Recently, IPTV has become the main means of distribution of television. Thanks to stable Internet connections with high data rates, streaming media is becoming increasingly popular. The same thing happens with IPTV, i.e., television in data networks using the IP protocol.
Choosing an IPTV Player
There are many providers offering low-cost packages that are much better than what you can see on the most famous streaming TV sites. Most of these service providers provide files with the M3U extension, which contain all the information about the TV channels along with encoded links to the servers. They can be launched from any program to watch TV on a computer.
There are many player options available for all types of devices, including smartphones, smart TVs, and some Android consoles. However, there are not so many working players for PCs running Windows 10 and Mac, so this article provides an overview of some of the best free programs for watching IPTV on a computer that are compatible with modern and old versions of Microsoft's OS, as well as other operating systems. Some of these players simply run M3U file lists, and some also support EPG. However, make sure that the provider does provide an electronic program guide similar to that found on Samsung smart TVs or set-top boxes.
If you don’t have a provider of paid IPTV services yet, you can watch live TV on your personal computer by downloading and installing one of the following free applications.
VLC Media Player
This player is already well known and is often used to view and listen to media content on almost all devices, including tablets, smartphones, PCs, Macs, etc. This is not just a standard application for a media player, it also supports streaming video. That is why the player is considered the best program for watching IPTV on a computer. The player can run any M3U and M3U8 files without any problems. The only drawback is the lack of EPG support for streaming channels.
This is a well-known media player for Windows, which is also available on the Google Play Store under the name VLC Player. According to user reviews, the program for viewing IPTV on a computer copes with its tasks both on a Galaxy Note 8 smartphone and on a laptop with Windows 10, in a set-top box and Macbook Air. The only thing missing is the Samsung Smart TV version running Tizen.
Users note the following features of VLC. The media player plays all files, disks, webcams, devices and streams (when setting the appropriate parameters), supports most codecs, including MPEG4, MPEG2, H.264, WebM, MKV, MP3, WMV. This is a program for viewing IPTV on a computer on the platforms Windows, MacOS X, Unix, Android, Linux, iOS. It is free, without spyware and ads, it does not monitor user actions. It is also the best TV player with an interface compatible with MX Player.
To work with the application, just download the installation from the developer's site and install it on your PC. In addition, you will need a playlist in M3U format. It must be downloaded, for example, using the menu item "Media - Open File ...". After that, you can select the desired one from the opened list of channels.
Myiptv player
The player is developed by Vbfnet and is available for download in the official Windows 10 store. This program for watching TV on a PC is considered one of the best in launching all types of M3U / M3U8 playlists. However, for this you will need to upload your own playlists, since they are not included in the application itself.
The program has a built-in ability to remove any offensive content. According to user reviews, this is the best player for streaming television and movie screenings on the desktop.
To start the video, just download your M3U playlist from a disk or a remote source. Among the main functions of MyIPTV Player, users note support for HTTP Live Streaming (HLS), automatic channel grouping based on their data, their filtering and the ability to add manually in the application settings.
IPTV Extra
This player for viewing IPTV on a computer has the same functionality as the previous one. According to user reviews, it provides streaming channels from M3U / M3U8 playlists in high quality. Allows you to import playlists from the local network and the Internet, add them to your favorites and watch whatever you like. This is a simple app for Android TV or Amazon Fire TV. The version for the Android OS can be downloaded from the official Google Play store, and for Windows - from the Microsoft website. Installation and configuration are standard.
OTT Player
This is a service that allows you to concentrate all IP-TVs in one place and use your own playlists on all devices running iOS, Android and Windows Mobile, as well as Samsung and LG smart TVs.
You can load and edit playlists by adding or removing channel groups directly in the user panel. According to reviews, the electronic program guide is available only for Russian TV channels. Playlists of the formats M3U / M3U8, XML and XSPF are supported.
You can download the program for watching TV on a computer from the developer's site, having previously registered on it. When installing on a user’s device, you must enter a username and password. Lists of channels can be downloaded on the Playlist page of the application. After clicking on the search icon, an explorer window will open, in which you should select your files and click OK. Then you need to enter the address of the site that provides IPTV services, and the name of the playlist. After loading, the playlist can be supplemented, and the channels sorted, moved, organized into groups. By opening the playlist, you can enjoy watching the selected program.
Perfect player
The application is developed by Niklabs and is available for download for almost all platforms. The best thing about this player for watching IPTV on Windows, Linux, and Android is that it supports various EPG formats, including XMTLV, Movies TV, and JTV. The player not only launches standard M3U and M3U8 playlists, but also XSPF.
According to user reviews, the application allows you to watch any television program, supports UDPXY (UDP-to-HTTP proxies) and video plug-ins for viewing online video. The player and the on-screen menu are correctly displayed in windows and displays of any size and resolution. The program saves all settings of the channel list that will not be lost after the update. It is possible to work with several playlists and EPG, manage groups (add, edit, group delete).
IPTV Player Free
This program for viewing IPTV on a computer, developed by VUCOM, is freely distributed (as its name clearly hints). It is quite lightweight and can be used as a free online streaming player for a Windows 10 PC. It is also available on the Android platform.
Some of the main features of the player are as follows: it allows you to watch IPTV from the provider and free TV channels from any other source on the Internet, supports Android application playlists and provides lists of open channels from more than 100 countries.