My needs for IPTV are very simple compared to most that I've read. I want local network channels, (which I can not pick up because I'm too low and can not add external hardware to my apartment), and US sports along with basic cable channels. Primarily US basketball and football. I need a way to record or catch up because of my work schedule conflicting with most live sporting events.In the end combining Vaders with Premium covered the most of my needs over any of the other providers that I tried.

Vaders: Offers hundreds of channels from all around the world, but my setup doesn't need 90%. So why Vaders? I'm able to turn off the groups of channels that I don't want from their web ui control panel. This is extremely helpful for me when I need to create a small custom playlist for Emby.

Their guide for US channels is 90% complete. For me, this is huge! I can't stand scrolling through a Swiss cheese guide with hardly any info.Also, the catch up feature on the most of the US channels means that I can go back up to 3 days, or to the beginning of a currently running program. This works great for my work schedule. Their catchup also works through their playlist. This is great if you do not like running independent apps per provider. I prefer MyIPTV App and Perfect Player which allow for catch up right in the guide without having to back out to a main menu and choose catch up.The quality of the channels varies. I'm not hunting for 8k, UHD, blu-ray quality. I just want to watch TV. I have seen a handful of grainy channels, but they are clearly labeled SD.Multiple connections, up to 5, allow me to DVR and watch multiple shows on multiple devices without fear of a disconnection.Multiple versions of channels may seem redundant, but it comes in handy when there's a popular sporting event, or when there's only one event for the day. It allows you to jump to another channel with possibly less lag.And speaking of lag, I rarely notice buffering on my setup which I will go into detail below. When/if I do encounter buffering, I refresh the channel. If that doesn't work, I'll either try clearing the app's cache, or try another channel if I have another to choose. If not, I go to my backup provider, Premium.

Premium: Offers thousands of VOD and 24/7 channels. It's quite impressive just how much they offer. I again, do not use their main feature, but it's worth mentioning from the get-go.What I use, is their huge selection of US channels and sports channels, as well as premium sports packages. For me, Premium fills in the gaps that Vaders is missing with US channels.Their selection of regional US networks is very vast. I live in the mid-west and they provide me with all but one local network channel. I keep a copy of the New York channels in my custom playlist so I can watch the basic network channels even if my locals are having issues.

For sports, there's actually too many for me. I remove most of them aside from the ESPN/TSN's and the premium packages for basketball, football, baseball, and hockey. They provide channels for each individual team as well which is pretty cool if you know your team is playing right now, but don't want to look to see what channel it's on. It's not great however for DVR purposes as there is no guide to go by on the team channels.

Both offer a web-player, which is convenient when I'm away from home, or at work.

I'm getting both combined through one provider at a discount through https://tvservice.club/

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IPTV-EPG: With both providers, I have roughly 300 channels that I manipulate through IPTV-EPG.com 's playlist editor. I have Xtream Editor for a year as well, but I've found IPTV-EPG to be superior in channel accuracy, availability, and if they don't offer it, you can easily request for it in their forum. I've requested probably 12 channels and each time they've been added within 24 hours. This is great for local affiliate channels that your provider might not have.I also get the ability to combine the above providers into one custom playlist which I can then use with any app that uses .m3u.They have tiers of pricing for how many playlists you wish to create, and how many channels you are trying to get guide information for. I'm using their 5 playlist, 500 channel option which gives me room to grow, and have specific playlists for specific needs and apps.

Emby: I mentioned above that I have no need for Premium's VOD and 24/7 channels, and that's because I have my own digital library and Emby handles all of it. Most movies I can procure on my own and the same with TV series. Emby brings it all together nicely, but with their IPTV options, it brings my collection and my IPTV into one program. And unlike Plex, Emby incorporates their IPTV into their program, instead of a clunky plugin.I use Emby for the DVR function with my .m3u playlists. Emby can record, schedule record and automatically convert the files to .mp4 for me and then send them to my tablet at work, all automated. Emby can only record if their is guide information, which is another reason I use IPTV-EPG to insure I can record.There are more often than not issues with recording sporting events, but I can't pinpoint if it's Emby's fault, my server's limitations, or one of the above providers buffering too much, but I'm still making changes to my setup and getting better results, so I'm hoping I can eventually get this ironed out to work most of the time. Recording daily news and game shows has been successful quite often.

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MiBox 3: It's older, it's not a power horse, but compared to my previous Firestick HD, (which handled IPTV just fine) it's producing a decent quality picture and my streams rarely buffer, so I'm very pleased with it.It's Android TV powered so there's some fun when it comes to installing some apps, but there's also some perks of apps that are Android TV only, so it's kinda a toss up.

Network: I have 300Mbs down 25Mbs up. My Emby server is connected via LAN cable, my Mibox is using WiFi. I have a Google Asus router which is very limited compared to most routers, but it handles my needs without too many workarounds.

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Overall, I'm pretty happy with my setup. The cost is around $25 a month with everything IPTV related included. I'm sure there's more economical options out there, and I'd be willing to hear them, but please keep in mind my main needs are catch up, sports, and local networks and I have backups for most of mine.

What I'm missing: The ability to watch catch up sports on premium channels. If the game airs on a major network or ESPN I can usually use catch up, but I miss a lot of sports due to the Emby recording buffering out, or the channel the game aired on does not offer catch up.

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*EDIT* Added provider URL

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