This glossary explains the IPTV terms you'll meet in apps, settings and setup guides, in one or two sentences each. Where we have a full article, the term links to it.
A–E
- Adaptive bitrate (ABR): the player switches between quality levels to match your connection. See how streaming works.
- AVOD: advertising-supported video on demand.
- Bitrate: how much data a stream uses per second; higher usually means better quality.
- Buffer: video the player has downloaded ahead of time. See fix buffering.
- Catch-up: recently aired programs kept available to watch later, where a service offers it.
- CDN: content delivery network; servers spread out geographically to deliver video close to viewers.
- Codec: the compression method, such as H.264 or HEVC.
- Connection limit: how many streams one account can play at the same time.
- Decoder: hardware or software that turns compressed video back into a picture. See Do you need a decoder box?.
- EPG: electronic program guide, the TV-guide grid. See EPG troubleshooting.
F–M
- FAST: free ad-supported streaming TV. See FAST channels explained.
- Group / category: how channels are organized in a playlist (
group-title). - HDR: high dynamic range. See HDR explained.
- HEVC (H.265): an efficient codec common for 4K.
- HLS: HTTP Live Streaming, the segment-and-playlist delivery format defined in RFC 8216.
- IPTV: TV delivered using internet protocol. See What is IPTV?.
- Linear TV: channels that follow a schedule, as opposed to on demand.
- M3U / M3U8: plain-text playlist formats. See What is an M3U file?.
- MAC address: a device's hardware network identifier, used by some portals to authorize devices.
- Multicast: one stream shared by many receivers on a managed network. See UDP streams explained.
O–S
- OTT: “over the top”: video delivered over the public internet.
- Picture-in-picture (PiP): a small floating video window. See PiP and multiview.
- Player app: software that plays your service's streams; it doesn't provide content.
- Playlist URL: a web address that returns your channel list.
- Portal: a provider's middleware that set-top boxes connect to. See IPTV portal URLs.
- PPV: pay-per-view. See how PPV streaming works.
- Resolution: picture size in pixels, such as 720p, 1080p or 4K. See HD explained.
- Segment: a short chunk of video in a streaming playlist.
- STB: set-top box.
- SVOD: subscription video on demand.
T–Z
- Timeshift: pausing or rewinding live TV, where supported.
- Transcoding: converting a stream to another format or quality, often by a media server.
tvg-id: the playlist attribute that links a channel to its guide data.tvg-logo: the playlist attribute that points to a channel's logo image. See missing channel logos.- TVOD: transactional video on demand (rent or buy per title).
- UDP: a lightweight network protocol used for multicast TV.
- VOD: video on demand. See What is VOD?.
- XMLTV: the common file format for guide data.
- Xtream Codes: a login style using a server URL, username and password. See the setup guide.
- Zapping: switching channels; slow zapping is covered in slow-loading channels.