There are many m3u8 playlists online. You just need a player. I think VLC is the most common but people use other players specifically for iptv. For example I use simple iptv in Kodi.
Unfortunately most playlists have lots of dead channels. There are online channel checkers but they're pretty slow. Once you get a solid lineup of working channels, it's smooth sailing.
I was speaking in general about proprietary software but....
""""free"""" for individual use
People really believing this? Please don't spread this kind of corporate PR.
The "free" version is extremely limited ofc. If one wanted to pirate Tableau, they should pirate the enterprise/full version of Tableau which "includes everything in Tableau."
But I went through the same thing with iptv-org. It seems many of the listed channels are largely dead. I manually scrubbed the english list by checking the channels but it was pretty brutal. I think like 200-400 channels were working out of 2000+.
There are also online m3u checkers if you search like "m3u checker". I've used some web-based apps. They're somewhat slow but ok. There's also an m3u checker that you can install locally. I haven't tried it yet but I'm wondering if it might be faster.
I try not to bother with obviously pirated channels because they usually go down pretty quick. I'm much more interested in legit channels that will stay up.
Lastly I also have all the Pluto channels with EPG. I used this app for the channels and EPG.
I also wrote some scripts to download/merge channels and EPGs. TBH it's kind of a PITA but it's like a hobby.
(edit: One last thing... I noticed that some channels worked with VLC but not Kodi. I had to adjust some settings in Kodi to make them work. In particular I had to change my user agent to OKHTTP for Pluto channels.)
Personally I just do PlutoTV plus whatever free/sketchy channels I can find. I haven't heard of many providers but they all seem fairly suspect. If I were more into sports or a similar niche, then I might be looking harder. But I'm good with "Pluto Plus" for now.
I'm using Kodi and I love it. But it's a project if you want to setup lots of stuff. I recommend compiling from source for latest version, easier patching, etc.
I wouldn't recommend Kodi to people who aren't comfortable with tech stuff. Jellyfin is more basic and easy for people who only want movies/tv.
I switched to Jellyfin and then to Kodi. Jellyfin was nice but I wanted Kodi's PVR, Youtube, Video Games, etc. It's been a project to setup everything but it's been pretty awesome.
I spent alot of time messing with the flatpak and apt versions before compiling from source. I recommend source because you get the lastest version and it's easier to install patches, etc.
In debian/ubuntu I just use the file browser and connect via sftp or whatever. I save the password and put the location in my sidebar for easy access. It works great for playing videos and other uses, although might want to setup jellyfin or similar for videos.
This is probably true of most devices, but people can still try to improve their security and privacy. Don't let perfection be the enemy of the good and so on...
There are many m3u8 playlists online. You just need a player. I think VLC is the most common but people use other players specifically for iptv. For example I use simple iptv in Kodi.
Unfortunately most playlists have lots of dead channels. There are online channel checkers but they're pretty slow. Once you get a solid lineup of working channels, it's smooth sailing.