Screenings

Screenings let two or more people watch the same title at the same time, from anywhere, with playback kept perfectly in sync. One person hosts, everyone else joins, and play, pause, and seeking are mirrored to the whole room.

Availability

Screenings may be rolling out gradually or available in the TestFlight beta first. If you don’t see it yet, check back after an update. You need to be signed in to host or join.

How it works

The clever part: everyone plays their own copy from their own server. Zuno syncs a shared timeline rather than streaming video between devices, so you can watch together even if you’re on completely different setups (one person on Plex, another on Jellyfin, and so on).

The one requirement is that each person must have the title in their own library. Zuno can’t give anyone access to someone else’s server, so if you don’t have a copy, you can’t join that room.

A few terms used throughout:

• Screening: one synchronised viewing session.
• Screening room: the room people join, identified by a 6-character code (for example K4M7PX).
• Host: the person who created the room and controls playback.
• Participant: anyone in the room, including the host.

Hosting a screening

1. Open the title you want to watch and open the screening option from its menu.
2. You’ll enter the lobby, which shows your room code and the people who have joined.
3. Invite people by sharing the invite link, or by giving them the 6-character code. On Apple TV, a QR code is shown that others can scan with their phone.
4. Once everyone’s in, tap Start. Playback launches for everyone at once.

Joining a screening

You can join in a few ways:

• Invite link: tap the link someone shares and Zuno opens straight into the room, finds your copy of the title, and joins.
• Room code: enter the 6-character code in the join screen.
• QR code: scan the code shown on someone’s Apple TV.

If you don’t have the title in your own library, Zuno tells you clearly rather than leaving you on an empty screen.

During a screening

• The host controls playback. When the host plays, pauses, or seeks, everyone follows automatically.
• Automatic drift correction keeps everyone lined up over time.
• Buffering-aware hold: if one person’s video stalls, the room waits for them so nobody gets ahead.
• Presence: you can see who’s in the room.

Watching different releases

Because everyone uses their own file, releases can differ slightly. Different studio intros, extended vs theatrical cuts, or “previously on” recaps can mean position zero isn’t the same frame for everyone.

To handle this, each participant has a personal timeline nudge. It works just like the subtitle sync offset: nudge your playback a few seconds earlier or later until you’re lined up with the group. Your adjustment is remembered for that title, so a rewatch or the next episode starts already calibrated.

Zuno won’t block you from joining over a runtime mismatch. If the releases differ a lot, it warns you that a fixed nudge may drift, but the choice is always yours.

What Screenings doesn’t include

For this version, Screenings focuses purely on synchronised playback. There’s no built-in voice or text chat, since most people are already on FaceTime, Discord, or a group chat while they watch.