Understanding playlists and EPG (electronic programme guide) helps you judge quality before you subscribe—and explains why the guide sometimes loads slowly.
M3U and similar playlist formats
An M3U link is a structured list of channel entries pointing to playable streams. Players fetch the list periodically; if your provider updates channel names or groupings, you may need to refresh manually.
Xtream Codes API
Many services issue a server URL, username, and password. The app talks to the panel API for live TV, VOD, and series libraries. Keep these details private—treating them like banking credentials.
What EPG adds
EPG files map channels to show titles and air times. Large guides take longer to import on low-power sticks. If your guide is empty, the XMLTV URL might be offline or the clock on your device might be wrong.
Catch-up and time shift
Some line-ups expose catch-up windows per channel. Availability depends on how the provider encodes archives—not every channel supports replay.
New to setup terminology? Start with our installation overview.
