EPG configuration by player
The exact settings paths for TiviMate, IPTV Smarters, smart TV apps and MAG boxes — adding an XMLTV source, forcing a refresh, and fixing channels that show the wrong programme. A practical reference rather than an explainer.
A guide source
Xtream Codes supplies this automatically. An M3U playlist does not — it needs a separate XMLTV address, which we'll send if you ask.
The right time zone
Set to Europe / Dublin, not a fixed GMT offset. Where that setting lives differs by player, which is what the sections below cover.
Find it in your player
Every app buries these settings somewhere different. Menu names shift slightly between versions, but the structure below holds.
TiviMate
Android TV · Fire TVSettings›Playlists›[your playlist]›EPG
- Add a custom source under EPG sources if you're on an M3U link
- Turn on Auto update and set the update interval
- Use Update EPG here to force an immediate refresh
- Time zone is not set here — TiviMate takes it from the device, under
Device Preferences › Date & time
IPTV Smarters Pro
Most platformsSettings›General›Time Format & Zone
- Set the time zone to Europe / Dublin here — Smarters has its own setting, unlike TiviMate
- Guide refresh sits under Settings › EPG or Auto update EPG depending on version
- On an M3U playlist, add the XMLTV URL when editing the playlist entry
Smart TV apps
Samsung · LGApp settings›EPG›Time zone
- The XMLTV address is usually added on the developer's website, alongside your playlist — not on the television
- Set the time zone in the app and in the television's own clock settings
- Some sets pass the system time zone down to apps, so correcting only one is not always enough
- Close and reopen the app fully after any change
MAG box
Portal-basedSettings›System Settings›Time & Date
- Guide data comes through the portal — there is no XMLTV address to add
- Set the time zone to Europe / Dublin and enable automatic time
- Restart the portal to force a guide reload
- If the guide is missing entirely, that's a portal-side matter — message us
Adding an XMLTV address
You only need this if you're using an M3U playlist. Xtream Codes carries the guide with it, so there's nothing to add.
An XMLTV address is a single web link that returns the listings data. Ask us for yours — it's issued against your subscription in the same way the playlist is, and it takes a minute to send.
| Player | Where to add it | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| TiviMate | Settings › Playlists › EPG › EPG sources | Add as a custom source, then force an update. |
| IPTV Smarters | When editing the playlist entry | There is an EPG URL field alongside the playlist URL. |
| Smart TV apps | On the developer's website | Same page where you uploaded the M3U playlist. |
| MAG box | Not applicable | Guide arrives through the portal automatically. |
Channels showing the wrong programme
This is different to a guide that's empty or an hour out, and it's the one most guides never cover. If a channel plays correctly but its listings belong to something else entirely, the cause is a channel ID mismatch.
Every channel in your playlist carries an identifier, and every entry in the guide data carries one too. The player matches them up. When the two don't agree — usually because a channel was renamed or renumbered at source — the player either shows nothing or attaches the wrong listings.
Symptom to setting
Guide never updates
Auto-update is off, or the interval is set very long. Enable automatic EPG update and set it to refresh daily. Then run a manual update once so you're not waiting for the next scheduled fetch.
Only two or three days showing
Some players cap how far ahead they store listings to save memory. Look for a guide days or EPG range setting and raise it. On low-memory devices a lower cap is deliberate and worth leaving alone.
Guide came back empty after a refresh
The fetch failed rather than returning nothing. Force another update, and check the device still has a working connection. Repeated failures on one source usually mean the XMLTV address needs reissuing.
Correct on one device, wrong on another
EPG settings are per device, not per subscription. Each player holds its own time zone, source and refresh settings, so configuring one changes nothing on the others.
Setup questions
In TiviMate it goes under Settings, Playlists, EPG, then EPG sources. In IPTV Smarters it is a field alongside the playlist URL when editing the playlist. On smart TV apps it is added on the developer's website, on the same page where the playlist was uploaded.
That is a channel ID mismatch between your playlist and the guide data, usually caused by a channel being renamed or renumbered at source. TiviMate lets you manually reassign which guide entry a channel matches to, and the change is remembered.
Most players have a manual update option in the same menu as the EPG source. In TiviMate it is Update EPG under the playlist's EPG settings. On a MAG box, restarting the portal reloads the guide. Allow up to fifteen minutes afterwards.
Some players limit how far ahead they store listings to conserve memory. Look for a guide days or EPG range setting and increase it. On older or low-memory devices, a lower limit is often deliberate and best left as it is.
Yes. EPG settings are stored per device rather than against your subscription, so each player holds its own time zone, source and refresh settings. Configuring a Firestick changes nothing on a smart television using the same line.
IPTV Smarters has its own, under Settings then General then Time Format and Zone. TiviMate has none and takes the time zone from the device instead. Smart TV apps often inherit the television's system clock, so both may need setting.
Just ask us
If you're on an M3U playlist and need the matching guide address, message us and we'll send it. Same subscription, one extra link.
What we supply. IPTV Ireland provides subscription access, playlist credentials and programme guide data. Player applications such as TiviMate and IPTV Smarters Pro are third-party software made by other companies — guide layout, refresh behaviour and channel matching are functions of those apps rather than ours, and our support covers anything server-side. Menu names and settings paths differ between app versions and devices, so yours may vary slightly from the paths shown here.