# Sync playback between two or more boxes



## leitzsout (Feb 13, 2013)

If this exists, I apologize. If not, I'd love to be able to sync playback of a recorded show between two or more boxes. Either just at a start point, or ideally, mirror playback including 30 sec skips, or skipmode actions. This be helpful when one person moves to another room to prepare dinner, etc.


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## ajwees41 (May 7, 2006)

leitzsout said:


> If this exists, I apologize. If not, I'd love to be able to sync playback of a recorded show between two or more boxes. Either just at a start point, or ideally, mirror playback including 30 sec skips, or skipmode actions. This be helpful when one person moves to another room to prepare dinner, etc.


do you mean if you start a show in one room and go to another room have it start at the point it was stopped? it should already be doing this.


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## leitzsout (Feb 13, 2013)

Not exactly....here's an example of what I'd like. Two people are watching a recorded chow in one room. One of them moves to another room but want to continue watching the same show, at the same time with the other person. The show in the first room was never stopped; but, the person in the second room could continue watching, a mirror, of whats playing in the first. Clearer?


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## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

leitzsout said:


> Not exactly....here's an example of what I'd like. Two people are watching a recorded chow in one room. One of them moves to another room but want to continue watching the same show, at the same time with the other person. The show in the first room was never stopped; but, the person in the second room could continue watching, a mirror, of whats playing in the first. Clearer?


Other issues aside, since one box will be local and one box receiving content over the network, you might have audio issues. If the second room is out of hearing distance, then that's not an issue.

Update:
Audio does not sync. Also, when I stopped the recording on the second box (which was playing from a "resume" place, as you want) I didn't regain my tuner for about a minute. The screen was black, no audio, and other tuners were ok. But basically your scenario already works (except for audio) when using two Roamio boxes.


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## leitzsout (Feb 13, 2013)

Correct about the audio issue...same things happens when mini plays live tv within earshot of host on the same channel.

In my scenario, rooms where sync is desired are on separate floors. I understand this won't be the case for all.


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

If they're that far apart then why does it matter if they're synchronized? Are you watching with your spouse and then splitting up half way through and each watching the remaining half in your own room? If the case you can just pause the program and wait for the Mini user to start playing it, which will start it from the paused point, then unpause it in the other room. It wont be perfectly synchronized, but you'll both start watching from where you left off.

I can't really think of a scenario where you'd really want them to be synchronized where the audio issue wouldn't be a problem.


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## bradleys (Oct 31, 2007)

Dan203 said:


> If they're that far apart then why does it matter if they're synchronized? Are you watching with your spouse and then splitting up half way through and each watching the remaining half in your own room? If the case you can just pause the program and wait for the Mini user to start playing it, which will start it from the paused point, then unpause it in the other room. It wont be perfectly synchronized, but you'll both start watching from where you left off.
> 
> I can't really think of a scenario where you'd really want them to be synchronized where the audio issue wouldn't be a problem.


I have known people to put a sports program on several TVs during a party. One in the kitchen, when in the family room and another in the bathroom. That is live TV so it seems to work, but any delay on the audio would be annoying in that scenario.


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## reneg (Jun 19, 2002)

The suggestion is a good one. I have a Tivo mini in an adjacent room to a room with a Tivo. Watching the same show with slightly out of sync audio is a pain though not sure how it would be accomplished. 

In my case, the audio on the mini is always behind the Tivo. Two workarounds I employ:
1) Pause/play the Tivo to get it in sync with the mini
2) Pause/play the mini to get far enough behind the Tivo so the echo isn't bothersome.


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## TeamPace (Oct 23, 2013)

I have made this same suggestion. We have several TV's in the house and would like the ability to have the same show on more than one TV and move about the house while watching that show. For instance you're doing laundry, cooking dinner or anything else that you'd like to be able to move room to room and have the show synced. You can fiddle with the playback and get it roughly synched but it's tricky. And then you can't fast forward or pause without getting things out of sync again. It would be nice to have this feature.


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## davidblackledge (Sep 9, 2008)

Dan203 said:


> I can't really think of a scenario where you'd really want them to be synchronized where the audio issue wouldn't be a problem.


And then there's always the speed of sound to consider. They'll have to add a feature to identify how far apart your TiVos are so the close one can delay the audio just enough to sync up with the other one that is 1/2 sound-second away.


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## ratinthekitchen (May 19, 2016)

When I saw that there was a Tivo Suggestion Forum I came here to suggest this very feature. What I envision is a master/slave relationship which allows a mini to be set to do whatever is happening on a dvr box. Pause when it pauses, etc. Common scenario is two people start to watch something then one wants to get up and prepare dinner. Don't really care about audio synch, just keep it close. I wanted that when I had a Cisco DVR "whole home" setup and was hoping that Tivo had it.


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## andy_hd (Mar 14, 2008)

I do this all the time. I find it more common than using both TiVos set on different content. But my system set up doesn't rely on TiVo capabilities per-se.

Instead I have both TiVos in the same cabinet and they are run through a matrix switch to drive the TVs. So 'synchronized' viewing is automatically achieved when both TVs are using the same source TiVo. Audio is absolutely synced as well.

I wouldn't be optimistic in getting this level of synchronization via IP connection between two different 'streams' from the same disk.


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## Lawl0rd (Oct 10, 2017)

Also want this! For parties. Sports or music videos on YouTube. Please make it happen, TiVo!


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## Nak (Aug 18, 2010)

+1!!!!


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## Brayton F (Aug 14, 2018)

SOLUTION - USE HDMI SPLITTER AND WIRELESS HDMI KIT. I have a TV in the living room and we want the kitchen TV to match. All my HDMI inputs (Tivo, Apple TV, DVD player) go into my stereo, with one HDMI cable to the TV. So I went on Amazon and bought a splitter (like OREI HD-102 1x2 1 Port HDMI Powered Splitter Ver 1.3 Certified for Full HD 1080P & 3D Support (One Input To Two Outputs) for $18) and put this between my living room stereo and TV. Next I bought IOGEAR Wireless HDMI TV Connection Kit, GWHDKIT11 for $115 and connected it to one of the splitter's outputs, and then put the receiver in front of the TV. Works great.


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