To be able to watch IPTV for free on a computer, you need to connect the digital television service from the Rostelecom provider. The service of viewing channels via PC and mobile devices is available as a bonus for all clients of the company and there is no additional payment for it.
You can use IPTV from Rostelecom on a computer using a special player or through an online service. We’ll cover both options so that you can choose the most convenient way to watch your favorite TV shows.
Advantages and disadvantages
IPTV has its own objective advantages when comparing this type of broadcasting with satellite or cable television.
The following points can definitely be attributed to the merits:
- IPTV is available to everyone who has a computer or laptop with an Internet connection at home. At the same time, you do not need to buy any set-top boxes or other additional equipment. It is enough to have a computer itself and the Internet. Plus, files of TV broadcasts are downloaded, or a regular link is inserted. That’s all.
- When watching online through a TV, you can start recording the program. It is also possible to rewind TV broadcasts back, see what was shown a few days ago.
- It is possible to change and expand the channel lists. Therefore, each user will find the content that interests him.
- If we compare IPTV and analog TV, the first option has a much higher picture quality.
But don’t jump to conclusions.
Along with its advantages, IPTV has its disadvantages as well. They are manifested in the following:
- For the viewing to be stable and high-quality, the Internet connection must be high-speed. Now the basic tariff of most providers implies a speed of about 100 Mbps. And that’s more than enough. Therefore, the disadvantage is conditional, and applies only to those Internet providers that offer low speed.
- In terms of the transmitted sensations, viewing on a small laptop display can hardly be compared with broadcasting on a large TV . Yes, the problem can be solved by connecting the TV panel to your computer via HDMI. But control will still be carried out entirely through a PC.
How significant these disadvantages are for you, judge for yourself.
IPTV connection via player
You can watch digital TV on a PC thanks to a program called IP-TV Player.
Its installation is as follows:
- Download the installation file (you can find it on the Internet without any problems) and run it.
- Choosing an installation method — if you check the option for a complete installation, in addition to the player, you will have a Yandex browser and its components on your computer. If this software is already installed or you do not want it to be present on your PC, select the “Configure settings” item and cancel the installation of Yandex browser and related components.
- Click on “Install” and at the end of the process, launch the player.
- We enter your data in the window that appears – select the city in which you live and the provider Rostelecom, after which the installation will be completed and you can start browsing.
Note: for those who do not use the services of Rostelecom, to watch interactive TV, you need to have a link to the list of channels from the provider. In this case, you should select the item “I have a web address for the channel list”, in the window that appears, you must enter a site that will allow you to watch digital television on a PC.
To organize viewing IPTV through a computer or laptop, you can use special programs.
Currently, users identify the 3 most common, proven and stable applications. Their features should be considered separately.
VLC Media Player
The ability to view IPTV is available to all users whose computer or laptop runs on Windows, MacOS, and Linux operating systems. This makes the program multiplatform, and therefore so popular.
It’s pretty easy to install and use. First you need:
- download the installation file from the official website, or a trusted third-party resource;
- run the installation file, select the Russian interface language;
- follow the instructions of the built-in installation wizard.
But since we are talking about watching television via IPTV, then the program will have to be additionally configured for this.
To watch IPTV using this application, you need to find a link, or download an m3u playlist file . They are available online and are distributed free of charge.
VLC functionality allows you to add several such files at once. After loading the playlist, you need:
- open the main menu of the application;
- go to the “Media” section;
- click on the “Open file” button;
- specify the path to the loaded and saved playlist file;
- confirm your choice by pressing the “Open” button;
- wait for processing; after which television broadcasting will begin.
If you want to know about all the available TV channels, click on the playlist image.
Some users prefer links to playlists over downloading special files. Then the sequence here will be somewhat different:
- in the main menu open “Media”;
- then click on “Open URL”;
- or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl and N;
- insert the link address;
- click on “Play”.
Nothing complicated. Therefore, even a beginner will quickly figure out the features of setting up online television through the VLC program.
IP-TV Player
Another popular application that is well-deserved in demand on the Russian-speaking Internet. A good tool to watch TV online via a computer or laptop.
First you need to download the installation file from a trusted and secure resource. Otherwise, there is a risk of picking up a virus along with the program.
The peculiarity of IP-TV Player is that the setting is performed here at the very beginning, in fact, at the installation stage. Therefore, the instruction will look like this:
- after launching the installation file with the .exe extension, select the “Parameter settings” section;
- here, be sure to uncheck all the checkboxes that may stand in front of additional programs;
- you do not need to install anything except the player itself;
- click on the button to start the installation process;
- to insert a playlist, open the section called “Channel List Address”;
- check the box next to the item where to write “Refresh on startup”.
The channel list will be located on the right side when you start the application. You can control broadcasts using the corresponding buttons at the bottom of the screen.
PC-Player TVIP
A very interesting and largely underestimated solution for those who want to watch TV programs online via a laptop or computer.
The main advantage of this application is the presence of the streaming recording function, as well as the ability to connect to encrypted TV channels.
To work with this application you need:
- download the installation file and install the program on your computer;
- follow the prompts of the installation wizard to complete the installation;
- open installed application.
In some cases, an attempt to start the program fails. To be more precise, a notification appears with an error, which indicates that the connection type has not been determined. This is a fairly common occurrence. But you can cope with it in order to enjoy watching TV channels through IPTV.
If an error window appears, the “Configure proxy” button will also be displayed here. You need to click on it. A window will open where there is a field “UPD Proxy”, and you need to set the value “Use”. Also find the line “Server”, where you need to specify the IP address of your provider. In the column with the port number, write the standard code 4022. Confirm the changes by clicking the appropriate button.
The preview should now start without too many problems. Use working links, and then no complications arise.
Perfect Player
An example of a fairly good and functional player, perfectly adapted for broadcasting TV channels over the Internet using IPTV.
Differs in stability, a set of all necessary functions, supports the required plugins. It still ends with an attractive interface. Playlists are updated automatically every time you start. Moreover, the user has the ability to add several playlists at once.
For work it is enough:
- install the program;
- open the settings section;
- register the URL address or specify the path to the m3u file;
- wait for the list of TV channels to appear on the main screen.
The program can sometimes freeze, and updates have not been released for a long time. But this does not interfere with comfortable viewing in any way, provided that all the necessary conditions for connecting to IPTV are met.
OTT Player
The key advantage of this tool for viewing IPTV is the variety of possibilities for online TV. For example, a user can download a playlist once and then use it on multiple devices. And additional settings are not required for this.
There is also an excellent function of recording TV broadcasts, so that you can watch the program again later.
But the nuance is only in the initial setting. It is quite long, because you need:
- create an account on the official website of the player;
- log into your account using your username and password (come to your email after registration is complete);
- upload the playlist to the application site (specifically to the site, and not to the player itself on the PC);
- then download and install the player;
- through the player’s menu, log in using the login and password from the site.
Now you can start full-fledged viewing.
What to do if the image still does not appear after installing the player
Possible causes of malfunctions and their elimination:
- Firewall or antivirus will sometimes block traffic that is needed to watch IPTV channels. Try to turn off both programs one by one, if the player starts working after that, you need to change the settings in one of them – in the parameters, open access for digital television traffic.
- In some cases, DirectX does not work correctly, in order to solve the problem and be able to watch TV, you need to change it to another graphics library. To do this, at the bottom of the player, click on the gear-shaped icon, in the “Advanced” section, select the line “Use OpenGL instead of DirectX …”
- If you have multiple network cards connected to your computer, the player may use one that does not provide access to the Internet. Go to the settings again using the gear icon, in the general settings window that appears, select the active IP address from the drop-down list.
Watching IPTV from a computer online
In order to watch any films and programs online, Rostelecom has launched a special website called www.zabava.ru, which can be used by all clients who have connected the IPTV service.
If you use the services of this company, to register on the service, follow these steps:
- In the window that appears for registration, enter your email address and create a password for your account. Check if the site has correctly identified your location, if not, correct this information.
- Check the box next to the client agreement to proceed with the registration.
- Indicate whether the IP TV service is installed from the Rostelecom provider – if you do not have a set-top box, you will not be able to get free access to TV, even if you have an Internet connection from this company. If you have a set-top box from the company, choose the “Interactive TV” option, and after that you will see another form to fill out. In it, you specify the login and password for the set-top box (they are in the documents, you entered this data when you connected the set-top box to the TV).
After you provide all the necessary data, an email will be sent to your e-mail with a link to activate your account on the site. Go to the specified address and in a few seconds you will be able to enjoy watching IPTV from Rostelecom. By the way, you can watch digital TV online from mobile devices, which is another advantage of this service.
The IPTV service from Rostelecom provides an opportunity to watch TV channels on a computer without any additional payments to the basic tariff. Excellent picture quality, powerful sound and broadcast control make watching digital TV channels as convenient as possible.
