Why this guide?
I’ve been searching through /r/IPTV for a few weeks now looking for info on services and I noticed that, while there is a ton of information floating around in individual posts, there is no nice tidy package of information on what exactly IPTV is and how to set it all up for the layperson. Googling brought me to shady websites filled with non-answers or answers that assumed a level of knowledge way above the beginner level. To be honest, the IPTV community seems to be plagued with the same hype words and marketing speak that is flooding the “kodi android free tv fully loaded boxes” market. So this is for people like me that want to dive in but need some easy to understand primer to get started. Special thanks to /u/stokedcrf, I got most of my info from his posts.
What is IPTV?
Simply put, IPTV is any television service supplied over the internet. Many legitimate cable/satellite companies provide this service in one form or another for their paying customers. However, when most people talk about IPTV they are talking about illegal service providers [and make no mistake about it, these services are illegal] that sell streams they have no right to. Most services work like so:
Originator - The owner of the legal cable/satellite box that sells a stream to a provider.
Provider - Amalgamates all the streams from the originators and usually sells their service in bulk to resellers. This allows them to be a step away from the customer. They don’t have to deal with customer service and they have to worry less about getting caught by the police. The vast majority of them use a piece of software called Stalker Middleware to set up their servers.
Reseller - These guys buy subscriptions from the providers in bulk. There are dozens of resellers out there but they only resell services from a handful of providers. They deal more with the customer service side of it. They can be pushy with their services but they usually buy a ton of subscriptions up front and need to offload them to make any money, so cut them a little slack.
End User - Us.
Some services will play multiple parts of that chain, but that’s a basic layout of how IPTV gets to you.
What do I need to watch?
There are a few ways of watching IPTV streams, each with their pros and cons.
Dedicated Set Top Box [STB] - If your provider is using Stalker Middleware to manage their server [most likely], then the absolute best way to watch IPTV is with a dedicated box. Infomir, the company that makes Stalker, also makes a STB called a MAG. There are different versions of this box, and you can check it out on their site http://www.infomir.eu/ There are also more STBs but most people recommend the MAG because it’s made by the same company that makes the software so it’s 100% compatible. The benefits of having a STB is that they are made to take full advantage of the Stalker features such as time shifting, program guide [EPG], video on demand [VOD], and recording. It’s the true cable/satellite TV experience. They cost about $100.
KODI - This is honestly the way that most people will first venture into IPTV. If you already have a home setup with Kodi, this allows you to simply watch some streams. The benefits are that you don’t need to buy any more hardware to get started, but you will need to use 3rd party add-ons for most providers and they don’t offer full functionality. People never get the EPG working, time shifting is not there, no VOD. You still pay full price for the IPTV subscription, but you don’t get to take full advantage of everything it has to offer. This is fine for most people [including myself]. If you just want to watch some live TV and don’t need the extra features, this option is your best bet.
APK - Some providers provide APKs that you can install on your android box. They may offer good features, or it may be a barebones IPTV viewer. Depends on the provider.
M3U8 - This is just a simple playlist file that you can open in VLC or other media player. A lot of providers don’t offer this service, so check first if that’s what you are after. The most basic way of watching IPTV.
Website - Sometimes providers allow viewing of IPTV through the web browser. Convenient if you are at a friend’s house and want to catch a show, but not a nice seamless way of watching.
Choosing a reseller
Since most IPTV services are sold via resellers, there are a lot of services out there all offering pretty much the same thing. So for me, the one with the best customer service won out. There are a couple things you want to compare when choosing a service.
Price - Expect to pay between $10 and $20 USD / month on your subscription. Anything much higher than that and you should really keep looking unless they offer a unique service that you really need. Cheaper than $10 USD / month, there is probably a reason for it so do your research and look at reviews. I suggest buying a single month up front to try it out, then if you like it buy a few months at a time to bring the price down a bit. If you’re not familiar with bitcoin, I suggest you get familiar. A lot of providers provide discounts for bitcoin and you stay anonymous.
Delivery Method - How do you plan on watching your streams? Does the provider support Kodi or do you need a STB/Emulator? Are you wanting to watch from your web browser? Will you be registering the MAC address of your device on their network or will you be using login information to access? Do they allow account sharing? All things to decide on before you buy.
Selection - Most IPTV services offer a lot of channels in common, but always check. If you’re a soccer guy, make sure your service is going to have all the soccer channels. Likewise with other sports. Don’t pay a premium for channels you won’t watch. 2000+ channels sounds great, but if they’re in a language you can’t understand, who cares? Most services have channel lists posted, and if you can’t find any on their website, check around this subreddit.
Customer Service - Probably the #1 thing for me is good customer service. Because you can basically find whatever you want from multiple resellers, customer service is the thing that’s going to set them apart. Check reviews, maybe send them an email or two just to see how fast they respond.
That’s all the info I’ve gathered and should give you a starting point to get into IPTV. Please let me know if anything above is wrong or if I missed anything important. I’m no expert.