You can get an ONN Box for $20. and it will out perform your old computers

Money is tight, but the ONN device from Walmart is just $20. It makes all of this so much easier.

You can use a computer but there is really no phone remote for it. So, if you want a remote you have to buy one that goes into a USB port and spend close to the same money anyway. Before you go too deep into looking at attaching an old computer and try to get IPTV done that way consider going the ONN device route, drop $20 that one time, and then just add pay IPTV such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, Disney+, Paramount+ and the like or go for the free ad-supported choices like Peacock w ads, Freevee, Tubi, Pluto, etc.

I run Linux on my desktop, and the IPTV Smarters Player works fine on it.
If you go this route, and aren't going to use the old computer for anything else, install Lubuntu, Mint Xfce, or another lightweight distribution.

There are windows apps that can be used as well, IPTV smarters has a wondows version if you have login details, also there is SFVIP Player that is good if your using mac address and portal URL, plenty of other apps around as well im sure there will be others mentioned in other comments

You could install a version of Android. It won’t particularly work very well though. You could also just use windows, again though not great for IPTV.

In all honesty, just raise money by selling some of these older computers and raise the £40/$50 or whatever to buy a firestick.

I use bluestacks to emulate android on a pc. Then in bluestacks i can run normal android apk's.

You can install Smarters for windows.. it's free and works ok-ish. There are other apps also available on the windows store, but of all of them Smarters worked best for me.

Iptv smarters works on windows

I’ve done that before using VLC. You just download it and open the m3u8 file on it. You won’t have a nice programming guide and UI like on a android box but you can use the search field to find and change channels

My setup is a $40 Chromecast on my TV. I use VLC Player on my PC and open the M3U file from the IPTV provider. VLC allows you to cast the playback to the TV. Of course you could HDMI directly to TV. Channel selection is controlled at the PC on the VLC application. You don't get an EPG, but it's great for me.

Just download prog TV

If you just use windows + hdmi then google “sfvip”. Will cover stalker/xc/m3u If you want to be extra, Maybe get a cheap Wireless mouse keyboard combo and you are golden. Seen em for like 15$ online and that’s if you don’t just use wired ones you have laying around.

I just use a firestick

Prog Dvb on the computer. It's fairly cheap. It's a fairly extensive application but to just watch its fairly straight forward. The epg layout could use some work.

VLC, free

I have a brand new android/google TV and I have OTT navigator and Neutro Player installed, I use mac portals in OTT and xtream codes in the other, and I also use and apk called F+ for movies and series. Everything in the world at the tap of a button.

Would you consider the tanix tx6 or tx6s good budget android boxes. Was also looking at formuler z pro but it is rather expensive considering the Mali GPU. Suggestions pls