What is EPG XMLTV Feed Format?
Protocol Definition & Architecture: How It Works In Iptv
Technical Definition
XMLTV is the de facto open XML schema for electronic programme guide data. A <tv> root contains <channel id="..."> elements with display names and icons, and <programme start="20261006190000 +0000" stop="..." channel="..."> elements with title, desc, category, and episode numbering.
How It Operates Under the Hood
Panels generate a 7-day file every 15 minutes from grabbers such as WebGrab+Plus, gzip it (typically 40-80 MB raw, 4-8 MB compressed), and serve it at xmltv.php. Players match <channel id> to the tvg-id of each stream and apply the local timezone offset to the +0000 timestamps.
Role in the IPTV Delivery Chain
Within a panel, EPG XMLTV Feed Format sits between the ingest / transcoding cluster and the subscriber player. Edge nodes implement it, the Xtream Codes API exposes its parameters, and player applications such as TiviMate and IPTV Smarters consume it.
Protocol Engineering Specifications
| Stream Engineering Metric | Reference Specification | Governing Standard |
|---|---|---|
| Timestamp format | YYYYMMDDHHMMSS +ZZZZ |
XMLTV DTD |
| Compression | gzip, 8-12x ratio |
Content-Encoding |
| Guide depth | 7 days forward, 1 day back |
Rolling window |
| Transport Container | MPEG-TS (188 bytes: 4 B header + 184 B payload, 0x47 sync) |
ISO/IEC 13818-1 |
| Manifest Specification | Extended M3U8 playlist / LL-HLS 0.5 s parts |
IETF RFC 8216 |
| Decoder Pipeline | Hardware MediaCodec HEVC Main 10 (ExoPlayer / Media3) |
Android Media3 |
Xtream Codes v2 REST API Deep-Dive
Every modern player connects Reference Panel through the same HTTP handshake. The sequence below is what TiviMate, IPTV Smarters, and XCIPTV execute on login; you can reproduce each call in a browser or with curl.
1 Authentication handshake
GET http://line.server.example.com:8080/player_api.php?username=USERNAME&password=PASSWORD{
"user_info": {
"username": "USERNAME",
"status": "Active",
"auth": 1,
"exp_date": "1798761600",
"is_trial": "0",
"active_cons": "1",
"max_connections": "5",
"allowed_output_formats": ["m3u8", "ts", "rtmp"]
},
"server_info": {
"url": "line.server.example.com",
"port": "8080",
"https_port": "2086",
"server_protocol": "http",
"timezone": "UTC",
"timestamp_now": 1759795200
}
}auth must equal 1 and status "Active". exp_date is a Unix timestamp; max_connections caps concurrent streams; https_port exposes the TLS listener used to defeat SNI-based shaping.
2 Live category indexing & stream URL construction
GET http://line.server.example.com:8080/player_api.php?username=USERNAME&password=PASSWORD&action=get_live_categories[
{ "category_id": "12", "category_name": "UK | SKY SPORTS", "parent_id": 0 },
{ "category_id": "18", "category_name": "USA | ESPN & FOX SPORTS", "parent_id": 0 },
{ "category_id": "41", "category_name": "24/7 | PPV EVENTS", "parent_id": 0 }
]GET http://line.server.example.com:8080/player_api.php?username=USERNAME&password=PASSWORD&action=get_live_streams&category_id=12
# Stream URL template returned per stream_id:
http://line.server.example.com:8080/live/USERNAME/PASSWORD/STREAM_ID.ts
http://line.server.example.com:8080/live/USERNAME/PASSWORD/STREAM_ID.m3u83 EPG XMLTV synchronisation routine
curl -sS --compressed "http://line.server.example.com:8080/xmltv.php?username=USERNAME&password=PASSWORD" -o guide.xml
# Short-form EPG for a single channel (JSON, base64 descriptions):
GET http://line.server.example.com:8080/player_api.php?username=USERNAME&password=PASSWORD&action=get_short_epg&stream_id=STREAM_ID&limit=4<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<tv generator-info-name="Reference Panel EPG">
<channel id="skysportsmainevent.uk">
<display-name>Sky Sports Main Event</display-name>
<icon src="https://cdn.example/logos/ssme.png"/>
</channel>
<programme start="20261006190000 +0000" stop="20261006210000 +0000" channel="skysportsmainevent.uk">
<title lang="en">Premier League Live</title>
<desc lang="en">Live coverage, 50 fps.</desc>
<category lang="en">Sports</category>
</programme>
</tv>4 M3U extended playlist equivalent
#EXTM3U
#EXTINF:-1 tvg-id="skysportsmainevent.uk" tvg-name="Sky Sports Main Event" tvg-logo="https://cdn.example/logos/ssme.png" group-title="UK | SKY SPORTS",Sky Sports Main Event FHD
http://line.server.example.com:8080/live/USERNAME/PASSWORD/10231.ts
# Full playlist export:
http://line.server.example.com:8080/get.php?username=USERNAME&password=PASSWORD&type=m3u_plus&output=tsEPG XMLTV Feed Format FAQ
What is EPG XMLTV Feed Format in simple terms?
XMLTV is the de facto open XML schema for electronic programme guide data. A <tv> root contains <channel id="..."> elements with display names and icons, and <programme start="20261006190000 +0000" stop="..." channel="..."> elements with title, desc, category, and episode numbering.
Can I use a different EPG source than my provider?
Yes, but tvg-id values must match; most third-party guides use different IDs, which is why the provider xmltv.php is recommended.
How far behind live are IPTV sports streams and can latency be reduced?
Standard HLS with 4-second segments and a 3-segment player window sits 12-18 seconds behind the broadcast. Low-Latency HLS with 0.5-second partial segments brings glass-to-glass delay to about 3.8 seconds, and raw MPEG-TS over HTTP (.ts output format) is typically 5-7 seconds behind. Choose the .ts output format in your player for live sports and reserve .m3u8 for VOD and catch-up.
What buffer size should I set in TiviMate, Smarters, or XCIPTV for 4K sports?
Set the largest option (5,000 ms in TiviMate, "Large" in Smarters). Buffer time in seconds equals buffer bytes multiplied by 8, divided by the stream bitrate in Mbps: a 15 MB allocation on an 18.5 Mbps 4K feed yields 6.5 seconds of protection, which covers typical ISP shaping bursts of 2-4 seconds without a visible freeze.
What is the difference between Xtream Codes API, M3U URL, and Stalker Portal login?
All three deliver the same channels. Xtream Codes API uses player_api.php JSON endpoints so the player lazy-loads categories and EPG in seconds. An M3U URL (get.php) downloads a single text playlist of every stream, which is slow with 45,000 channels but works on any player. Stalker Portal authenticates by MAC address through a /c/ portal URL and is used by MAG receivers and some Smart TV apps.
Why is my EPG guide empty or showing programs at the wrong time?
Players fetch an XMLTV file from xmltv.php and match each channel by tvg-id. An empty guide means the player downloaded the file before the server finished its 15-minute refresh or the file exceeded the player size cap (set TiviMate EPG update to "never limit"). Wrong times are a timezone offset issue: XMLTV timestamps carry +0000 and the player must apply your local offset, so set an EPG shift of +1 or -5 hours in the channel settings rather than changing the device clock.
How does multi-screen concurrency work and what happens if I exceed max_connections?
The Xtream Codes player_api.php handshake returns max_connections and active_cons. Each live or VOD stream request opens one session counted against that limit; a second TV, phone, or multi-view tile is a second connection. When active_cons would exceed max_connections, the server answers the new stream request with HTTP 403 / 458 and the player shows "max connections reached". Resellers should sell lines with 2-5 connections for households and enable IP-lock only for single-device subscribers.
Every external citation on this page points to a primary source: telecommunications RFCs, ITU-T and ISO codec standards, manufacturer and developer documentation, national regulators, or official sports governing bodies. No commercial IPTV competitor is cited.