6 Best IPTV Players for Windows (2023)

IPTV can enhance your TV viewing experience by providing higher resolution, better dynamic range, and a more comprehensive range of channels than conventional TV.

The best IPTV players for Windows have built-in support for media encoding, streaming Live TV, fine-tuning audio/video, encoding/decoding, playing many file formats, and more.

We have curated a list of the 6 top IPTV players for Windows. Our research process involved evaluating tools based on supported platforms, pricing, free trial, codec support, M3U link support, and supported video codecs.

Best IPTV Players for Windows

Name	Supported Video Codecs	Pricing	Supported Platforms	Link
👍 Megacubo	MP4, WebM, Ogg, HLS, etc	Free	Windows, Linux, macOS, and Android	Learn More
PowerDVD	ASF, AVI, DAT, DIV, etc	Lifetime Free Basic Plan	Windows	Learn More
VLC For Windows	MPEG, DivX®, H.261, H.263, MPEG-4 AVC, etc	Free	Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS	Learn More
Kodi	MPEG, H.264, AVC, etc	Lifetime Free	Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, and Raspberry Pi	Learn More
Plex	H.264, MPEG4, AAX, AC3, etc.	Free Basic Plan	Windows, Android, iOS, macOS, Linux,	Learn More

1) Megacubo

Best For Streaming live IPTV channels

Megacubo is one of the best IPTV players for Windows for watching IPTV channels. You can discover new content and media using Community Mode to access channel lists shared by other users. It supports automated recording of live streams and channels, ensuring you can keep all your content safe.

Megacubo provides a vast content catalog that supports over 200 online TV stations and 100 radio channels. You can add as many M3U lists as you want, and Megacubo will process and look for the desired transmission in each one. It has a straightforward UI that can be used even by beginners without proper IPTV knowledge.

Features:

Megacubo lets you view torrents through magnet links so you can watch TV, movies, shows, etc., of your choice.
Integrated ad-blocker blocks obstructive ads and marketing content, ensuring a better viewing experience.
You can easily add an open channel to navigate and watch your favorite shows.
Built-in support for casting live broadcasts on your television using a suitable casting tool.
M3U Link Support: Yes

Pros

Mini-player mode lets you navigate and do other tasks while watching IPTV in parallel.
Advanced text-based search assists you in effortlessly finding your favorite shows.
Built-in support for creating bookmarks and loading custom streaming URLs.
Provides audience stats and suggestions based on most trending channels

Cons

It might show too many advertisements.

Key Specs:

Device Compatibility: macOS, Linux, Windows, and Android
Supported Video Codecs: MP4, WebM, Ogg, HLS, etc
Supported Audio Formats: FLAC, HE-AAC, LC-AAC, MP3, etc
Customer Support: Website, Email, and Messenger
Pricing: Free

How to use Megacubo for IPTV?

Download and Install Megacubo for Windows
Now, go to “Options” and select “Tuning.”
Click “Search Range” and find the content that you would like to watch

Visit Megacubo >>

2) PowerDVD

Best for Accessing an extensive content library

PowerDVD is one of the best tools for watching IPTV, accessing local media files, playing music, and more. You can use it to have an ideal IPTV viewing as it supports streaming content in HDR. It also includes rapid play technology and Dolby professional audio compatibility, making it an excellent media player for Windows. You can use this IPTV player for Windows to organize your movies in efficient AI-powered dashboards.

PowerDVD supports streaming content with 4K and 8K resolution, with full support for HDR 10. You can also watch 360-degree videos on supported hardware. This free TV player allows you to convert any video file to MP4 for maximum shareability across various devices.

Features:

Built-in support to cast any video on media streaming devices
Allows you to digitalize your media files
Easy-to-use user interface lets you access currently played, recently played, and recently added media from the dashboard
Customizable thumbnails posted walls, and AI-powered photo management assists you in organizing your media
M3U Link Support: Yes

Pros

TrueTheater technology lets you upscale 480p video to 1080p to improve the viewing experience.
In-built tools for basic video editing, like functions like trimming and scaling.
Provides 100GB of cloud storage for storing media.
Robust 1^st-party add-ons for customizing the viewing experience.

Cons

You may be connected to remote media servers that could slow down your system.

Key Specs:

Device Compatibility: Windows 10, Windows 11
Supported Video Codecs: ASF, AVI, DAT, DIV, etc.
Supported Audio Formats: MPEG, .WAV, .MID, .WM, and more.
Customer Support: Website and Social Media
Pricing: Lifetime Free Basic Plan

How to use PowerDVD for IPTV?

To use PowerDVD, first install its Windows app from the official site.
For setting up IPTV, click on the “Media Library” in the top left corner.
Select from a wide range of IPTV channels and collections of movies and shows.

Visit PowerDVD >>

3) VLC For Windows

Best for Viewing multiple video codecs

The VLC media player is one of the best Windows IPTV players, with support for playing various file formats and codecs. You can use its modules to control and display the output according to your preferences. This free IPTV player provides multiple free encoding and decoding libraries for handling different files and mitigates the need for proprietary plugins.

The VLC player can play media through various sources, including local files, network streams, and IPTV. It can transcode multimedia files, convert media into multiple formats, and more. The libavcodec package from the FFmpeg project and VLC’s built-in muxers and demuxers offer a wide range of supported codecs.

Features:

Robust audio equalization tool allows you to customize audio output parameters based on your preferences
Supports GPU-accelerated encoding for faster exports and conversions
You can add watermarks, trim media, and perform various edits using built-in essential video editing tools
Let you choose from a wide range of SHOUTcast radio channels
M3U link support: Yes

Pros

Robust tools to create a video wallpaper for your desktop from any IPTV media
VLC lets you increase the volume of any media file by 100%.
Built-in support for the conversion of videos from one format to another
Effortlessly opens and plays media files in many lesser-known codecs.

Cons

Lacks video editing capabilities

Key Specs:

Device Compatibility: Windows 10, Mac, Linux, Android, and iOS.
Supported Video Codecs: MPEG, DivX®, MPEG-4 ASP, XviD, 3ivX D4, etc
Supported Audio Formats: MPEG Layer 1/2, MPEG Layer 3, AAC, Vorbis.
Customer Support: Website and Email
Pricing: Free

How to use VLC For IPTV?

Open the VLC media player
Go to the File menu by “Media” in the top navigation bar
In the File menu, select “Open Network Stream.”
Now, choose the preferred protocols option and provide a channel list URL
In the left panel, find your preferred channel and play it

Link: https://www.videolan.org/

4) Kodi

Best for Installing third-party integrations

Kodi allows you to stream online content via various add-ons. You can watch TV, movies, shows, and live TV, among other things. Kodi’s TV channels library provides full-length episode and season previews with posters/banners, viewed tags, descriptions, etc.

You can personalize it through custom skins to change how it looks, and plug-ins provide users access to streaming media content on websites like YouTube, Crackle, etc. It also offers built-in support for playing various online multiplayer games. You can use Kodi’s giant library to discover and play new games. Kodi also allows you to consume content from HD DVDs, EPGs, PVRs, IPTV, and many other sources.

Kodi

Features:

Supports live streaming and recording of your favorite TV Channels in real-time.
Kodi lets you import images into a library and use your remote control to browse the various perspectives, make a slideshow, sort, or filter them all.
Comprehensive range of third-party addons and repositories customizing your content consumption experience.
Easily watch any programs by pasting the URL into the software and displaying all the results.
M3U Link Support: Yes

Pros

Easy to configure screen saver that shows when media is paused
Synchronizes your gallery from a window or Linux PC to the Kodi configuration
Multiple themes and skins to customize UI according to your preferences
It lets you sync your media and digital content across multiple devices.

Cons

It can be buggy, and add-ons must be updated to maintain support.

Key Specs:

Device Compatibility: macOS, Linux, Windows, Android, iOS, and Raspberry Pi
Supported Video Codecs: MPEG, H.264, AVC, etc
Supported Audio Formats: CDDA, SVCD, VCD, etc
Customer Support: Website and Forums
Pricing: Lifetime Free

How to Use Kodi for IPTV?

Download and install the Kodi client for windows
Based on your preferences, install the addon that provides the content of your choice
Input the relevant source in Kodi and install the respective repository
Browse through the wide range of content and watch your preferred channel

Link: https://kodi.tv/

5) Plex

Best for Hosting media remotely

Plex TV provides a robust collection of free live TV channels that can be accessed through IPTV anywhere in the world. It can dynamically categorize content based on various metatags like title, artist, album, genre, year, and popularity through various online sources. Its user-friendly interface and broad platform support make it an ideal IPTV player for Windows for managing a personal media server.

You can remotely stream music, photographs, and movies on any compatible device over the internet. It also lets you view live over-the-air broadcasts remotely by connecting a compatible tuner and antenna to your server.

Plex

Features:

Supports viewing virtual reality-based content over compatible hardware.
Plex can organize users’ media libraries’ audio and video content.
Automatically fetches artwork artist bios, lyrics, etc., from online sources.
You can share your collection in the form of a media collection.
M3U Link Support: Yes

Pros

Advanced tools to help you store and access media files
Plex has 250+ live broadcast channels and provides 50k+ on-demand titles.
It saves time by allowing users to skip long intros and start watching content directly.
Provides continuously expanding collection of on-demand and scheduled video streaming material

Cons

Ads are lengthy and unpredictable.

Key Specs:

Device Compatibility: macOS, Windows, Linux, Android, and iOS
Supported Video Codecs: H.264, MPEG4, AAX, AC3, etc.
Supported Audio Formats: aac, alac, FLAC, mp3, etc
Customer Support: Website and social media
Pricing: Free Basic Plan

How to use Plex for IPTV?

Download and install Plex for Windows.
Install a suitable M3U proxy for your device.
Now, open your Plex IPTV and go to “Live TV & DVR.”
Click on “Set up PLEX DVR,” now click “View Guide,” and choose from your IPTV provider’s wide range of channels.

Link: https://www.plex.tv/

6) PotPlayer

Best For Configuring audio/video output

PotPlayer is a powerful all-in-one multimedia IPTV player for Windows that supports playing most of the standard media formats. This free TV player allows you to manually configure pixel shades and adjust image quality to match your requirements. You can watch IPTV videos and listen to audio in different forms with the best possible video and audio quality. You can use its dashboard to switch between hardware and software processing for your device.

PotPlayer provides you with many settings and customization options to personalize your dashboard. It includes support for a wide range of media formats for streaming. You can use it to manage files from local storage, URLs, FTP servers, and Blu-ray, all of which are appropriate for the playback output device of your choice.

Features:

PotPlayer can access and play files from local storage, URLs, etc., as on compatible playback devices
You can output different audio tracks to different audio devices simultaneously
Allows you to choose which one to use when you have two sound cards
PotPlayer’s in-built equalizer lets you improve the quality of your audio files
M3U Link Support: Yes

Pros

It supports various 3D glasses so you can get the 3D experience anytime you want using your 3DTV or PC.
You can create bookmarks for favorite scenes or episodes that can be easily accessed in the future.
Supports converting HDR content into SDR for content consumption on incompatible displays
User-defined shortcuts make controlling much more accessible.

Cons

Loading screens take time.

Key Specs:

Compatibility: Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS
Supported Video Codecs: HEVC, WMA, MP3, AIF, etc
Supported Audio Formats: m4a, ac3, mp3, Ogg, etc
Customer Support: Email
Pricing: Free

How to use PotPlayer for IPTV?

Visit the PotPlayer website, install it on your PC, and open it.
Save the M3U URL of the IPTV you want to stream on your PC.
Next, click the Browser tab and the M3U playlist file.
After that, explore all the channels and VOD and play the IPTV channel of your choice.

Link: https://potplayer.daum.net/

FAQs

IPTV, or Internet Protocol Television, allows people to watch television broadcasts on various gadgets, including computers and mobile phones. It delivers content using the traditional terrestrial, satellite, and cable television format. If you’re located in the United States and interested in exploring these services, you might want to check out this list of the best IPTV service providers in the USA.

IPTV servers stream many TV channels that IPTV players can access. Unlike conventional cable TVs, an IPTV server relies on the internet to access various channels at your location. If you’re interested in using IPTV technology and have a Firestick, here’s a guide on how to set up IPTV for Firestick.