have her watch.. but it goes away from the whole local file thing.

Don't really get what's wrong with curling up next to each other and watch on a single screen. Seems like the best and not to mention coziest solution. ;) If you can't be in the same room for whatever reason simply use Skype/IM/phone as suggested above.

Don't really get what's wrong with curling up next to each other and watch on a single screen. Seems like the best and not to mention coziest solution.

Seriously, this is what I was going to say.

You're not asking for something that streams the video over the net so that you're both watching from different locations at the same time, you're asking for a piece of software that will synchronize a video file on two computers that are on the same network. Since you're not mortal enemies sharing that network (at least, I would hope you aren't if she is your fiancee) I can't really see a practical application for this. Even in a business environment, where masses of people in a building might need to watch a video at the same time, no one bothers having it perfectly synced.

If you insist on trying something like this, the best solution I can come up with is phoning one another's mobile, and counting down until you both hit the play button. Then turn on Skype (or whatever you feel like) and go from there. You'll both be watching the same file at almost the exact same second, and the video will show the expressions of the scene in front of the two of you.

Still, what's wrong with being together if you both want to watch something at the same time?

Thinking about it a bit more, if your internet connection was fast enough (and in a house environment, it's highly unlikely that it will be) and you were really insistent on doing this, you could RDP in to one machine and screen share. But as I said, with a bad internet connection one side is going to get one heck of a choppy video...

What the heck do you want this for? As I said at the start, there is surely no practical reason that someone would create this software?

http://www.watch2gether.com/ - Not for movies but it works for youtube so that's sort of what you want

Not really, but thanks.

This does solve the youtube part of my problem, but not the movie part. :)

Seriously, this is what I was going to say.

You're not asking for something that streams the video over the net so that you're both watching from different locations at the same time, you're asking for a piece of software that will synchronize a video file on two computers that are on the same network. Since you're not mortal enemies sharing that network (at least, I would hope you aren't if she is your fiancee) I can't really see a practical application for this. Even in a business environment, where masses of people in a building might need to watch a video at the same time, no one bothers having it perfectly synced.

If you insist on trying something like this, the best solution I can come up with is phoning one another's mobile, and counting down until you both hit the play button. Then turn on Skype (or whatever you feel like) and go from there. You'll both be watching the same file at almost the exact same second, and the video will show the expressions of the scene in front of the two of you.

Still, what's wrong with being together if you both want to watch something at the same time?

Thinking about it a bit more, if your internet connection was fast enough (and in a house environment, it's highly unlikely that it will be) and you were really insistent on doing this, you could RDP in to one machine and screen share. But as I said, with a bad internet connection one side is going to get one heck of a choppy video...

What the heck do you want this for? As I said at the start, there is surely no practical reason that someone would create this software?

It's a long distance relationship.

Damn I'd LOVE to just cuddle and sit there watching the flick, but most of the time it's not possible.

I want this why? I just thought that there might be a more pleasant way of combining chat AV with watching the flick.

I have a 27" screen, so a windowed movie is perfectly fine, although I'd much prefer full screen.

On my fiancé's Macbook with 1280x800 however, the movie should be fullscreen and then guess what? AV chat should be integrated to have it float above the movie and work okay with maybe existing subtitles. (Think original audio track Animes etc...)

Streaming is POSSIBLE as I have 10MBit/s uplink, but I'd really prefer not to have to use it, as the quality lowers and it's just not necessary at all, cause the files exist in location A and B.

Why the unneeded redundancy?

I know there is an application like this, I forgot it's name however and am not sure about the AV chat part.

Thanks for all your input so far however! :)

Glassed Silver:mac

  • 8 years later...

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • Calibre 9.10 by Razvan Serea  Calibre is an open source e-book library management application that enables you to manage your e-book collection, convert e-books between different formats, synchronize with popular e-book reader devices, and read your e-books with the included viewer. It acts as an e-library and also allows for format conversion, news feeds to e-book conversion, as well as e-book reader sync features and an integrated e-book viewer. Calibre's features include: library management; format conversion (all major ebook formats); syncing to e-book reader devices; fetching news from the Web and converting it into ebook form; viewing many different e-book formats, giving you access to your book collection over the internet using just a browser. Calibre 9.10 changelog: New features Content server: A new "modern" interface with a sidebar to ease navigation Content server: When used with HTTPS allow installation as a PWA (Progressive Web App) Edit book: Saved searches: When filtering the list of saved searches match by keywords CSS parsing: Add support for CSS Level 4 selectors Cover grid: When using an image larger than the viewport as a texture scale it to fit the viewport Annotations browser: Allow restricting displayed annotations by custom annotation styles as well Edit book: Compress images: Add option to convert PNG images to JPEG or WEBP Bug fixes E-book viewer: Fix IME on Windows not working when typing in notes for highlights Conversion: Heuristics: Improve performance in some pathological cases SNB Input: Fix error on some input files Windows: fix rare crash when too many notifications are displayed at once Fix duplicating of books not duplicating value from enumerated columns when the column has a default value defined Fix a regression in 9.8 that caused errors from AI plugin providers to be silently swallowed and not displayed to user Fix CSV export invalid when exporting comments field Disallow Python templates when reading book metadata (CVE-2026-53511) Improved news sources The Week Economist Espresso Horizons Download: Calibre 9.10 | Portable | ~200.0 MB (Open Source) Download: Calibre for MacOS | 327.0 MB Download: Calibre for Linux View: Calibre Home Page | Calibre Screenshot Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftware
    • Malwarebytes Anti-Malware 5.6.1.257 by Razvan Serea Malwarebytes is a high performance anti-malware application that thoroughly removes even the most advanced malware and spyware. Malwarebytes version 5.**** brings comprehensive protection against today’s threat landscape so that you can finally replace your traditional antivirus. You can finally replace your traditional antivirus, thanks to a innovative and layered approach to prevent malware infections using a healthy combination of proactive and signature-less technologies. While signatures are still effective against threats like potentially unwanted programs, the majority of malware detection events already come from signature-less technologies like Malwarebytes Anti-Exploit and Malwarebytes Anti-Ransomware; that trend will only continue to grow. For many of you, this is something you already know, since over 50% of the users already run Malwarebytes as their sole security software, without any third-party antivirus. What's new in Malwarebytes 5.****: Unified user experience - For the first time, Malwarebytes now provides a consistent experience across all of our desktop and mobile products courtesy of an all new and reimagined user experience powered by a faster and more responsive UI all managed through an intuitive dashboard. Modern security and privacy integrations - Antivirus and ultra-fast VPN come together seamlessly in one easy-to-use solution. Whether you’re looking for a next-gen VPN to secure your online activity, or harnessing the power of Browser Guard to block ad trackers and scam sites, taking charge of your privacy is simple. Trusted Advisor - Empowers you with real-time insights, easy-to-read protection score and expert guidance that puts you in control over your security and privacy. Malwarebytes 5.6.1.257 changelog: Features and improvements Updated the sign-in section of the My Subscription page to clarify that users can activate their subscription by signing in with their Malwarebytes account. Updated the uninstall flow to collect more meaningful insights and address customer concerns. Refreshed the app's tutorial layout for a better look and feel. Issues fixed Fixed an outdated link when clicking Take action after running a Digital Footprint Scan. Miscellaneous bug fixes. Download: Malwarebytes 5.6.1.257 | 472.0 MB (Free, paid upgrade available) Links: Malwarebytes Website | Screenshot Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftware
    • Yep, not sure where the surprise is here. They release a new model for every phone, every year
    • AI would probably be better utilised replacing Executives than Engineers.
    • RapidRAW 1.5.8 by Razvan Serea RapidRAW is a beautiful, non-destructive, GPU‑accelerated RAW image editor designed for speed and simplicity. It uses a lightweight (~30 MB), efficient code base built with Rust, React and Tauri. Ideal for Lightroom workflows, it offers rich editing tools—exposure, contrast, highlights, shadows, whites/blacks, tone curves, HSL mixer, dehaze, vignetting, film grain, sharpening, clarity and noise reduction—processed in real-time on the GPU. Features include intuitive masking (brush, linear, radial, AI-powered subject and foreground detection), generative edit layers (via ComfyUI), 32‑bit precision, and full RAW format support through rawler. RapidRAW also provides library management (folder navigation, ratings, metadata, EXIF viewer), batch operations, export presets (JPEG/PNG/TIFF), sidecar editing (.rrdata), undo/redo history, customizable UI themes, smooth animations, resizable panels, and preset copy/paste. A modern high-performance Lightroom alternative with polished UX and creative tools, RapidRAW brings powerful photo editing to photographers seeking speed, responsive GPU feedback, and streamlined workflows. RapidRAW v1.5.8 release notes: This release introduces several new editing tools and workflow refinements designed to improve both photo editing and library management. It expands creative flexibility with the addition of a preset intensity slider and a global hue adjustment, while also introducing convenient navigation features such as quick bottom bar filters and folder sorting. Behind the scenes, the update addresses background indexing issues and ensures folder image counts are updated correctly. It also broadens accessibility by adding support for Korean and Traditional Chinese. [full changelog] Download: RapidRAW 1.5.8 | ARM64 | ~20.0 MB (Open Source) View: RapidRAW Home Page | Screenshot | Other operating systems Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftware
  • Recent Achievements

    • Week One Done
      xvvxcvv earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • One Month Later
      xvvxcvv earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Enthusiast
      Xonos went up a rank
      Enthusiast
    • Conversation Starter
      Admir earned a badge
      Conversation Starter
    • First Post
      The_Focal_Point earned a badge
      First Post
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      405
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      168
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      129
    4. 4
      neufuse
      69
    5. 5
      Xenon
      68
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!