IPTVBoss - A xTeVe alternative for Emby.

[BillOatman 596]

I have used this app for some time. They recently overhauled it and now are ready for new users again.

It's not a proxy like xTeVe is, it allows you to prune and arrange your IPTV streams and generate m3u and xmltv files that can be consumed by Emby.

Use of the app is free, if you want their extensive guide data, there is a minimal charge if it's for personal use.

It also fixes the Emby bug (IMO, the Emby devs disagree  ) so you can use 1 xmltv entry for multiple streams by setting this option.  

To find out more and get the app, use this Discord invitation.

 

Edited August 28, 2022 by BillOatman

[mike3821 67]

How does this compare to xtreme editor? 

[RobDenny 9]

hey @BillOatman, what do you mean by this line?

"it also fixes the Emby bug (IMO, the Emby devs disagree  ) so you can use 1 xmltv entry for multiple streams by setting this option.  "

do you mean two channels can be merged into one now?

[BillOatman 596]

12 hours ago, mike3821 said:

How does this compare to xtreme editor? 

I've never used xtreme editor.  But my understanding is XE is a online tool so your data is there, whereas Boss runs local on your machine. Any other differences I would have no idea.

[BillOatman 596]

2 hours ago, RobDenny said:

hey @BillOatman, what do you mean by this line?

"it also fixes the Emby bug (IMO, the Emby devs disagree  ) so you can use 1 xmltv entry for multiple streams by setting this option.  "

do you mean two channels can be merged into one now?

For example, if you have 2 different IPTV providers and each has ESPN and you want to be able to view them both (backup for example). If you have both providers streams specify the same guide data (epg-id), which would make sense as they are both ESPN, Emby will only make one of the streams available.  The reason is since the streams both have the same epg-id, Emby considers one as a duplicate. It does not consider the 2 providers as making them unique, but rather the content is the same therefore it is a duplicate to Emby.

Setting that flag in IPTVBoss will "correct" that situation, and in the example above you will see both ESPN streams in your guide in Emby.

The streams will not be merged into one like a true backup.

Edited August 29, 2022 by BillOatman

[MarcusJ 18]

On 8/28/2022 at 8:38 AM, BillOatman said:

Use of the app is free, if you want their extensive guide data, there is a minimal charge if it's for personal use.

Bill, do you use their EPG data? How good is it? Accurate? Updated frequently? How many days of EPG data is provided?

[BillOatman 596]

5 hours ago, MarcusJ said:

Bill, do you use their EPG data? How good is it? Accurate? Updated frequently? How many days of EPG data is provided?

Yes I do use it.  It's very good and well maintained.  It is updated daily for sure, but I believe it is updated 3 times a day. The number of days I'm not sure, you would have to ask in the discord.  It may vary by channel. I don't record so I don't need more than the current day.

[PaulW08 2]

Is there an ability to auto sync with the IPTV provider everyday or is that something that has to be done manually?

[bdavis095 0]

22 hours ago, PaulW08 said:

Is there an ability to auto sync with the IPTV provider everyday or is that something that has to be done manually?

I use a rPi for IPTVBoss and set a cron job a couple times a day to update m3u/epg. It then uploads it to dropbox for Emby to grab. Can also do it locally or use google drive for cloud also. Or you can do it manually, the choice is yours.

[PaulW08 2]

2 minutes ago, bdavis095 said:

I use a rPi for IPTVBoss and set a cron job a couple times a day to update m3u/epg. It then uploads it to dropbox for Emby to grab. Can also do it locally or use google drive for cloud also. Or you can do it manually, the choice is yours.

Ah, interesting. I wonder if I can make it run as a docker container for my unraid server.

[BillOatman 596]

19 minutes ago, PaulW08 said:

Ah, interesting. I wonder if I can make it run as a docker container for my unraid server.

I believe people have done this. It is written in Java, and has a -nogui option so it can run autonomously. 

[groenator 13]

On 02/09/2022 at 17:40, PaulW08 said:

Ah, interesting. I wonder if I can make it run as a docker container for my unraid server.

There's also a public Docker image available. I won't paste the URL here to avoid breaking Emby rules, but you can find it by searching "IPTVBoss Docker" on Google—you should see the GitHub repository listed.

[CharlesF 36]

I am sure I will get flamed here, but having tried to use IPTV Boss before, I don't find it that user-friendly at all (vs say m3u4u).  

[BillOatman 596]

23 minutes ago, CharlesF said:

I am sure I will get flamed here, but having tried to use IPTV Boss before, I don't find it that user-friendly at all (vs say m3u4u).  

Not sure how long ago you tried, but it has had some significant upgrades within the past year. 
I have never used or seen m3u4u, but part of the issue might be that IPTVBoss has some advanced features like being able to generate multiple different files for different users which can be a bit confusing.  I do not use it for that, so my setup is pretty simple. I have it generate one set of files that has everything my provider offers on it set as different groups that I use with TiviMate, and one for Emby with a very limited subset of the channels for my remote kids/friends. And I have it set to run automatically and generate the files a couple times a day.

They have a discord and people answer questions there pretty quickly. Plus, there are video tutorials there as well.

I hope this isn't considered a flame

Edited March 24, 2025 by BillOatman

[CharlesF 36]

Just downloaded again today, same argument, so many steps and different screens, etc.  Just don't find it super user friendly.  Appreciate your comments which definitely wasn't a flame, but I just don't find the interface intuitive at all.

[BillOatman 596]

2 minutes ago, CharlesF said:

Just downloaded again today, same argument, so many steps and different screens, etc.  Just don't find it super user friendly.  Appreciate your comments which definitely wasn't a flame, but I just don't find the interface intuitive at all.

I agree that there are a lot of screens and steps, largely due to some of the more advanced features and the fact that they have their own guide data available.
To each his/her own, always good to have choices.

[kikinjo 281]

Iptvboss is one of most ugly and un-intuitive things i have ever tried.

i have settled with iptveditor which i highly recommend, and also a free source for epg (https://www.open-epg.com/app/index.php) to fill up wholes if needed.

[BillOatman 596]

1 hour ago, kikinjo said:

Iptvboss is one of most ugly and un-intuitive things i have ever tried.

i have settled with iptveditor which i highly recommend, and also a free source for epg (https://www.open-epg.com/app/index.php) to fill up wholes if needed.

iptveditor looks decent and would probably be fine for me since I do not have multiple users and currently 4 playlists.  I also like that they allow you to store the files on their server, though some might consider doing that, and the fact that it is on the web versus local, a security risk.

open-epg looks cool as well.  I may look into that if I have holes in my IPTVBoss guide data.

Always good to have options.

 

@kikinjo  
If you donate to open-epg does that limitation go away?

Edited March 24, 2025 by BillOatman

[sftech13 25]

On 9/1/2022 at 11:12 AM, PaulW08 said:

Is there an ability to auto sync with the IPTV provider everyday or is that something that has to be done manually?

Yes you can setup a sync schedule. 

[sftech13 25]

4 hours ago, BillOatman said:

I agree that there are a lot of screens and steps, largely due to some of the more advanced features and the fact that they have their own guide data available.
To each his/her own, always good to have choices.

4.0 will be released soon with some improved UI.