Content of multiple digital bit streams with essentially the same
renderable content, and situated at mutually remote locations, are played
back in unison. First, time is synchronized among the processors that
participate in a synchronized viewing session by playing back respective
streams. Second, the playbacks are content-wise aligned, by rewinding or
fast forwarding, to effect overall a precisely synchronized presentation.
The content-wise alignment is achieved by means of a status message
between processors that contains information characteristic of the
sender's bit stream. If any participant, performs a control function
(e.g. rewind, fast forward, stop), all other participants follow
synchronously. The processor that initiates the session is deemed the
initiator, a role that is thereafter assumed by the participant that has
last performed a control function. The initiator directs all
participants, at session startup, upon execution of each control
function, and periodically, to synchronize their playbacks to that of the
initiator, whereby all playbacks are synchronized and maintain in
synchronization.