Hi everyone. Figured i'd add my own honest review of services I've tried so as to help those that might be looking for an iptv provider to use. I cut the cable completely since Aug of 2015. I'll list the services I've used in order of date used and subscription length. Hopefully i'll keep updating this list as I go.

I own an Element Ti4 android box and a HTPC windows 10 PC both running the latest version of kodi with an 8MB connection.

Predominantly my focus was on USA English channels, Sports (NBA, NFL, MMA & Boxing), Kids cartoons and News.

1. NFPS (1 year subscription. Bought 2 subs, One for the kids) = This was my first foray into the paid subscriptions. I was using their free service for serveral months and decided to subscribe when they went paid. They have an extensive channel lineup with all the major NFL, NBA, Tennis, Boxing and MMA channels that I required. None of them are HD. 480p at best. Setup is horrible and not for novices. Whenever they make a change to their servers, you get NO COMMUNICATION from them whatsoever. You have to be trolling the iptv forums to find out what to do to fix the service. HOWEVER, if you make it through all that, it is pretty stable. For $100/yr, it's constantly been my to go service when I want something stable. I must admit though, during major PPV events, its unwatchable, too much buffering. Otherwise, it works. Has the best EPG I've seen thus far as it integrates with PVR stalker addon in Kodi nicely and all your major epg addons like IVUE, ONTAPP etc. For the US crowd, it actually has the US version of CNN, Disney jr, Nick etc. Unlike the other services I've tried that have the british versions. There is no record capability. No TV catchup service. Can only use on one device at a time. Hence why I bought 2 subs.

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2. Ruya Mbox (trial sub, One month sub) - Great customer service. This reseller responds and communicates via his facebook. Setup was a breeze, you pay via paypal and within 24hrs, I had a username, pwd and setup instructions for Kodi to install the addon. All you do is input your user and pwd and you are good to go. No messing around with donation #s, device ID etc like you do with stalker NFPS. It just works out the box. PROS: Quality is HD. Crystal clear. Works perfect. No buffering even during PPV events. Coming from NFPS, it looked amazing. His addon also integrates easier with some of the EPG providers out there like ONTAPP, IVUE. Even if it doesn't, you just need to tweak a few files in the kodi folder to get it to work. However its not a full integration, you don't see all the RUYA channels listed in the epg.

CONS: Most expensive iptv service out there I believe. I think I paid $25 for a month. About $170-$200 for a year sub. Still cheaper than cable. It does NOT integrate with PVR stalker and hence there is no EPG. For me, that remains a big let down. The interface leaves much to be desired. I like to channel surf based on whats currently showing at the moment. I don't have a channel in mind, I look through the listings and decide. But with this, you pretty much need to know what you want to watch, then scroll through the different channel groups to find your channel. Another issue I noticed was that it would sometimes just kick you out of the feed after a short while sometimes less than 30 mins. Sometimes less than 5 mins. I hate that because sometimes I need to work and I want to keep my kids busy with Disney jr and I hate having them interrupt me ever so often because it froze or kicked them out. You will get that with Ruya. The content is also geared towards the UK market hence few US channels. Hence check their channel listing first before you buy. The UI leaves much to be desired. Has a folder structure view. Hence its not something the wife might be able to use on her own.

SUMMARY: If you can get over the lack of a full EPG and the timeouts/freezes, then this is by far the most visually stunning and buffer free experience I've had. There is no record capability. It has TV catchup service but not for all channels. Mostly only with the UK channels. Can only use on one device at a time.

3. Ruya xl (One month sub) - Same review pretty much as mbox as it is the same RUYA service, just different resellers. Setup is done by emailing them. Response time is within 24hrs. He will send you a paypal link for payment. Instructions for setup are on the website. His service looks exactly the same as Mbox except he has a Kodi build which he integrates the add-on into IVUE so that you can have an epg. However, like Mbox, you don't see ALL the channels listed in the EPG. Same issues as with Mbox, it will timeout quick and sometimes kick you out.

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4. IPTV Express full pkg (One month sub) - This is also called IPTV Black diamond with other resellers. Pros: 4k and full HD channels. Over 1600 channels. Once you've paid, you send them your MAC and they send you an android apk to install. App looks quite good. Great EPG. Customer service responded to all my questions. Setup was quite easy.

CONS: Cannot use with Kodi. Only way to use this on a windows PC is by installing bluestacks and emulating android to run the apk. Hence this package is geared mostly towards android boxes, MAGS and Avovs. No record service. TV catchup is only for the Indian channels or so. Nothing for the English ones. Majority of the 1600 channels DO NOT work. You just get a black screen. Their channel lineup is falsely advertised as majority of the US and major sports channels are contained in a "bonus channels" folder which does not work. UFC, NFL, NBA, boxnation channels DO NOT work. All the NFL and NBA channels are in the bonus folder sadly....and don't work. This service though UHD, is virtually unwatchable. Buffers every few seconds literally. Then it kicks you out. Really sad cos they have such a great looking apk and excellent channel lineup but NOTHING works. Maybe someone with a 100Mb connection might have better luck, but with my 8MB, it was unwatchable. However many of the reviews on the napster forum also express my sentiment. Hence I think its a general problem with their servers.

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5. SMOOTHSTREAMSTV (3 month sub) Discovered about this service here on the reddit iptv board. Was added to the private board where I found the link to pay via paypal. Currently offer only 3mos and 6 mos subscriptions. I used this on my windows 10 HTPC. I believe they also offer an android apk which I haven't tried. This is not compatible with MAG boxes

PROS: Once you've paid, you immediately receive login details. Whole process took less than 5 mins to get setup. Setting up with Kodi is as easy as downloading the addon and inputting your login details. This is a sports oriented service. This would appeal to many of the sport buffs out there looking for a sports focused iptv addon. It also has a few non-sports and news channels like CNN, FOX NEWs, FOX, ABC. However these aren't 24 hrs channels. Once a major sporting event is live, your news feed gets changed to that sporting event. Price was great also. $32 for 3 mos. About $10/mth. $59 for 6 months. You can't beat that. One PPV event sets you back $50 to $100 on cable. Quality of the channels are HD. Most are 720p. Look stunning. No buffering noticed on my 8Mb connection. However, if you do notice buffering, the fix is as easy as going into the addon settings and selecting a different server from a different state of the USA or different country in the world. They also have a good subreddit community where you can ask questions and receive quick feedback. It is definitely not like NFPS that you cant ever reach. They offer the option to record your streams. This is the 1st service I've tried that can. You can also use the same subscription on multiple TVs watching different channels at the same time instead of having to buy multiple subs like other services. When watching a channel, you DONT get kicked out after 20-30 mins. That was a big deciding factor for me. I left CNN on, went to work, came back, was still on. Love it. I also was able to watch several of the sunday night NFL games this past weekend. Not one buffered. Streamed perfectly. I also love the fact that they offer paypal as a payment option and not exclusively bitcoin. This tells me they are confident about their product service as paypal purchases can be disputed. Bitcoins cant. Plus your average Joe still hasn't heard of bitcoin nor even knows how to go about purchasing some. They accept paypal, bitcoin and bank transfer.

CONS: I personally wished they had more of a channel selection. Yes the sports are great. But I am still forced to shop for a different iptv provider because of the lack of any kids content. No Disney jr, Nick jr etc The record function though a huge bonus isn't fully implemented yet. You cannot record a program in the future. Only whats currently playing. That's the primary reason for wanting to record for most people. If I am available to watch the program, then why record it? What you want is the ability to schedule a recording, go to work and watch it once you come back over a beer. The channel switching is the slowest I've ever encountered. It could take up to 2 mins to switch channels. Sometimes more. However, I noticed it's much quicker on channels that you have watched recently. Maybe those with much quicker data connections might have better luck with this. For me, it was torturing. It's also not compatible with the MAG box. I believe the MAG is a huge segment of the IPTV market. That's disappointing. Even though you are provided with the multiple servers to chose from, I still believe it increases the learning curve a tad bit for newbies especially making it difficult for the wife or guest to operate on their own. So there is a level of technical know-how that is required to use this. Granted changing servers is as easy as going into the addon settings and choosing a different country from the menu option. However as most married men here would attest, that's still a few clicks too many for the wife to understand. Would have been nice if all that was done automatically by the addon and you did not need to fiddle with that. I tried selecting the auto server option, and I encountered a lot of buffering. Apparently that isn't properly implemented.

However I do believe the PROS far outweigh the CONS. With the exception of my not having any kids channels, I still think this is the best service I have tried till date. I heard they are planning to introduce more channels on Oct 1. If that happens, i'll update my review accordingly.

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CONCLUSION: Hence thus far, that's been my experience. I'm yet to find something to fit my needs. Sadly NFPS to date remains my most "stable" package. Once setup, even my wife can use it. However, I cant watch any major sports events on it. I had high hopes for RUYA but the lack of an EPG and its folder view structure makes it less user friendly and an ugly UI. IPTV express was a major letdown. For me, not worth the money.

I just bought a MAG box, waiting for it to arrive. Still on the hunt for a new cable-like experience that even my wife can use. I also need something that I can put on for my kids and walk away for an hour without being called back into the living room to fix. Hope this helps someone out there. I'm still open to trying new services, haven't given up yet. However, I'm only open to using services that will give a free trial or have a youtube video that have a detailed presentation of their service. As I try new services, I will continue to update this post and record my iptv journey. Thanks everyone.

Edit Sept 23rd 6pm: Just signed up for smoothstreamstv. Signed up for their 3 month Bronze package. Setup was instantaneous. It's set up as fast as it takes you to make a payment, check your email and download their repo into Kodi. Working perfectly so far. Will update my review after a few days of testing out the service.

Edit Sept 30th. Added smoothstreamstv review.