Consolidation of Multi-Resolution IPTV Channels in M3U Playlists

[SalimRahmani 1]

Hello Emby Team and Esteemed Community,

I hope this message finds you well. I am reaching out to share a suggestion that I believe could enhance the user experience for those of us utilizing M3U IPTV lists with Emby's Live TV feature.

Currently, when an M3U file contains multiple entries for the same channel with different resolutions, Emby lists them as separate channels. This can lead to a channel list that feels somewhat cluttered.

Enhancement Suggestion
I was wondering if it might be possible to introduce a feature where Emby could identify and consolidate multiple resolutions of the same channel into a single channel entry. This could potentially be based on additional properties specified in the M3U file, or dynamically using ffprobe. The ultimate goal would be to enable users to either manually select their preferred resolution or to enjoy automatic resolution switching directly within the player, akin to adaptive streaming.

Suggested M3U Format
To assist in this endeavor, I am more than willing to add extra properties to the M3U file to denote the resolution of each stream. Below is an illustrative example:

#EXTINF:-1 tvg-id="TF1.fr" tvg-name="|FR| TF1" tvg-logo="http://host/tf1.png" group-title="FRANCE TV" resolution="SD",|FR| TF1
http://host/53375
#EXTINF:-1 tvg-id="TF1.fr" tvg-name="|FR| TF1" tvg-logo="http://host/tf1.png" group-title="FRANCE TV" resolution="HD",|FR| TF1
http://host/366
#EXTINF:-1 tvg-id="TF1.fr" tvg-name="|FR| TF1" tvg-logo="http://host/tf1.png" group-title="FRANCE TV" resolution="FHD",|FR| TF1
http://host/443

In this scenario, the `resolution` property would explicitly state the resolution for each stream, allowing Emby to consolidate the entries into a single, user-friendly channel, with options for resolution selection.

Benefits
- A more streamlined and intuitive channel list
- Enhanced user experience with straightforward resolution selection
- Optimal bandwidth utilization, particularly in varied network conditions

I truly believe that this enhancement could significantly improve the way we manage and interact with channels of varying resolutions within Emby. 

Thank you so much for taking the time to consider this suggestion. I am very much looking forward to any thoughts or feedback you might have, and I am excited about the potential positive impacts this could have on the Emby community.

Warmest regards,
 

[Luke 37068]

HI, yes more control over channel grouping is  planned for future updates. Thanks.

[nitrup93 15]

On 11/2/2023 at 9:47 PM, Luke said:

HI, yes more control over channel grouping is  planned for future updates. Thanks.

On the next release ? beta planned ?

[neik 837]

Did anyone say TVnext? Yes, No, Maybe!?

For those that are not aware, see here: