Netflix Party Makes Virtual Movie Theater For COVID-19 Quarantine

There's a new system called Netflix Party with which you'll be able to connect with friends and sync streaming video. You'll all drop in a sort of virtual movie theater where, at the time chosen by the host, a movie or show will begin. There, you'll all be able to chat (in a text sidebar) while the movie or show is playing.

This is not a new technology – it's been around for a while, on different platforms. But right now, Netflix Party (and similar services) are more helpful than they might have ever been in the past.

To use Netflix Party, everyone that wants to participate will need a Netflix subscription. They'll also need to have a computer with a Google Chrome web browser. Take a peek at Netflix Party dot com to get the extension for your Chrome web browser.

Another very similar system is Watch2Gether. That system works with synchronized video and audio, with an integrated chatroom (with text), and connects with video platforms like YouTube, Vimeo, and Dailymotion. It also connects with SoundCloud, and works with playlists and webcams.

There's an even-more-diverse set of features over at Metastream, working with either a Chrome extension or a Firefox add-on. Metastream works with YouTube, Twitch, SoundCloud, Crunchyroll, Reddit, and... basically everything else, via Google. You'll also get support for Netflix and Hulu – neat!

If you've only got an iPhone, you might want to take a peek at Airtime. The app was developed by Airtime Media Inc, and it's currently the 12th most popular "Entertainment" app in the App Store for Apple devices. The app Airtime allows you to share videos together at the same time as you share video of yourself. So it's like Facetime, but with a video, too.

You could also try the Airtime for Android, but given the latest reviews posted right this minute, you might want to wait for an update. You might want to give RAVE a try instead – see how it works for you!