User Guide & Room Controls

📖 User Guide & Room Controls

This guide explains how to host a screening room, invite participants, stream media, and use MovieNight's cinema controls.

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1. Creating & Joining a Room

Hosting a Screening

1. Visit the MovieNight website.
2. Enter your display name and click an avatar.
3. Click START A NEW SCREENING.
4. You will enter the private cinema stage and receive a unique 6-character room code (e.g., ABC-123).

Inviting Friends

• Click the INVITE button in the header to use your device's native Share Sheet or copy the direct room link (?room=ABC123).
• Knock-and-Approval Admission: When a friend opens your link, a prompt appears on the host screen: "Participant [Name] wants to join". Click Admit to approve entry.

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2. Streaming Modes

Mode A: Local Video Files (Highest Quality)

1. Click STREAM A VIDEO on the stage.
2. Select Open Local File.
3. Choose any .mp4, .mkv, .webm, or .mov from your computer.
4. The video begins playing natively in hardware and streams directly to peers over WebRTC.

Mode B: Direct Video URLs

1. Click STREAM A VIDEO ➔ select Direct Video URL.
2. Paste any direct HTTP/HTTPS media URL (e.g. https://example.com/movie.mp4).
3. If the host video server blocks cross-origin requests, MovieNight routes it through the built-in /proxy-video Range CORS proxy.

Mode C: YouTube Platform Sync

1. Click STREAM A VIDEO ➔ select YouTube URL.
2. Paste any YouTube video link (youtube.com/watch?v=... or youtu.be/...).
3. MovieNight mounts the synchronized IFrame player. Play, pause, and seek commands sync bidirectionally without violating platform copyrights.

Mode D: Screen & Window Sharing

1. Click SHARE SCREEN on the stage.
2. Choose your screen, window, or specific browser tab.
3. Toggle "Share system audio" to include audio.

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3. Cinema Theater Controls

• Movie Mode: Toggles distraction-free 16:9 view with dual-column webcam overlays.
• Emoji Sparks: Click any emoji reaction (❤️, 🔥, 👏, 😂, 🍿, 🎬) to broadcast real-time bursts across everyone's screen.
• Backrow Chat: Collapsible sidebar with unread indicators, timestamps, and custom avatar seeds.

⌨️ Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
Space / K	Toggle Play / Pause
F	Toggle Fullscreen Mode
M	Toggle Video Audio Mute
C	Toggle Backrow Chat Sidebar
→	Seek forward 10 seconds
←	Seek backward 10 seconds
Esc	Close modals / Exit fullscreen