Channels DVR at a glance
- What it is
- A whole-home DVR: Channels DVR Server plus free apps for Apple TV, iOS, Fire TV and Android
- IPTV input
- Custom Channels: an M3U playlist (URL or pasted text) and an optional XMLTV guide
- Stream formats
- HLS (http, https) and MPEG-TS (http, https, rtsp, satip)
- Limit
- 750 channels per M3U playlist
- Subscription
- $8 a month or $80 a year, first month free
From Channels’ documentation and subscription page and the UK App Store, checked 6 October 2026.
How it fits together
Channels has two parts. Channels DVR Server runs on an always-on machine at home and does the recording; Channels lists macOS, Windows, Linux, Raspberry Pi, Docker and NAS systems including Synology, QNAP, TrueNAS Scale and Unraid. The Channels apps on your TVs and phones connect to that server to watch live TV and recordings. The iOS and Apple TV app, from Fancy Bits, LLC, is on the UK App Store.
Some of Channels’ features, such as TV Everywhere logins with US pay-TV providers, are built around the US market. Custom Channels is the part that matters for IPTV: it turns any M3U playlist into channels in the Channels guide.
Add your playlist as a Custom Channels source
- Install Channels DVR Server on your computer or NAS and open its web settings.
- Add a new source and choose Custom Channels, the same way you would add any other source.
- Give it a name, then pick the stream format: HLS for
.m3u8streams, or MPEG-TS for.tsstreams. If you’re not sure which your provider uses, see HLS vs MPEG-TS. - Add the playlist, either as the M3U URL from your provider or by pasting the playlist text.
- Add XMLTV guide data if your provider supplies a guide link; see EPG URL.
- Save, then open a Channels app: the new channels appear in the guide and can be recorded.
If your provider gave you Xtream Codes details instead of a playlist link, build the M3U and guide links first with Xtream Codes to M3U.
The tags Channels reads
Channels’ documentation lists these M3U attributes:
| Tag | What it does |
|---|---|
channel-id | Required. A unique ID for each channel |
channel-number | The channel number shown in the guide |
tvg-logo | The channel logo |
tvg-name | The channel’s callsign |
tvc-guide-… tags | Channels’ own extensions for guide titles, descriptions, artwork, genres and placeholders |
tvc-stream-vcodec, tvc-stream-acodec | Hint the video and audio codecs |
Most IPTV playlists use tvg-id rather than channel-id, so you may need to adapt yours. Our M3U tags guide explains the common tags, and editing a playlist covers changing them. A playlist can hold up to 750 channels, so trim large lists to the channels you watch.
Limits worth knowing
- Your provider’s connection limit still applies. Recording one channel while watching another uses two streams. See too many connections.
- The server must stay on for recordings and for the apps to work.
- Large playlists need trimming to fit the 750-channel limit, or a tool such as Dispatcharr to build a smaller line-up.
Channels, Plex or Jellyfin?
All three can record IPTV channels from a home server. Plex needs a proxy such as Threadfin and a Plex Pass for live TV; see IPTV in Plex. Jellyfin accepts an M3U directly and is free; see Plex vs Jellyfin for IPTV. Channels takes the M3U directly too, with a subscription for its DVR features.