Testcard IPTV player FAQ
Plain answers about sources, the guide, installing and what Testcard does and doesn't do.
Questions
Does Testcard come with channels?
No. Testcard is a player only. It ships no channels, playlists or streams, and it doesn't recommend providers. You add a source you are entitled to use.
Is using an IPTV player legal?
A player is ordinary software, like a media player or a web browser. What matters is whether you are entitled to the content of the source you add.
That depends on the source and on where you live, and we can't tell you. This is not legal advice. Testcard supplies no sources, so use only ones you have the right to watch.
Is Testcard free?
Yes. Testcard is free, including the beta. Your source is separate: we don't sell one, and you pay your provider, if it charges, not us.
Which source types work?
Xtream Codes logins (server, username and password) and M3U playlists (a playlist address), with an optional XMLTV address for the guide. How to add one.
Why does Windows warn about the installer?
The Windows installer is not code-signed yet, so Windows SmartScreen shows a warning the first time you run it. Choose More info, then Run anyway.
We publish a SHA-256 next to every build, so you can check the file you downloaded matches.
How do I install it on Fire TV?
Install the free Downloader app on your Fire TV, then use it to fetch the app with a Downloader code. The code is shared with beta testers. You may need to allow Downloader to install apps from unknown sources in the Fire TV settings.
Join the waitlist and we'll send it when the beta opens.
Does it work on phones?
Not for now. The apps are for Windows and Fire TV. The Fire TV layout is drawn for a TV and a remote.
What gets synced, and is it encrypted?
If you sign in, your account keeps your sources, favourites, recently watched, progress, profiles and hidden items in step across devices.
Provider logins are synced only encrypted with a key derived from your account password, so we can't read them. The flip side is that a forgotten password can't be recovered.
Can I use several profiles?
Yes, up to 4 on an account. Each has its own Continue watching, favourites, recently watched and progress.
Does it record?
No.
Why is my guide empty or wrong?
Check these in this order. Most empty guides are the first or the last.
- There is no XMLTV address. Leave the XMLTV / EPG URL field blank and Testcard looks for one: the provider's xmltv.php for Xtream sources, the url-tvg address in the header of an M3U playlist. If your playlist names none, nothing is found. Paste the guide address your provider gives you into the XMLTV / EPG URL field of the source.
- The playlist's channel ids don't match the guide's. A guide programme is matched to a channel by the playlist's tvg-id, which has to equal the channel id in the guide file. Providers sometimes leave tvg-id blank or use ids the guide doesn't have. Those channels show no programmes while others do. This is in the provider's data, so ask the provider for a matching guide address.
- The guide's times are off. If programmes are there but at the wrong time, usually by whole hours, the time zone offset in the guide file is wrong or differs from what the playlist assumes. Testcard can only show the times the guide gives it, so try another guide address from your provider.
- It needs a refresh. The guide is read when a source refreshes, in the background after the channels load, so a new source or a changed address shows no guide until it has. Refresh the source and give it a few minutes. A guide address that fails never stops the channels loading, so channels can look fine while the guide is still empty. On Windows, set Auto-refresh to keep it current.
Not answered here? Email hello@evicted.dev.