Top Features to Look for in IPTV Providers

top features of iptv providers

We get it. There are a bunch of IPTV providers out there to choose from and it can be tough to know which ones suit you and your viewing pleasure best. Well, panic not! We’ve put together a comprehensive guide to the top features of IPTV providers you need to consider before choosing your perfect match.

Think of this as a menu for the most incredible feast of television known to man. We’ll tell you what you need to look for, the tell-all features that make or break IPTV providers. You know, basically all the pieces you need to build yourself the ultimate viewing experience. 

So, what are the must-have features of an IPTV provider worth its salt? What should you expect and where can you find it? Let’s go. 

Are all IPTV service providers the same?

It’s the million dollar question. If IPTV is about providing thousands of options – local and international channels, premium channels, sports channels, movie channels, pay-per-view events and more – won’t most of the services offer similar things?

Well actually, no. Not all IPTV service providers are created equal, and it’s so important to figure out which one’s best for you before you sign up and start subscribing. The devil is in the details – key features can really make or break your experience.

We’ve been around the block when it comes to IPTV. We’ve tested out all the services in full (from free trial to channel selection and streaming quality) to check out all the different features and figure out what’s important.

While all the best IPTV service providers will offer a lot of these features for their streaming services, you’ll find that some are better suited to you than others. So, check out our guide below to the top features IPTV providers should be offering, and make sure your service is right for you.

Top features of IPTV providers

Top features of IPTV providers

Channel Variety

It’s the spice of life. Having a good selection of channels and shows is all part of the reason we love IPTV so much, right?!

Your relationship with your IPTV provider is like any relationship – when it’s the right one, you won’t need to compromise. With the right IPTV provider for you, you’ll have a huge range of shows and programs available at the touch of a button. Anything you want to watch. Whenever you want to watch it.

One of the many, many benefits of IPTV? Not having to settle for something you don’t really want to watch. Having access to video streaming channels from around the world and an unbelievable amount of channels should mean you’re never stuck for something to watch. That’s why choosing an IPTV service with enough channels is absolutely essential. 

Take a well-regarded provider like Layerseven TV or Xtreme HD IPTV, for example. You’ll be able to access tens of thousands of channels, including thousands of live TV channels from around the world including traditional TV classics, live sports events and more.

That means when you’re in the mood to settle down with a movie, you’re sorted. Keen to catch the latest match from your team back home? No problem. Entertainment, movies, TV, sports, music, localTV channels, news – get it all in one place.

Free Trial and Affordable Pricing

As with most things, it’s always nice to be able to try before you buy. Having a free trial means you can dig around IPTV apps to figure out where everything is, get to know the interface and understand if it’s right for you.

Really, the free trial (if offered) is where you’ll get your first glimpse of all the other features mentioned here. Some services also offer an X-day money back guarantee, so you can always ask for a refund if things aren’t quite up to your standard.

Another thing to consider is pricing. Though all providers, pretty much, offer a huge range of channels – we’re talking 20,000 live tv channels and counting – you’ll probably notice there’s quite a bit of variety in pricing models. Look at the subscription fee first, as well as the cost involved with pay-per-view events and other additions.

But don’t be put off by a seemingly unbelievable bargain. It might seem too good to be true, but the world of IPTV is a magical place, my friend. We found that StreamHut and Layerseven TV – both offering super affordable prices – are actually some of the best services available. Knockout value with plenty of unmissable features.

High Quality Streaming

High Quality Streaming

No one wants to watch a blurry stream that’s stopping and starting the whole time. All the best IPTV services offer 4K and HD streaming, meaning you get a crystal clear view of whatever you want to watch. Uninterrupted streaming with minimal buffering – isn’t that the dream?

Most IPTV services offer HD streaming quality, but make sure yours definitely does before you sign up. There’s nothing like watching live sports events, local TV channels from around the world, movies and more in HD quality. Trust us, you can’t go back to regular streaming services after this.

Now, a few things about getting high quality streaming. Obviously, being able to actually get 4K and HD streaming means you’ll need to have a decent internet connection with enough bandwidth and a streaming device that can support it. But all the leading IPTV service providers have a range of channels available in HD and 4K streaming quality, so once you’ve got your system set up just so, you’re ready to rock and roll. Give your internet service provider a call to make sure you’ve got the right internet speed for streaming in high video quality.

Reliable Streaming Quality

Speaking of streaming quality…

There’s nothing worse than unreliability. In love, in life, in IPTV, reliability is arguably the number one most important attribute!

Obviously, it’s called internet protocol television. That means your internet connection and the overall internet speed plays a huge role in delivering you that crisp and clean connection. But you also need to be able to rely on your service provider to deliver the goods.

To be sure you’ll get a reliable service, consider your provider’s infrastructure. Things like high-performance servers, efficient content delivery networks (CDNs), and optimized bandwidth allocation all play a part.

Any IPTV service needs to be able to handle large amounts of traffic. Particularly during peak hours when demand is highest – for example during big global sports events. Providers that invest in redundancy, load balancing, and anti-freezing technologies are best equipped to deliver stable streams.

From your perspective, take a look at uptime guarantees and other customers’ reviews. If a bunch of other people have struggled with lagging feeds or particularly unreliable streaming recently with no resolution, it’s probably a safe bet that you might too.

Compatibility with Multiple Devices

Compatibility with Multiple Devices

So, you’ve signed up to what you believe to be a trustworthy and versatile internet protocol television service. Sounds good, right? Then you log on to your TV and find out that it’s not compatible with your device. Thousands of premium channels and HD streaming quality aren’t any good to you if you can’t access them!

Make sure you check the range of device compatibility for any IPTV service providers you consider. It’s all well and good having 20,000 live TV channels, but if you can’t watch them on the devices you’ve already got in your home setup, what’s the point?

Any reliable IPTV service should offer compatibility with at least the following major devices:

  • Smart TVs
  • Android devices (including smartphones and tablets)
  • iOS devices (including phones, iPads, Apple TV boxes)
  • Roku boxes
  • Android TV boxes
  • Fire Sticks
  • PCs

Having good device compatibility is particularly important for watching local and international channels while you’re on the move. Maybe you want to watch live TV while you’re traveling for work, or catch up on your favorite TV series while you’re away on vacation. If you usually watch your IPTV service on your Smart TV, for example, it’s a real relief to know it’ll also work seamlessly on your tablet.

Catch up TV and DVR functionality

Let’s face it, just because you’ve got all these channels doesn’t mean you always have the time to kick back and watch on demand. We get it, you’re busy. That’s why picking an IPTV subscription that offers video on demand (VOD) and catch up TV services is super important.

Just like with traditional cable or satellite TV, having the ability to catch up on live events you missed or re-watch TV programs is a genuine game-changer. Most recommended IPTV service providers will offer catch up TV services and DVR. The VOD content should begin streaming instantly (in HD quality, please!). Much like traditional cable or satellite catch up services, or something like Netflix or Apple TV, you’ll find instant playback for recorded or downloaded shows.

One thing to note is that usually catch up TV will have a time limit. Depending on your IPTV service provider’s terms, and the licensing agreement, you might be able to catch up on a broadcast for a month after it aired. Or, it might be available for less than a week. So make sure to check how long VOD content is available for, and remember this might differ from show to show. There’s nothing worse than settling down to watch something you’ve waited all week for, only to find out it’s expired. Trust us, speaking from personal experience here…

User-friendly Electronic Program Guide (EPG)

Picture the scene. You’ve got a cold one in hand, you’re in your favorite chair. You’re all set up to relax with your top movies and TV shows. You log in to your IPTV service and… you can’t find anything. The menu is confusing, channel listings aren’t clear. You’re probably missing the live event you logged on to watch because you’re fumbling around trying to find the right stream.

Not on our watch. We only recommend IPTV streaming services which come with a user-friendly, intuitive and advanced Electronic Program Guide (EPG). Most offer channel categories for shows (think sports channels, movies, entertainment, TV channels by nationality etc).

There should be the option for setting up program recording and reminders for live streaming events so you never miss a thing. Logging in to your IPTV service across multiple devices shouldn’t disrupt your service either, so you’ll find your favorite shows, previously watched events and half-watched episodes waiting for you.

Simultaneous Streaming

Simultaneous Streaming

Particularly for those of you with families, we know how important it can be to watch IPTV content on multiple devices at the same time. Say you’re watching in the den and the kids want to watch in the family room. Or, you and your roommate need your own space but can’t miss the big game.

We know everyone’s different. That’s one of the big pluses for many IPTV providers vs a traditional cable TV or traditional cable service. Most traditional TV services will charge you per connection – like for multiroom viewing or additional boxes etc.

Before, you might have all had to gather around the main TV (the only device with good service and video quality), with sports fans forced to miss the big game or the kids melting down because they’re missing their show. What do you do if you’ve got one TV and your roommate has the remote?

IPTV has changed the game with simultaneous streaming and availability across multiple devices. Now you can watch sports channels in one room while another member of the household is streaming a movie in the kitchen.

Make sure your IPTV service offers multiple connections and simultaneous streaming services when you sign up or test out a free trial.

24/7 Customer Service and Support

24/7 Customer Service and Support

The whole point of signing up for IPTV apps and streaming services is convenience and quality. Things like buffering, downtime and streaming quality issues can, if we’re honest, ruin your whole day. If you’re trying to access on demand content and getting error message after error message, we can’t blame you for getting a tiiiiiny bit mad.

That’s why signing up to IPTV streaming services that guarantee customer support when you need it is absolutely critical. Some services might also offer a certain day money back guarantee if you don’t get the service you expect, so you can essentially start with a free trial to make sure video streaming works as it should.

Obviously, 24-hour support is great, so you know no matter what time you’re logging in (or whatever timezone or location you’re logging in from), someone will be online to help. But aside from that, it’s really important to check out response times and the quality of customer support – something we took into consideration in our rating of IPTV service providers.

Instant Service

You might be thinking that since it’s internet protocol television, it’s as simple as signing up and getting straight online. However, we’ve found that that isn’t always the case. With some services, you might have to wait a good long while for your payment to be processed and your account to be approved.

That can be really annoying, particularly if you’ve signed up specifically to watch live TV channels or particular sports events. You want on demand content that you can access at the touch of a button, right? That’s what got us so interested in IPTV in the first place – the idea of being able to watch international channels (or, to be honest, anything we fancied from pay-per-view events to foreign series) at our convenience.

When we tested out the major IPTV service providers, we found that Layerseven TV was the quickest and most efficient for getting started. Right after signing up, you get access to all the TV channels and key features. Take it from us – this isn’t par for the course with all providers, and it was definitely something that made the experience feel a lot smoother.

Conclusion

Ok, so after all that, what are the features you should be looking out for?

Obviously everyone’s different. We won’t pretend to know exactly what you’re looking for on a minute level. But we can guarantee that if you’re in the market for IPTV service providers, you’re after something that’s fast, reliable, intuitive, varied and good value. Right?!

So, with that in mind, these are the key features IPTV service providers should be offering you:

  • A good variety of channels and pay-per-view events
  • Ideally a free trial or a money back guarantee
  • Affordable and transparent pricing
  • High quality (e.g. 4K and HD) streaming
  • Reliable streaming with no buffering and good uptime guarantees
  • Good device compatibility – make sure the service works for multiple devices
  • Video on demand (VOD) and catch up TV
  • Ideally the ability to record (DVR) and store programs
  • An intuitive, user-friendly Electronic Program Guide (EPG)
  • Simultaneous streaming across multiple devices
  • Fast and reliable customer service and tech support

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