Parents' Guide to Metastream

The website viewers use to access this video watching application will allow two people (or technically an unlimited amount) – to watch videos from more than a half-dozen sources. Users don't have to register on Metastream to view things together, and a chat option is included that lets them discuss what they’re watching. But some of Metastream’s functions can be spotty, and it doesn’t seem to offer a seamless, uniform experience accessing all eight content providers. Users can’t directly invite people through the site to watch things, for instance. Instead, they have to copy the link for a video and email or text it. The chat window doesn’t stay open, so you have to hit return every time you want to enter a comment, and only the host can stop and restart videos. When other participants try to stop or restart videos, they’re told it requires DJ permissions, but there are no clear instructions on how to grant those.

In a recent viewing test, YouTube videos loaded fairly easily, but one viewer had a slight delay. Also, after hitting pause on a Twitch video, the second user was able to resume watching, but the host’s video wouldn’t play. Netflix videos have to be viewed in a pop-up window, rendering the chat feature somewhat useless, unless you want to jockey back and forth between two windows. A statement on the site warns users to expect some issues because the release is still in beta, so some of the problems may eventually be resolved. Until then, viewers may find some providers’ videos are easier to view on Metastream than others.