IPTV Provider Guide - glitport/AuthoIPTV GitHub Wiki

IPTV Provider Guide: Creating Playlists & Streams

Table of Contents

Playlist Format

  • Use M3U8 Format: Providers must use the .m3u8 format for playlists.

  • Supported Attributes: Basic M3U attributes, VLC options, Kodi properties, and inline URL headers are supported.

  • User-Agent Requirement: Some providers require a specific user agent for access. Our player uses:

    AuthoIPTV (Windows NT 10.0; Win64; x64) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) autho-iptv/0.5.4-beta.1 Electron/34.4.0

    Providers must allow this user agent. Additionally, some Chromium-based headers will be sent, and providers should not block them.

1. Basic Playlist

#EXTM3U
#EXTINF:-1 tvg-id="channel1" tvg-name="Channel One" group-title="News", Channel One
http://provider.com/stream1.m3u8
#EXTINF:-1 tvg-id="channel2" tvg-name="Channel Two" group-title="News", Channel Two
http://provider.com/stream2.m3u8
#EXTINF:-1 tvg-id="channel3" tvg-name="Channel Three" group-title="Sports", Channel Three
http://provider.com/stream3.m3u8

2. Playlist with Kodi Properties and DRM License

#EXTM3U
#EXTINF:-1 tvg-id="movie1" tvg-name="Premium Movie" group-title="Movies", Premium Movie
#KODIPROP:inputstream.adaptive.license_type=clearkey
#KODIPROP:inputstream.adaptive.license_key=https://license-server.com/getlicense
https://drm-provider.com/stream.mpd

3. Playlist with VLC Header

#EXTM3U  
#EXTINF:-1 tvg-id="music1" tvg-name="Music Channel" group-title="Music", Music Channel  
#EXTVLCOPT:http-user-agent=IPTVPlayer/v0.4.2  
http://music-provider.com/stream.m3u8

4. Playlist with EXHTTP Header (e.g., Cookie)

#EXTM3U  
#EXTINF:-1 tvg-id="premium1" tvg-name="Premium TV" group-title="Premium", Premium TV  
#EXTHTTP:{"cookie":"SESSIONID=abcd1234"}
https://premium-provider.com/secure.m3u8

Stream Links

Providers can embed inline headers, DRM schemes, and license URLs within the stream URL.

Piped Inline Headers & DRM

#EXTINF:-1 tvg-id="movie1" tvg-name="Premium Movie" group-title="Movies", Premium Movie  
https://drm-provider.com/stream.mpd|User-Agent=IPTVPlayer/v0.4.2&drmScheme=clearkey&drmLicense=https://license-server.com/getlicense

In this case:

  • The user agent is set inline.
  • The stream uses Clearkey DRM.
  • A license URL is included.

Custom Headers

#EXTINF:-1 tvg-id="sport1" tvg-name="Sports HD" group-title="Sports", Sports HD  
https://secure-provider.com/stream.m3u8|Custom-Header-1=CustomValue1&Custom-Header-2=CustomValue2

Here, 2 custom headers (Custom-Header-1 and Custom-Header-2) are added.

Playing a Single Stream

The player also supports playing a single stream using the Play Stream dialog.

  • Users can manually enter a stream URL and provide optional headers such as:
    • User-Agent
    • Cookie
    • Origin
    • Referer
    • DRM License URL / KeyID:Key string
  • Inline headers and inline DRM configurations are also supported.

Example: Single Stream with Headers

https://provider.com/live.m3u8|User-Agent=IPTVPlayer/v0.4.2&Referer=https://provider.com

Example: Single Stream with Cookie

https://secure-stream.com/protected.m3u8|Cookie=SESSIONID=abcd1234

Single Stream with DRM License URL

For ClearKey DRM, the stream URL should include the DRM scheme and license URL.

Example: ClearKey DRM Stream

https://drm-provider.com/stream.mpd|drmScheme=clearkey&drmLicense=https://license-server.com/getlicense

ClearKey License Request & Response Format

When the player requests the ClearKey license, the license server should return a JSON response with KeyID:Key pairs in Base64 format.

Request Example (JSON Format)

The player sends a request with the KeyID in Base64 format:

{
  "kids": ["dGhpcy1pcy1hLWtleWlk"],
  "type" : "temporary"
}
Response Example (JSON Format)

The license server must return the decryption KeyID:Key pair in Base64 format:

{
  "keys": [
    {
      "kty": "oct",
      "kid": "dGhpcy1pcy1hLWtleWlk",
      "k": "c2FtcGxlLWtleS1zdHJpbmc="
    }
  ],
  "type": "temporary"
}

Explanation:

  • kids → The KeyID(s) requested by the player.
  • keys → The returned decryption keys.
    • kid: The KeyID in Base64 format.
    • k: The actual decryption key in Base64 format.
  • type → Usually "temporary" for short-lived session keys.

Important Notes:

  • The KeyID and Key must be Base64-encoded.
  • Ensure the license server responds with valid JSON format.
  • This method applies to ClearKey DRM and is not for Widevine or PlayReady.

Providing DRM License with KeyID:Key String

For DRM-protected streams, the KeyID:Key pair must be provided in Base64 format (or HEX if required by the provider).

Example: Single Stream with DRM License

https://drm-provider.com/stream.mpd|drmScheme=clearkey&drmLicense=dGhpcy1pcy1hLWtleWlk:c2FtcGxlLWtleS1zdHJpbmc

Codec Support

  • Some audio codecs like Dolby, AC3, and DTS are not supported due to our Chromium-based playback engine.
  • Providers should ensure their streams use AAC, MP3, or other widely supported audio codecs for compatibility.

VOD (Video On Demand) Content Support

  • Not all VOD content is supported because Chromium does not support all formats.
  • Unsupported Formats in Chromium-based HLS/HTML5 Players:
    • MPEG-TS with certain codecs (e.g., MPEG-2 Video, AC3 Audio).
    • Certain fragmented MP4 (fMP4) implementations.
    • Older proprietary formats like RealMedia (.rm), QuickTime (.mov with some codecs).
    • HEVC (H.265) in certain browser environments (depends on platform support).

Example: Unsupported VOD Stream

#EXTM3U  
#EXTINF:-1 tvg-id="vod1" tvg-name="Classic Movie" group-title="VOD", Classic Movie  
https://vod-provider.com/unsupported-video.ts
  • This .ts file may not play if it contains MPEG-2 Video and AC3 Audio, which are not supported in most Chromium-based players.
  • Providers should use H.264 (AVC) in MP4 containers with AAC audio for maximum compatibility.

Following these guidelines will help ensure smooth playback in our IPTV player app.