Self-creation of m3u playlist

IPTV playlists are text files with the m3u or m3u8 extension, which contain links to TV channels. With them, you can watch your favorite channels and movies for free. Such a playlist can be found on the Internet or you can create it yourself, which is described in more detail later in the article.

What is an IPTV playlist?

IPTV works over an IP connection and is delivered over a network access. This format is similar to regular cable TV, but only on the Internet.
IPTV playlists are like a collection of music tracks or video clips played by a player. Only this collection contains a selection of specific TV channels. It can be created for all tastes – for example, only sports, entertainment or educational channels. IPTV playlists have many positive aspects, first of all, they support the functions of broadcasting video recording, showing TV programs, pausing TV broadcasts and continuing to watch after a certain period of time. Such a TB can be looked at:

• tablet;
• smartphone;
• computer;
• TV.

Another advantage of IPTV is that it is not tied to a specific list of channels, like traditional TV. Also, IPTV does not depend on the tariffs set by the TB operator and the viewer’s area of ​​residence. You just need to load the created list into the player.

Where can I get links to channels?

Links to IPTV playlists are freely available on the Internet, and there are a huge number of them for every taste and color. Here is some of them:

• Sports channels. A total of 113 pieces. Among them: Power TB HD, Start, AD Sport 1, Equestrian World, BRT Sport, Eurosport 1 HD, Motorsport HD, DSports, Boxing TB. There are spare sources. There are TV channels that can broadcast 18+. Download link: https://iptv-russia.ru/list/sport-all.m3u.
• Music channels. More than 70 sources. Among them: THT music, RU.TV, DJing, HIT Music, MTV HD, PETPO TB, Campus TV, M2, CONTACT music, Deejay TV, OTV, Russian MusicBox, MTV Norway, Retro Music Tv, California Music Channel TV, etc. .d. Download link: https://iptvmaster.ru/music.m3u.
• Children’s channels. A total of 32 pieces. Among them: STS Kids, My Joy, O !, WOW! TV, Eniki-Beniki, TB HD Smiley, Cartoon, Rick, Nickelodeon, Disney, Carousel, Lily, Kids Click, Redhead, 2 × 2, Boomerang, etc. … There are spare sources. Download link: https://iptv-russia.ru/list/kids-all.m3u.
• Russian air channels. A total of 85 pieces. Among them: Channel One, MALISH, 2×2, Channel Five, Russian Night, CTC, Russia 1, TB Center, THT, PEH TB, Russian Novel, Chanson TB, Muz TB. There are channels that can broadcast 18+ content. Download link: https://iptv-russia.ru/list/ru-all.m3u.
• International playlist. Contains over 300 channels. Among them, in addition to those listed above: Discovery, Cinema, Channel 8 (Belarus), UA Crimea, Media Inform (Odessa). There are channels that can broadcast 18+ content. Download link: https://iptv-russia.ru/list/iptv-playlist.m3u.

All playlists in the list are up-to-date. The download links are secure.

You can select any channels from the playlists and add them to your playlist, as well as edit the finished ones.

Self-creation of m3u playlist

The easiest and most natural way to create m3u playlists is to use the standard tools of popular applications: notepad and AIMP player.

In standard notepad

You need a notebook to create a playlist. Use the one you like best. It can be Windows standard notepad, popular Notepad ++ or any other.

1. Download the program, if required, or open a notebook on your PC.
2. Click on “File” in the upper left corner to create a new file.
3. Save a clean file with any name, add a period and enter “m3u”. For example, playlist-movies.m3u. Click “Save”. Fill it with channels and movies. This is described in detail below in the section “Correct filling of data”.

In AIMP player

AIMP is considered the best among PC players. Here you can create a music playlist. This can be done in the following way:

1. Run the program.
2. Open your files folder. To start creating playlists, simply drag the individual files, albums or ready-made lists you are interested in using the mouse to the player window (above).
3. All audio files are added to the list. The bottom will display information about the number of songs and the total playing time.

If you drag and drop a new file directly into the existing list, a panel with buttons will pop up so you can choose an option to add.
The following add options are available for selection:

• in the current position (where the arrow is, the file will be inserted there);
• at the beginning or end (add either the very first song or the very last);
• in random order (add to any place);
• cancel adding (the panel will close).

Thus, you can not only add the necessary files and folders, but also arrange them in a certain order.

Creating a playlist on an Android device

It is not possible to create and edit playlists using Android smartphones. You can only create a playlist on your PC and then save on your phone. To do this, connect your device to your computer using a cable. The phone must be configured so that the computer identifies it as a mass storage device. Copy the finished file to a folder on your smartphone where media files, audio and video content are stored. The completed playlist will open on your smartphone using any m3u-enabled player.

Correct filling of data

In the very first line of the file, put the inscription –
# EXTM3U . And nothing but her. Now you need to press Enter to continue working and you can start adding TV channels. This is done in the following way: EXTINF: -1, Name of the TB-channel http: //link-to-file.m3u8
Illustrative example: EXTM3U EXTINF: -1, Astrakhan.Ru Sport HD http://streaming.astrakhan.ru/astrakhanrusporthd /tracks-v3a1/index.m3u8 #EXTINF: -1, Belarus 5 HD http://178.124.183.13/hls/JRKVSUPCP8/bw5000000/playlist.m3u8.

According to this scheme, you can enter an unlimited number of channels.

You can also make a playlist with music. The playlist will look like this: EXTM3U #EXTINF: 200, Artist – Song title Example-song.mp3 #EXTINF: 150, Next artist – Next song title New / Song.ogg

The numbers 150 and 200 are the number of seconds in the song (duration). It is imperative to indicate their exact number up to the last digit.

Additionally

After creating a playlist, you can add categories to it, as well as TV channel icons and displaying a TV program.

Adding data by channel

Categories and headings are needed to make it easier to navigate the generated file. They are done this way:

1. Make a blank line between the name of the TV channel and the link to it (click after the name and press Enter).
2. Specify the category in the resulting line – #EXTGRP: subgroup name. For example, sports or educational.
3. Repeat for all other channels. You can also just copy the category line and paste it for the next channel (if the category is the same). It will be faster.

This is how the category is displayed in the player:

Adding a TV guide

EPG is responsible for the TV program and display of channel icons. This is the file from which the schedule of TV channels and their logos will be obtained. The installation process takes just a couple of minutes. TV guides:

• http://epg.it999.ru/edem.xml.gz;
• http://iptv-content.webhop.net/guide.xml;
• https://webarmen.com/my/iptv/xmltv.xml.gz.

It is best to use the first file because it supports the largest number of channels and always displays the true TV schedule, and the rest is kept as backup. The files are compatible with any playlist that can be downloaded on the net. Detailed EPG setting:

1. Copy any EPG link.
2. Open the playlist file.
3. Change the first line to: # EXTM3U url-tvg = “add the copied EPG link here”.

The playlist is displayed like this:

Playlist editing apps

A special IPTV editor helps to automate the work with m3u files, which means it makes it easier by removing the need to perform a lot of manual actions. There are 3 programs which are very practical and convenient.

My Playlist TV

It is a very easy to use program. Designed to organize channels in the playlist. If you need to edit a large playlist or are just tired of doing everything manually, the program will help. You just need to highlight the channels and perform a batch delete or reorder. This is how it looks:

SS IPTV

The most popular among these players. He has his own official website. The player can customize its own list through the portal. To work in the SS IPTV editor, you just need to move the channel with the cursor to any other position or remove it completely. All actions are best done from a PC, and changes will be applied automatically. This is what the program looks like:

Playlist Creator

An editor used as an organizer for custom lists. It is very convenient to select the relevant items and move them up or down the list. You can combine 2, 3 or more playlists in a pair of actions, and then select the desired channels in the edit mode. Program interface:

Possible viewing problems and solutions

After the time expires, links to channel streams become inoperative, especially free ones. Usually, after about a month, many of these channels stop working. You need to open the file and delete / replace the broken entries yourself. If the rules for creating a playlist are violated, for example, if the # EXTM3U line is skipped, playback will also not start. You should check everything carefully and make corrections if necessary. Usually it is also mentioned that you need to use UTF-8 encoding (installed via “Save As”). If this condition is met, then it is guaranteed that the playlist can be played on PCs, Android set-top boxes and smartphones. There is nothing difficult in creating an IPTV playlist on your own. It is important to be careful and follow the instructions. Take links from ready-made playlists available on the Internet,and enjoy exclusively your favorite channels!