M3U Bridge Documentation

1. Getting Started

M3U Bridge acts as an intelligent proxy and normalization layer between your authorized media sources (M3U or Xtream Codes) and your IPTV playback applications (such as TiviMate, IPTV Smarters, Apple TV, or Android TV apps).

2. Add a Source

From your tenant dashboard at app.m3ubridge.com, navigate to Sources and click Add Source. You can configure either an M3U playlist URL or an Xtream-compatible server endpoint. Upstream credentials are encrypted at rest with AES-256-GCM.

3. M3U Input

M3U Bridge supports standard M3U and M3U8 playlists (including EXTINF tags, tvg-id, tvg-name, tvg-logo, and group-title). The parser handles large multi-megabyte playlists with streaming chunking and periodic background synchronization.

4. Xtream-Compatible Input

If your upstream provider uses the Xtream Codes protocol, enter your server base URL, username, and password. M3U Bridge synchronizes live streams, VOD movies, TV series, and categories via the standard player_api.php protocol.

5. Generated Credentials

Instead of entering upstream server details in every player, create dedicated subscriber lines in your dashboard:

• Server URL: https://gateway.m3ubridge.com
• Username: Custom username generated per user/device
• Password: Secure password with Argon2id verification
• Max Connections: Concurrency limits enforced per subscriber

6. EPG Matching

M3U Bridge matches raw channel names against high-quality public EPG guides covering France, UK, US, Germany, Italy, Spain, and more. Missing or broken tvg-id tags are automatically resolved, delivering rich electronic program guides with descriptions and program schedules.

7. Metadata Enrichment

Movie and series titles are matched against The Movie Database (TMDB) to fetch high-resolution posters, backdrops, plot summaries, release years, cast, and episode listings without exposing your private infrastructure.

8. Gateway Modes

M3U Bridge supports both direct-redirect mode and protected technical relay mode depending on upstream server security constraints and credential shielding requirements. In protected mode, network traffic is transiently relayed to shield upstream credentials and maintain connectivity.

9. Frequently Asked Questions