Disclaimer : Opinions are based on my personal needs, preferences, and experiences. I am an end user who finds IPTV and other cord cutting alternatives of great interest.

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My devices :

1. Nvidia Shield
2. Formuler Z8

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Applications in use :

1. Nvidia Shield/ Tivimate

2. Nvidia Shield/ Gears Reloaded APK

3. Formuler Z8/MOL2

4. Formuler Z8/Tivimate

5. Occasional use of provider supplied APKs

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Active subscriptions :

1. Absolute

2. BBTV

3. Beast

4. Gears Reloaded

5. Hydrogen

6. Inferno

7. Nitro

8. Players Klub

9. Premium

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I cut the cord close to a year ago. I maintain several subscriptions because I enjoy the concept and the variety of solutions available presently via IPTV. In addition to the above I maintain Netflix, Amazon, YouTube premium, Plex and Emby subscriptions. I am in the process of boiling down all these services into what I will maintain long term . I anticipate my final configuration will consist of (3) IPTV services and (1) VOD service. Rather than provide a detailed "review" of each service I will try to touch upon the elements/features I prefer or find unique while doing my level best to remain as unbiased as possible.

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My first subscription was to GearsTV. I don't recall how I came to find them but in retrospect they were a good first subscription, my IPTV training wheels I suppose. Closed, stable environment with a great EPG guide. When running it at first I was oblivious to the fact so much more was out there as it relates to available services, access methods, third party apps, devices, etc etc. I maintain it because I recommended and installed it for my daughter who loves the service and isn't open to alternatives. My daughter is in my belief the typical Gears customer. IPTV user who seeks a straight forward, low maintenance IPTV solution. I will eventually win her over but for now she has little idea of how much she is missing!

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After a month or two on Gears I discovered this place (Reddit IPTV forums) and was quickly off to the races. Vaders/Beast were my first two subs and I was experimenting with Perfect Player, Smarters, and various other third party players. Entering my first m3u and epg urls was comical in retrospect. My reseller should be considered for sainthood it was that bad....but I eventually got the idea. Then along came Tivmate :) I am an unashamed fanboy of Tivimate. I absolutely love the app. The only thing that remotely competes with it is MOL in my opinion...but that's my OPINION. Your mileage may vary.

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Now I am months in and running several subs on (30-60) day expirations and looking to bubble down as described above. I think it's a close competition and for various reasons. I like The Players Klub, Nitro, BBTV and Premium most but quite frankly there isn't too much differentiating them from Absolute, Beast, Hydrogen, and Inferno. Price points, VOD, number of default connections, sports coverage, variety of content and EPG accuracy are all factors but truth be told reliability has not been a factor as none of them are what I would remotely consider unstable.

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Tivimate allows concurrent subscriptions to run together. I am running (8) services through it presently and Tivimate is handling over 230K "channels" as listed in the all playlists/all channels category and does so without objection. This channel count includes VOD content where each movie and TV series individual episode creates a record or channel in the all channels lists. I can readily change sources for any given channel in mere seconds and from the EPG itself which is a great feature. Folder and channel options/sorting is extremely flexible/intuitive. I simply love the app, it shines when using it to manage multiple subs.

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MOL. MOL is an animal unto itself. For IPTV use alone its great. It's VOD component, Timeshift, PVR to USB recording are all great features but what it does not do is allow multiple services to run concurrently. I have to change providers if I want to use a different source for any given reason. Not a showstopper but when coming from Tivi it kind of stands out as a feature MOL should consider implementing.

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For VOD I'm likely going to go with Plex or Emby. I have access (donation based) to some very nice content servers in both environments and the Neflix like experience is something I like alot. Knowing what I've watched, where I left off, recommendations, etc etc. I prefer this VOD environment to IPTV provided ones....although IPTV provided VOD is perfectly functional...not just as slick as Plex or Emby.

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If you made it this far thanks for reading and I hope there may be some nugget of info in this rambling post you may find of use. Happy Streaming to everyone!!