End, Extend, Archive, and Troubleshoot a Watch Party

Watch Party uses the same server-authoritative live lifecycle as QCLF Live Chat: an effective end, bounded grace decision window, optional Host/moderator extension, explicit End, and idempotent archive conversion. Host Live is an optional layer and is shut down before an authoritative Watch Party End.

The durable Topic survives all of these transitions; live chat becomes permanent forum history while Host camera/microphone is never recorded or replayed.

Extend Near the End

  1. When the Watch Party reaches its effective end, use the grace prompt as the Host or an authorized live moderator.
  2. Choose an allowed extension—5/15/30 minutes by default—before grace expires.
  3. Confirm effective_end moves forward and grace clears until the new end is reached.

End Now

Selecting End Watch Party first deactivates Host Live and attempts managed-room cleanup, then performs the authoritative live-session End. Explicit End does not wait for the grace timer. QCLF immediately attempts archive conversion and reports whether it completed now or will be retried.

Archive Result

Undeleted live Messages convert once into permanent replies on the same Topic, preserving original timestamps and eligible Watch Party media-position context. Deleted live Messages are skipped. Reactions, mentions, reports, and read-state mappings are preserved/remapped where applicable.

Archived YouTube Player

Watch Party creation defaults to keeping the validated YouTube media embedded after the session. If keep_media_embedded was disabled, the archived Topic can retain its conversation without rendering the embedded Watch Party player.

Troubleshoot Playback Sync

  • If viewers are waiting for state, confirm the exact Host player has published a real current item.
  • If autoplay is blocked, press Play once on the visible YouTube iframe; there is no separate Sync-to-Host button in 1.1.27.
  • If playback says reconnecting, test the dedicated watch_state feed/network path separately from chat.
  • If only one viewer drifts, reload that viewer before changing the Host Topic/source.

Troubleshoot Host Live Separately

  • If Host Live will not start, verify Effective Max/All Access for Watch Party, entitlement-task health, OpenSSL/secret-store support, and managed-service availability.
  • If camera/microphone choices are missing, Refresh List and review browser/OS permissions.
  • If a viewer has video but no Host audio, use Enable Host audio when the browser requires a gesture.
  • Stopping Host Live alone should not stop YouTube or chat; ending the Watch Party should tear Host Live down.

Community Discussion

Want to compare forum workflows, share practical QCLF tips, or discuss how other Joomla site owners use this feature? Visit the QC Live Forum Community. For private support, bug reports, account-specific entitlement problems, or feature requests, use the QuantaCade support system.