[dvtrn]

disappearance of scheduled TV programming, either broadcast or cable.

That's an interesting thought, something that's crossed my own mind before. Are the numbers there to suggest scheduled TV programming is declining, or do the shows that get best ratings and reviews and pop culture buzz these days just happen to be shows on streaming platforms/alternative media?

I actually don't have the answer, I'm just probing the thought, so to speak.

[Wowfunhappy]

I would love if Netflix et al would add some type of "social movie watching", where you can voice chat with someone while watching a synced video stream.

A friend and I used to watch movies together over Skype by counting down before pressing play. It worked very well, but only for local files; on a streaming platform, the slight delay between pressing play and the video starting ruined it. Get (close to) perfect sync was important, as otherwise, one of us would react to moments slightly before the other. Pausing in the middle, etc was also annoying.

P.S. Even watching events which are live, but streamed over the internet via HLS doesn't work well. We've tried it for e.g. Apple keynotes, and the variable delay of HLS ruins the experience.

[akhilcacharya]

I do this all the time with Netflix syncing extensions. If not that we use video syncing tools like Syncplay and sync-video. Native support would be incredible, and I think it’s supported on the Oculus Go’s Netflix app.

[Rebelgecko]

Netflix (or Microsoft?) actually built this in the Xbox 360 days. It seemed to be fairly popular but was discontinued in 2012 or so.

[StevePerkins]

I embraced Netflix and similar services because I was tired of dealing with people talking in the movie theater.

An app that brings the awful theater experience home to your Netflix would be peak Silicon Valley.

[Wowfunhappy]

Obviously, this isn't something you do for movies that you want to watch in silence. And often, we weren't necessarily talking—we'd just hear each other laugh, or gasp, etc.

[dvtrn]

I embraced Netflix and similar services because I was tired of dealing with people talking in the movie theater.

Partial solution to this problem for me was to go to movies early in the week, as early in the day as possible-though I realize it's not a solution for everyone, I'm a remote worker with a lot of schedule autonomy.

I love the onDemand nature of streaming services, but am still a dork for the big screen "event" feeling of catching a movie fresh after release. Just...as you said, minus the talkers.