Server Version#: 1.41.3.9314
Player Version#: Newest version on two Samsung TV’s and Plex Web
I tried using the Watch Together feature today. I had some work i needed to get done on my desktop PC which is upstairs, and my family was going to watch a movie downstairs… So i spent far too much time trying to get this to work.
Attempt #1
On my PC, i went to the plex web player on my account and used the watch together feature, i invited my sub account i call “Kids”. Downstairs, on my “Chromecast with Google TV” device i got into plex on the “Kids” account and joined.
The support document for Watch Together says that we all have to ready up before it’ll start, but this doesnt happen. It starts the moment we all join, this is bad! Once started, it worked… But on the chromecast, there were no UI controls to control the movie, but on my PC i have them. So i thought maybe the primary account is the only one to have it. So i tried again…
Attempt #2
On the chromecast, i got in on my primary account, and on my desktop i tried the kids account. We removed the old watch together thing assuming something could be wrong with that as well, and i created it again using the primary account on the Chromecast. I ran upstairs and joined on the kids account, but again… The chromecast did not have a UI… So i thought about another option…
Attempt #3
This time i started it on the kids account on my desktop PC and then joined on the Chromecast account… But again, the chromecast did not have the controls… So i came up with another idea…
Attempt #4
I figured that maybe for whatever reason, the PC trumps all when it comes to controls… I’ve seen other apps in the past do this, so i used my Samsung TV upstairs thats next to my computer and loaded up Plex on my main account and repeated the first attempt… Primary account on my Samsung TV, child account “Kids” on the Chromecast… Again, no controls on the Chromecast…
Attempt #5
Primary account on Chromecast, child account (Kids) on the Samsung TV… Chromecast had no UI.
Attempt #6
At this point i figured its a chromecast issue so i loaded up Plex on the TV downstairs, which is also a Samsung TV, but much much larger… Upstairs on the TV i created the watch together thing, invited “Kids”, and went downstairs… Using plex on this tv i joined the watch together and waited… and waited… and waited… and it would never stop buffering… I gave it 10 minutes, tried again, gave it about 3 minutes this time… black screen… Tried starting the movie without watch together, and it worked fine… Went back to the watch together option at the top… nothing… But on the TV upstairs it was playing…
Attempt #7
Swapped sides… Primary account on the Samsung TV downstairs, secondary account (kids) on the Samsung TV Upstairs… Same issue, only the Samsung TV downstairs would buffer endlessly…
Long story short… Chromecast app fails to load UI controls, and the Tizen Plex Player on some Samsung TV’s has issues joining a “Watch Together” show on Plex.
For anyone wondering… no… i didnt watch the movie… They did though.
