This website lets you watch Netflix with friends online and video chat at the same time, and it's great for hosting a virtual movie night

watching netflix on laptop
watching netflix on laptop

sitthiphong/Shutterstock

  • If you're trying to host a remote movie night, you might want to check out the website Kosmi.

  • Kosmi allows you to host virtual chat rooms where you can watch videos, play games, or just socialize over voice, text, or video calls.

  • You can share videos from your laptop and YouTube directly within the chat room, and other services like Netflix by sharing your screen.

  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Hosting a movie night when you can't see your friends and family members in person can be challenging, but thankfully there are certain websites and apps designed to make this easier.

In addition to services like Netflix Party and Scener, which are extensions for the Google Chrome browser designed to make it possible to share what you're viewing on Netflix with others, there's Kosmi.

Kosmi is a bit different than these offerings. It's not a Chrome extension; rather, it's a standalone website where you can create a chat room for playing games, watching videos, and socializing through video, voice, and text chat.

You'll have to share your screen with the group to watch Netflix together, but the site has a built in player for watching a YouTube video or video files stored on your laptop. So if you have movies downloaded on your computer, you'll be able to share them virtually through Kosmi. Since you're just sharing your screen, the other participants don't need to have a Netflix or other video streaming account.

The website isn't perfect — the video chat windows are a bit small, and without an account it can be difficult to see who's typing in the text chat. Still, it's a relatively easy way to hold a virtual movie night, and it does offer some advantages over alternative methods.

For example, playing Jackbox Games on your laptop while sharing your screen on a video call is a great way to host a virtual game night remotely. While this method certainly works well, as the host I did find that it was sometimes difficult to hear other participants over the volume of the game's background music. Based on my experience using Kosmi so far, it certainly seems like it's slightly better about balancing audio from the video you're watching against the chat participants' voices.

To host a Netflix binge session remotely with Kosmi, all you need is a Netflix subscription and a laptop, ideally with the Google Chrome browser installed.

Here's how to get started.

First, navigate to Kosmi.io on your laptop or desktop computer and click the "Launch" button.

Kosmi 1
Kosmi 1

Kosmi

I'd recommend using Google Chrome since the browser makes it easy to share both video and audio. Plus, if you're screen sharing, you can choose to only share a single tab rather than your entire screen.

Click the "Create room" button at the top of the screen.

Kosmi 2
Kosmi 2

Kosmi

You don't have to create an account with Kosmi to launch your own room.

Decide whether you want your room to be public or private, then click the "Create" button.

Kosmi 3
Kosmi 3

Kosmi

If the room is public, it will be visible to Kosmi's lobby, meaning random users will be able to send a request to join. But if you keep it private, it won't be listed in the lobby and you'll have to share the link with friends in order for them to join.

You can also set a description for the room if you like.

When you're ready, click the "Create" button.

Here's what the room will look like once it's been created.

Kosmi edited
Kosmi edited

Kosmi

If you'd like to watch Netflix with friends, open Netflix in a new tab in your Chrome browser and make sure you're signed in.

Then, go back to the tab with Kosmi and press the Screenshare option highlighted in the image above. When choosing this option, Chrome will ask you if you'd like to share your whole screen or just a specific tab or application. If you only want to share Netflix and nothing else, make sure you select the option for only sharing a single tab and choose the one with Netflix.

When Chrome asks you if you'd like to share a single tab or your whole screen, be sure to check the option that enables you to share audio near the bottom of the dialog box as well.

I'd recommend using headphones while watching Netflix or any other video service to avoid any echo that may occur from your computer speakers.

It's not the only means of hosting a virtual movie night — you could also probably host a video call on Google Hangouts and Zoom, and similarly share your screen. But Kosmi has a bit more flexibility if you also want to quick access videos from YouTube or your computer. 

Read the original article on Business Insider