If I want to create an IPTV network using my Direct TV receiver can I do that? I'm trying to understand how these iptv providers are getting access to their local channels and everything else. Are they just hosting a server that uses their cable boxes? thanks
I would like to understand it better too but I can tell you it's not as simple as you worded it. It's not a matter of one person streaming all channels from one cable box. It's more that a person is using their boxes to broadcast one channel online all day everyday. The IPTV providers seem to bundle all of these streams together for their subscription packages.
So in theory, to do this on your own you would many, many boxes and the means to broadcast them all. A metric ton of hardware basically.
The real question is how these providers manage to obtain that many streams together and provide them at such low prices with that amount of stability
Normally a supplier would have a lot of servers/racks along with card sharing and capturing devices.
As for supplying at a low price they really don't! i know as we pay them. A decent supplier that has a lot of stable hd content charge thousands of pounds to iptv services to sell their products and then you only get access to so many channels. You honestly would not like to know how much we pay our main supplier, it would make your eyes water!
Iptv sellers like myself sell at a lower price as for instance you could have 500 people buying a month sub at £10 each which equates to £5000, us sellers do not see a lot of that money.
You got to think the risk for them is huge as supplying the stream is very illegal and they would be looking at a lot of time inside if caught.
Not only that but they also have overheads with equipment etc. Don't get me wrong you can get suppliers charging a few hundred for double the channels that we pay for but they will not be half as good and will be down a lot more than any of the decent suppliers.
Hope this kind of answers some of your questions.