Singing score, hide-my-video, and room chat
These three tools sit around the stage. None of them are required. All of them confuse people who think VideoKe is a public stream. Short version: singing score stays on the host machine, hide-my-video stops a second player from blasting, chat is for the people already approved in the room.
Singing score (host toy, not a broadcast)
Score my singing listens through the host device microphone and gives a local party score. It is not uploaded as a performance recording for the internet. It is not a fair contest in a loud living room. A blender, a laughing cousin, and a soundbar will all “sing.”
Use it when:
- The host laptop is close to the singer.
- The group wants a joke number on screen.
- You already have the PA under control.
Skip it when kids are shy, when the room is a roar, or when someone thinks the number is a judgment. Turn it off without announcing a failure. Hosting is more important than scoring.
If you are not the host, you do not run this feature. Do not lean into the host mic to “make the score higher.” That is how you get feedback.
Hide my video
Joiners often open the same room on a laptop while the host TV already plays the song. Two videos, two audio clocks, chorus smear. Hide my video is for people who still want the queue, chat, and controls (if any) without a second embedded player.
Use it when you are in the same physical room as the stage display. Do not use it as a remote guest who needs lyrics on their own device — they need the player.
Hosts can mention this once: *If you’re on the couch looking at the TV, hide video on your laptop.* Device roles: phone vs laptop as host.
Room chat
Chat sits under Now playing for approved participants. It is not indexed as a public comment thread. It dies when the room dies. Use it for queue notes and morale. Do not use it to pile on a singer.
Hosts can still kick. Kick is session-only. If someone is nasty in chat, you do not have to debate policy in real time — remove them, keep the music going, sort it in the group chat later.
There is no expectation that chat is moderated like a big network. It is your living room in text form. Why rooms stay private is the surrounding model.
Optional video calling
When the operator has enabled realtime video and your access allows it, cameras can join the same private room. That is still not a Twitch stream. Only approved people are there. Echo is the main failure mode: TV playing karaoke + laptop mic open + remote friend’s speakers. Remote guests should headphone. Same-room people should not join the call with live mics pointed at the soundbar.
If cameras are off for your night, that is normal. Many VideoKe nights are queue + TV + people in one house.
What not to expect
These tools will not pitch-correct you, will not record a studio take, and will not prove to the internet that you hosted karaoke. They exist so a private night runs smoother. If they get in the way, ignore them. The night is still the room, the code, and the queue — how to host.