🍓 IPTV on Raspberry Pi — Complete Setup 2026

• microSD card 32GB+ (Class 10 / A2) — ~€10
• Official USB-C power supply (Pi 5: 5V/5A, Pi 4: 5V/3A) — ~€10
• HDMI cable (micro-HDMI to HDMI on Pi 4/5) — ~€5
• Case with cooling (the Pi 5 runs hot) — ~€15
• Optional: USB ethernet for more stable streaming — ~€10
• Optional: USB SSD for recordings — from €30

Total: ~€100 for a complete Pi 5 setup, ~€75 for a Pi 4.

A lightweight Linux that only runs Kodi. Boots in 15 sec, works like an appliance.

• ✅ Fastest boot
• ✅ Optimised for Kodi
• ✅ Auto-updates
• ✅ PVR IPTV Simple Client built in
• ⚠️ Kodi only, no other apps

Install: Raspberry Pi Imager → Choose OS → Other specific-purpose OS → LibreELEC → flash to SD → boot the Pi.

• ✅ Full Linux desktop
• ✅ Kodi via sudo apt install kodi
• ✅ Other apps possible (browser, RetroPie)
• ⚠️ Slower boot
• ⚠️ More maintenance

Not a player but a server that delivers channels to other devices. Pair it with LibreELEC for the front end.

• ✅ A central "tuner" for the whole house
• ✅ Recording / DVR scheduling
• ✅ Web interface
• ✅ Works with a DVB-T tuner too
• ⚠️ Steep setup — not for beginners

The Pi 5 is just powerful enough to run a Jellyfin server for 1-2 streams. For more, use a NAS.

→ Complete Jellyfin guide

1. Download Raspberry Pi Imager from raspberrypi.com
2. Open Imager → Choose OS → Media player OS → LibreELEC
3. Pick the correct Pi model
4. Choose Storage → select the microSD
5. Write → wait 5-10 min
6. SD into the Pi, HDMI into the TV, power on

1. Language: English
2. Configure WiFi (or ethernet — recommended)
3. Set a hostname
4. Enable SSH (for remote management later)

1. Kodi → Settings (gear) → Add-ons → My Add-ons → PVR clients
2. PVR IPTV Simple Client → Enable
3. Configure → General → M3U Play List URL
4. Paste your M3U URL (or a File Path to a local .m3u)
5. EPG Settings → XMLTV → URL
6. OK → Restart Kodi
7. Home screen → TV appears

The default Kodi look is a bit dull. For an IPTV-friendly skin:

• Aeon Nox Silvo — the most popular IPTV skin
• Estuary MOD V2 — a modern look
• Confluence — classic

Install: Settings → Interface → Skin → Get more.

Install

sudo apt update
sudo apt install tvheadend
# during install: create an admin user + password

Config

1. Open http://pi-ip:9981 in a browser
2. Configuration → DVB Inputs → Networks → Add → IPTV Network
3. Add Mux → URL = your M3U source
4. Scan → channels load
5. Map all services to channels
6. EPG Grabber → XMLTV → set source
7. Channel/EPG → Manage channels

Connect to Kodi

In Kodi: Add-on → PVR clients → Tvheadend HTSP Client → server IP + login. Kodi now uses Tvheadend as its tuner.

Pi 5 — 4K HEVC works out of the box

• 4K HEVC streams up to 60 fps
• HDR10 support via Kodi
• HDMI 2.0 — 4K @ 60Hz possible
• AV1 not hardware-decoded — avoid AV1 streams

Pi 4 — 4K HEVC works, but...

• 4K HEVC at 30 fps is fine, 60 fps can stutter
• HDR possible but not always stable
• For heavy 4K sport: Pi 5 or NVIDIA Shield recommended

• GPU memory split — for the Pi 4: config.txt → gpu_mem=320 for 4K
• Overclock the Pi 5 — up to 2.8 GHz with good cooling (more CPU headroom = less stutter)
• USB SSD — faster than SD for cache + recordings
• Ethernet recommended — the Pi 4/5 have gigabit, WiFi is shakier
• Kodi cache in advancedsettings.xml:

  <advancedsettings>
    <cache>
      <buffermode>1</buffermode>
      <memorysize>157286400</memorysize>
      <readfactor>4</readfactor>
    </cache>
  </advancedsettings>