Good questions.
Clear answers.

Video Party is a local video player and organizer for your own files. Stream VR videos from your computer to DeoVR on Meta Quest (Oculus), stream ordinary videos to Android TV, or watch YouTube and local videos together in private rooms. Optional cloud storage is available by invitation; rooms are in preview.

Download the desktop app for Apple Silicon Mac, Windows x64 or Linux x64, and the TV app for Android TV 8 or later. For VR, use DeoVR separately on a compatible Meta Quest headset. The private rooms preview is available on Mac and Android TV; rooms on Windows and Linux will follow. iOS and Android phone playback and streaming, plus Apple TV streaming, are coming later. Today, your phone’s browser can approve a device connection.

You can organize and play local videos on desktop without signing in. Sign in with Google to connect your TV, use an enabled cloud library, or create and join rooms. Every participant in a room must sign in.

Open Video Party on your TV, scan the QR code or open videoparty.app/activate on your phone or computer, and enter the displayed code. Sign in with Google and approve the device. Use the same account on your desktop and TV to access your library. Device activation codes and room IDs serve different purposes.

No. Adding a video to your desktop library points to the original file on your computer. Cloud uploads happen only when you choose to sync a video and your account has cloud access. Local TV streaming sends the video over your home network.

For local TV streaming, keep the desktop app running and your computer awake on the same home network as your TV. A video that has finished uploading to your cloud library can play on TV with your computer switched off.

Cloud access is enabled by invitation, with a storage allowance assigned to your account. You choose which videos to upload. If cloud access is not enabled, you can still use your local desktop library and supported home-network TV streaming.

Video Party prepares compatible TV copies up to 1080p while keeping your original files unchanged. Compatibility depends on the video codec and your TV. If a video does not play, try a compatible H.264 copy and check that both apps are up to date.

Hidden videos stay out of the TV library and require a separate password in the Mac app. Hidden and VR videos cannot be selected for a room. Hiding a video in the app does not encrypt or hide its original file elsewhere on your computer.

Yes. Version 2.3.0 includes the private rooms preview on Mac and Android TV, with synchronized playback, voice and text chat. Rooms on Windows and Linux will follow. TV compatibility and long-call voice reliability are still being tested.

In the Mac app, sign in, open Rooms and choose Create room. Share the room ID with your friends. They sign in to a room-enabled Mac or TV app and enter that ID. Your account’s rooms also appear in Your rooms. Rooms are private; there is no public room directory.

A room has space for five people, including its creator. One place always stays reserved for the creator. Each person can link one playback device and one desktop companion on the same account, so a TV for watching and a desktop for talking count as one person.

The creator can choose an ordinary local-library video, one of their existing cloud videos, or an on-demand YouTube video. Desktop guests need the exact same file for a local-video party. TV room playback supports cloud and YouTube; a TV stays in chat when a local video is selected. Live YouTube streams and playlists are outside the first release.

Add the exact same file to your own desktop library. Video Party checks its contents, so renaming the file is fine but a different edit or encoding will not match. The room does not automatically upload or send the creator’s local file. You can stay in chat while everyone else watches, then catch up when your copy is ready.

The creator chooses the video. Once it is selected, everyone in the room can play, pause and seek. Those controls synchronize across devices. A participant who is buffering or missing a file does not stop the others. YouTube ads and regional or embedding restrictions can interrupt shared playback.

The room preview lets desktop users speak and listen; TVs only listen. Desktop users can send text messages and read the full room history. TVs briefly show new messages above the video and have no text composer. Each device can mute incoming voice independently of a desktop microphone. Voice is included in the preview; TV compatibility and long-call reliability are still being tested.

No. Rooms and their chat stay available until the creator deletes the room. When every playback device leaves, the video timeline pauses. The creator can lock joining, remove a guest and later allow that account back. Locking still lets previously admitted members reconnect when space is available.

Yes. Add your files to VR Videos in Video Party on your computer. Connect your computer and Quest to the same private network. In Watch in DeoVR, choose your Wi-Fi or Ethernet address and select Start VR sharing. Enter the displayed VR library URL in DeoVR’s browser with https:// selected for a short link, or http:// for a direct local address, then choose a video from the thumbnail gallery. Keep Video Party open and your computer awake. Headset playback depends on the codec, resolution and DeoVR version.

The desktop viewer supports flat stereo and equirectangular VR180 and 360° videos, with side-by-side or top/bottom layouts. Set Video type and Source layout for each file. VR sharing sends the original file to DeoVR without the TV conversion; your headset must support its video and audio codecs. The desktop viewer does not unwarp fisheye or proprietary projections.

No. VR sharing streams the originals over your private local network. It starts only when you select Start VR sharing and stops when you turn it off or close the app. Only your VR Videos collection is shared through that session link. Keep the link private and stop sharing when you finish. VR videos are separate from TV streaming, cloud uploads and watch-party rooms.

Keep both devices on the same private network and your computer awake with Video Party open. Use the fresh VR library URL shown after starting sharing. If a short link cannot open, use Direct local link with http://, the port, session key and final slash. Guest Wi-Fi isolation, a VPN or a firewall can block the connection. If the gallery opens but a video does not play, check the file’s codec and projection settings in DeoVR.