I would like to have proper explanation on why Kodi is not so good for iptv

by tellmesum

Very often when someone complains about buffering issues or picture quality of a particular iptv service they get an answer such as "Try using Perfect Player", "try playing the video in VLC" or "Buy a Mag, Kodi wasn't designed for iptv"

I understand that a Mag can be more user friendly, but I don't see the reason why it would be better to have less buffering issues or picture quality.

From what I can see a Mag is just a Linux "computer" with locked OS. When it comes to playing the video all what the computer will need to do is open a link, be able to read the content of the m3u8 file and play the videos contained in each channel using the needed decoders.

I would like to know the reaons why Kodi would be worst at doing this than a Mag

PS: saying that a Mag was designed for this but Kodi not isn't a valid reason

punjabipindu

Maybe (just my thoughts based on the various configs I've used), it's less about Kodi itself and more about what people are running Kodi on. MAG devices have OS, firmware, drivers and even the app layer built, designed and (likely) tuned for the hardware. Now take Kodi. Majority of people I know, run this on android boxes where the firmware and OS is at best stable but normally not really tuned for the hardware. (You can normally see this with the inconsistent WiFi throughput and, in some cases, Ethernet issues) ... When you take something like AFTV or Nvidia Shield and run the same Kodi setup as one of the above boxes, I see a noticeable difference. Everything just runs faster, smoother and consistently... because their OS and firmwares are tuned for the HW. So, again, I wouldn't say it's Kodi itself. BTW I run and have run many IPTV services on my FireTV and Nvidia Shield. If someone on MAG (many of my family and friends) is not having issues, I'm not either. But my experiences on T8s, M8s and other android boxes has been hit and miss in getting the same streaming to work for sports streams and IPTV.

TL;DR. It's less about Kodi and more to do with the hardware you are running Kodi on

stokedcrf

I think you're referring to some of my posts regarding Kodi.

Here's the thing, the current IPTV standard broadcasting method is done through what is called Stalker Middleware (more information can be found here: http://www.infomir.eu/eng/solutions/free-middleware-stalker/ )

This is a way for providers to have complete control over their streams, and add in amazing functionality such as time-shifting, videos on demand, PVR recording, games, news, you name it. Informir, continues to improve on this, and is striving to offer a "cable like" experience to all that uses it.

Sorta like how BellTV in Canada has IPTV with their own boxes and their own interface/middleware.

By installing Kodi, and using 3rd party plugins with are a)no longer supported and b) never even made it out of a beta stage you are never going to get the IPTV experience that Informir intended.

Without getting into too much detail, I highly suggest you google some of these questions and read some more tech documents.

Informir makes the stalker middleware, and they also make the mag for 100% compatibility. So, the most VALID reason why people say the Mag is designed for IPTV and Kodi isn't, is because it's the truth.

stokedcrf

By the way, Mag is designed for IPTV and Kodi isn't. Fact.

torulatv

Kodi works fine for me.

stokedcrf

Here's the best example I could come up with :D

Take for instance, your local cable TV Provider. They provide you with a set top box that THEY recommend and fully support. On this box you get whatever additional features you subscribe to, or whatever they want you to have. In my case, Rogers Cable provides me with a Cisco set top box.

Now imagine me saying, Screw you Rogers, I don't want your set top box, I don't want your PPV, your PVR, your EPG, your ON DEMAND, your TIME-SHIFTING....but I still want to watch your tv service with my computer.

Can it be done? Absolutely. Is it ideal? Probably not, and why would you want to do that? Why would I want to spoof my Cisco mac address to watch channels on my kodi? Unless my cable company rogers is charging me less for not using their box, the only thing I'd be doing is stripping myself of services they are providing me with.

Hope this explains why I feel you're always better to get a supported device, over using emulators or Kodi.

Maniac1000

You are trying to compare a piece of hardware to a piece of software.

Izzy2016

I see paid sub sellers say this all the time to their users, but they have never explained to me why I don't experience these issues using my simple firestick running 6mbps. I stream HD from NBC Sports Live Extra, FoxSportsGo addons e.t.c with no problem whatsoever. I have even heard a few iptv sellers tell their subscribers that the solution to their buffering is to go buy a Nvidia Shield and pay for a VPN, their sheepish subscribers do all these and yet the buffering persists.

The bottomline is this; buffering issues is more on the server side than the user side. It's most likely the server isn't strong enough, or the iptv seller has oversold to more people than his server and/or list can handle.

The trend of blaming buffering on the user device is purely deceitful and fraudulent, and iptv sellers who do that should be avoided.

durpaholic

What makes you think Kodi isn't a good iptv platform? I've been using Kodi for IPTV on a raspberry pi for a very long time without any issues. It all comes down to your setup. what connection you have and where is your host? If you're running some POS China box you're always going to run into issues. Linux is the master race for IPTV.