What Is a Playback Session?
What a Playback session is, how session types and lifecycle states work, and how Organizers and Guests create or join a live review.
Written by Sara Griffith
Updated at August 17th, 2026
A Playback Session is the core unit of collaboration in Remoto Playback. It is a real-time, synchronized video review event where an Organizer streams media content to one or more Guests, and all participants can collaborate using built-in tools.
For the difference between Organizer and Guest accounts, see Playback General FAQ.
Session Basics
Every session has the following characteristics:
- One Organizer — The host who creates the session, loads media, and controls playback.
- One or more Guests — Invited participants who view the stream and collaborate.
- Synchronized playback — All participants see the same frame at the same time.
- Defined duration — Sessions have a configured length (e.g., 1 hour, 2 hours).
- Stream settings — Resolution, codec, frame rate, and audio configuration are set per session.
Session Types
Remoto Playback supports different session types depending on your product plan:
| Session Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Subscription Session | Included with an active Playback subscription. Available as long as the subscription is active. |
| One-Time Session | Purchased individually. Expires after a set number of days (typically 90 days). |
| Test Drive Session | A complimentary session provided to new users to try Playback before purchasing. |
Session Lifecycle
A session progresses through several states during its lifetime:
- Draft — Session is created but not yet fully configured or scheduled.
- Ready — Session is configured and scheduled; waiting for the start time.
- Started — The Organizer has started the session; streaming is active.
- Finished — The session has ended.
Creating a session does not start it automatically. The Organizer must start the session from the Dashboard (or Studio) when setup is complete.
What Happens in a Session?
During an active session, the Organizer controls the media playback and all Guests see the same synchronized stream. Typical session activities include:
- Media review — Playing video files for collaborative review
- Annotations — Drawing on frames and adding notes
- Markers — Setting timecode markers for reference
- Chat — Text-based communication between participants
- Timecode display — Overlaying timecode information for precise reference
Feature availability depends on how Guests join. For a platform comparison, see Playback Platforms: Desktop, Web, iOS, and TV Feature Comparison.
Creating a Session
Sessions are created by the Organizer using the Playback Desktop application. The Organizer selects stream settings, invites Guests, and schedules the session. For a walkthrough, see Quickstart Guide: Playback Organizer.
Joining a Session
Guests join a session using a link provided by the Organizer. They can join from any supported platform (Desktop, Web Browser, iOS, or Apple TV). For details, see How to Join a Playback Session.