Are you an enthusiast of the television and you have recently purchased your first IPTV service? If so then if you are willing to use it on your computer then here is the perfect guide to learning how to set up IPTV on Windows. With this guide, you will be able to watch your favorite TV channels directly on your PC or on your laptop.
When I purchased this service for the first time I was also thinking the same and was wondering how can I actually watch TV on my computer. Because most of my time I spend on my laptop this way going to the living room just to watch a TV show makes me feel sick as it wastes some of my time too.
Although after searching it for a while I was finally able to find several options to stream channels and in this article I will be providing you with all these methods. This way if you are also eager to know about them then just don’t forget to keep reading this article until the very end.
Can I Play IPTV on Windows?
Of course, IPTV can be played on Windows laptops and computers, a user just needs to have a proper internet connection to stream their channels. To use this service a user either requires an IPTV player application or else uses a VLC media player instead.
Unlike traditional cable networks, this service doesn’t have too many restrictions or too many requirements just to watch your channel. This service is way easier to use as you don’t need to contract to the cable network, have an antenna, use cable wires, etc.
But instead, this requires a proper and fast enough internet connection depending on the quality you are streaming. The minimum required speed is around 30MBps but it is better to go for the faster internet to avoid buffering problems. After that, an IPTV player will be used just to manage channels and stream them.
There are plenty of IPTV Players apps for Windows that are already available out there but finding the right one is a little bit difficult. In this way, this guide will help you in finding the right application, and also I will be providing you with an alternative way to play IPTV on Windows easily.
Setup IPTV Using VLC on Windows
The first and the very simplest way of streaming live TV channels from IPTV on Windows is using a VLC media player. This is a free method and even it takes less effort than the others we are going to talk about.
So, VLC is a free media player available for Windows and Mac that supports the M3U playlist which most IPTV service provides to the customers. This M3U URL or a file (depending on what your provider offers) contains the detail of channels like name, thumbnail, country, and much more.
An M3U file is supported by a limited number of players and fortunately, people’s favorite VLC is one of them. This way you don’t need to install any 3rd-party apps and struggle with them.
Now that you have already had an M3U playlist and VLC just follow the below steps:
1. Launch the VLC media player on Windows and then from the above menu click on the Media option.
2. After that you need to click on the Open Network Stream from there.
3. A new window will appear there now make sure you are at the Network tab and after that, you need to paste the M3U Link provided by the IPTV provider.
4. Once you have pasted the URL of the M3U Playlist now just click on the Play button that appears below.
5. After this you just need to wait for a while until VLC loads all the channels from the playlist and then you will see the name appears in the Playlist section.
6. When the loading is now just select Channel Name and after that just click on the Play button to start streaming on Windows.
Now you are ready to stream your favorite channels directly on Windows instead of TV. However, there is a little bit drawback to this method because if you close the app then you will be asked to paste the URL again.
This way if you don’t want to use the link again and again then you may love to read the second method which is also pretty simple and easy to follow.
Install IPTV Using Kodi
For many people using VLC could be a bit hard and if you are one of them who want an alternative method then gladly you can use Kodi instead. This is open-source software that is also known as the XMBC (old name) works with Windows, iOS, Android, Raspberry, and even on macOS.
Kodi offers users thousands of Add-ons that can be used to stream movies, TV Shows, web-browser, games, and so on. Including this Kodi also offers some IPTV add-ons to the users where they can manage their IPTV subscriptions, watch live TV channels, VODS, and live events too.
In this section, we simply use this amazing application where we will be required to install an Addon which we will use to log in to our IPTV subscriptions. Although if you haven’t installed this app yet then make sure to first go to their website and then Download & Install Kodi on Windows.
Once you are done installing the app now follow these steps given below:
1 Launch Kodi on Windows and then from the Home Screen click on the Settings or Gear icon.
2 From the next screen you need to click on the Addons next to the File Manager.
3 Now scroll down and then select the Install From Repository option.
4 It will show various options there now simply scroll down and then click on the PVR Clients.
5 Here you will see the list of Add-ons available in this category just scroll down and then select PVR IPTV Simple Client.
6 From the next screen you just need to click on the Install button that appears below.
7 Just wait for a few seconds and you will see Add-on Installed notification on the right-hand side.
8 After that again click on the PVR IPTV Simple Client add-on from the list.
9 At this time click on the Configure button from below.
10 A new window will appear on the screen just stay on the General section and then click on the M3U Play List URL option from the right side.
11 Here you need to paste the M3U Playlist URL that you get from the service provider and then hit Ok.
12 The URL is now added to the Addon now again click Ok so that Simple Client can fetch channels from the link you provided.
13 Once the channels are loaded you will be asked to close Kodi just click Ok or simply restart it manually.
14 Launch Kodi again and then from the Home Screen click on the TV section from the left panel.
15 A notification will appear on the right side of PVR IPTV Channels Loaded and shows the IPTV menu there.
16 Now you will see the huge list of available channels just click on a Channel to Stream it on Windows.
You are now completely ready to stream live channels directly on Windows by using the Kodi media player.
This one is really a good method which mostly I prefer to use because I am a big fan of this app. I have been using this application on my Firestick, Chromecast, Laptop, etc because it is quite fun.
What’s the Best IPTV Player for Windows
Now that I have already mentioned two different ways to set up IPTV on windows either by using VLC or simply with a Kodi Add-on. Although if you don’t want to use these sorts of applications but instead want a proper and completely different IPTV application for Windows Pc or laptop.
Then don’t worry I got your back because there are plenty of applications available that work fine with Windows 10 and 8 as well. However, I have installed a few of them but only there were only two apps that got my attention so here I am going to share these with you.
MyIPTV
The first app on our app list is MyIPTV which is pretty famous among individuals because this app offers IPTV streaming through M3U Playlist.
With this, you can simply use both the M3U Playlist file or else use the URL depending on what suits you the best but it doesn’t support the Xtreme API login method.
Despite this MyIPTV also supports the Electronic Program Guide (EPG) to help you keep updated on the upcoming events (only if your service provider offers it).
The application is completely free to use and there are no advertisements here which means you can stream without facing any pop-ups or having to worry about anything.
Downloading this application is also easier because MyIPTV is officially available on the Microsoft Store where you can get it free of cost just make sure to sign in with the Microsoft account first.
IPTV Smarters Pro
IPTV Smarters Pro is without a doubt the best application to stream live TV channels because the features are outstanding and it has a simple and easy-to-use interface.
Just like MyIPTV, you can use the M3U playlist file as well as the URL on Smarters Pro, and instead of this, it can be used to log in using Xtreme API.
With this application, a user can add up to 4 different user profiles and log into different accounts from multiple providers using both Xtreme API and M3U methods.
The normal version of Smarters Pro is free to use without any ads but to get advanced options like parental control you will be required to purchase the premium version.
Other than this why it is listed as the second-best IPTV app for Windows is because you cannot download it from Microsoft Store instead, you need to get it from the IPTV Smarters website.
Conclusion
Without a doubt, many people are moving towards the alternative of cable network because it is reliable, cheap and even offers more channels. It also changes the way of watching TV shows because we can use it on our TV, Mobile, Android boxes, Mag & Enigma boxes, and even on computers.
This is why if you have already purchased this service then you have probably loved to learn how to set up IPTV on Windows 10 or older versions. It is because I have provided multiple ways of streaming live channels on the computer as you can use VLC, Kodi, or a separate Internet Protocol TV player.
This completely depends on you as you can use the method that suits you the most or you are feeling more comfortable with. Most people already have Kodi and VLC so they can just use that pre-installed application for streaming but this might not provide the experience that you are expecting.
This is why you might love to use one of the best IPTV Apps for Windows that are mentioned above so just make sure to give them a try at least once. I am sure you will probably gonna love them because you can use EPG, Xtreme API login, Catchup, record screen, screenshot, and much more.
If you find this article and it helped you at any point then don’t forget to share it with your friends too. Also, if you are using any other app or method except the one mentioned here then dont forget to tell us about it.
In case you have downloaded the app or used the method to watch live channels on computer then make sure to share your experience here to help other users.