Accessible IPTV Client

Accessible IPTV Client is an accessible, keyboard-first IPTV player that works well with screen readers. It runs on Windows and Linux and supports playlists, EPG, catch-up, and casting.

Features

• Screen reader friendly (NVDA, JAWS, Narrator, Orca)
• M3U / M3U+ playlists, Xtream Codes, and Stalker Portal sources
• Built-in player (libVLC via python-vlc) or external player support (VLC, MPC-HC, MPV, etc.)
• Channel groups, fast search, and EPG search
• XMLTV EPG support (.xml and .xml.gz)
• Catch-up/timeshift playback for supported channels
• Optional system tray minimize
• Casting support

Quick Start (Recommended)

1. Download the latest release build from GitHub Releases.
2. Unzip it somewhere like C:\Apps\AccessibleIPTVClient\.
3. Run IPTVClient.exe.
4. Add a playlist: Ctrl+M (Playlist Manager).
5. Optional: add EPG sources: Ctrl+E (EPG Manager), then Ctrl+I to import.
6. Pick a channel and press Enter to play.

Requirements (Run From Source)

• Python 3.11+
• pip packages from requirements.txt
• If you want the built-in player: VLC 3.0+ installed (python-vlc loads libVLC from your VLC install)

Install + Run (Windows or Linux)

python -m pip install --upgrade pip
python -m pip install -r requirements.txt
python main.py

Keyboard Shortcuts

Main Window

• Ctrl+M - Playlist Manager
• Ctrl+E - EPG Manager
• Ctrl+I - Import EPG to database
• Ctrl+Q - Exit
• Enter - Play selected channel
• Context Menu / Apps Key - Channel options (including Catch-up if available)

Built-in Player

• Space - Play/Pause
• Up / Down - Adjust volume (2% steps)
• Ctrl+Up / Ctrl+Down - Adjust volume (5% steps)
• F11 - Toggle fullscreen
• Escape - Exit fullscreen
• Tab - Navigate between controls

EPG Notes

• During EPG import, a detailed log is written to your temp directory as iptvclient_epg_debug.log.
• .xml.gz guides are supported and are handled via a safe download/verify workflow.

Built-in Player Buffering

The internal player sizes its network buffer dynamically. You can tune it in iptvclient.conf:

• internal_player_buffer_seconds (default ~2s)
• internal_player_max_buffer_seconds (default ~18s)
• internal_player_variant_max_mbps (HLS quality cap in Mbps, 0 = no cap)

Lower values start faster; higher values are more tolerant of jitter.

Build a Standalone App

Windows

Run:

build.bat build

Output:

• App folder: dist\iptvclient
• Release assets: dist\release\

Linux (or manual Windows build)

python -m pip install pyinstaller
pyinstaller --clean main.spec

Release + Auto-Update (Windows)

Release pipeline

• build.bat dry-run - show the next version bump and release notes
• build.bat release - bump version, build, sign, zip, tag, push, and create a GitHub Release

Prerequisites:

• gh CLI authenticated (gh auth login)
• Code signing certificate installed and signtool.exe available (or set SIGNTOOL_PATH)

Auto-update behavior

• Updates are supported on Windows packaged builds (not source runs).
• Releases include a zip plus a manifest (AccessibleIPTVClient-update.json) with SHA-256 + signing thumbprint.

Manual Updater Test (Recommended)

1. Install/unzip an older build into a test folder.
2. Create a new release with build.bat release.
3. Launch the older build and use Options -> Check for Updates.
4. Accept the update, then confirm the app restarts at the new version and a backup folder remains next to the install folder.