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How to Record IPTV in 2026 — Best Methods for Every Device

Recording IPTV lets you save live TV streams to storage so you can watch them later — the digital equivalent of a VHS recorder or a Sky+ box. Whether you want to record a football match while you're out, save a film for later, or build up a library of TV programmes, IPTV recording is possible on most devices.

The method depends on your device and IPTV app. This guide covers every option — from one-click recording in TiviMate to building a full DVR system on a PC or Raspberry Pi.

If you're looking for a service that supports recording features, read our complete guide to IPTV services to understand what to look for. For details on IG IPTV's UK channels and pricing, see the IG IPTV Complete UK Guide 2026. For a technology overview see the IPTV — The Complete Guide 2026.

Can You Record IPTV?

Yes — with the right combination of app and device. The core requirement is that your IPTV player app must support recording, and your device must have accessible storage (internal storage, external USB drive, or network storage) for the recordings.

Not all IPTV apps support recording. The ones that do:

  • TiviMate Premium (Android TV / Fire TV) — best recording implementation
  • Kodi with PVR IPTV Simple Client (all platforms)
  • GSE Smart IPTV (iOS, limited)
  • Perfect Player (Android, via external recording)
  • IPTV Smarters Pro — no native recording as of 2026

Additionally, some IPTV services offer catch-up TV — a time-shifted buffer of the past 7 days of programming — which functions as a form of retrospective recording without needing any local storage.

Method 1: Record IPTV in TiviMate (Fire TV / Android TV)

TiviMate Premium includes the best IPTV recording implementation of any dedicated IPTV player. Recording is initiated directly from the EPG, works in the background while you watch another channel, and recordings are saved as standard video files.

Requirements

  • TiviMate Premium (not free version) — approximately £4.99 one-time
  • External storage (strongly recommended): an external USB drive or USB stick with at least 32GB free space. Internal storage on most Fire Sticks (8–16GB) is insufficient for long recordings.

How to Connect External Storage to Fire TV Stick

  1. Use a USB hub with power input connected to your Fire TV Stick's USB port.
  2. Connect your external USB drive or USB stick to the hub.
  3. On your Fire Stick, go to Settings → Storage — the external drive should appear.

Recording a Programme in TiviMate

To record a single programme (from the EPG):

  1. Open TiviMate and navigate to the EPG grid.
  2. Find the programme you want to record.
  3. Press OK on the programme.
  4. Select "Record" from the context menu.
  5. The recording is scheduled. A red dot appears on the programme in the EPG.

To start an instant recording (currently playing channel):

  1. While watching a channel, press the OK button.
  2. In the channel options panel, select the record icon (circle/red dot).
  3. Recording begins immediately.
  4. To stop recording, press OK again and select the stop record option.

To record a series (all episodes):

  1. Find any episode of the series in the EPG.
  2. Press OK and select "Record Series".
  3. TiviMate will automatically record every future occurrence of that programme on that channel.

Where Are Recordings Saved?

Recordings are saved in a folder called TiviMate on your chosen storage device. They are saved in .ts format (MPEG transport stream), which is playable by VLC, Kodi, and most video player apps.

Setting the Default Recording Location

  1. Go to TiviMate → Settings → Storage.
  2. Select "Recording path".
  3. Choose your external storage as the default recording location.

Method 2: Record IPTV with Kodi (All Platforms)

Kodi's PVR functionality includes recording support, making it one of the most capable IPTV recording solutions available — and free.

Requirements

  • Kodi installed and configured with PVR IPTV Simple Client
  • Sufficient storage for recordings (at least 32GB recommended)

How to Record in Kodi

Instant recording:

  1. Navigate to TV → Channels and open the channel you want to record.
  2. While watching, press the R key (keyboard) or navigate to the player controls and select the record button.
  3. Recording begins. A recording indicator appears in the top-right corner.

Scheduled recording via EPG:

  1. Go to TV → Guide.
  2. Navigate to the programme you want to record.
  3. Press OK on the programme.
  4. Select "Record".
  5. The programme is added to the recording schedule.

Setting the Recording Path in Kodi

  1. Go to Settings → PVR & Live TV.
  2. Under "Recordings", set your "Recording base path" to your storage location.

Recordings are saved in standard video formats (.ts) that Kodi can play back via TV → Recordings.

Method 3: Record IPTV on Windows PC

On a Windows PC, you have several options:

Using VLC Media Player

VLC can record any stream — including IPTV channels from your M3U playlist:

  1. Open VLC.
  2. Go to Media → Open Network Stream.
  3. Paste the M3U URL of the specific channel you want to record.
  4. Before clicking Play, click the dropdown arrow on the Play button and select "Convert".
  5. Set your output format (MP4 or TS recommended) and output file location.
  6. Click "Start".

VLC will record the stream to the file you specified. Stop the recording by pressing Stop in VLC.

Using OBS Studio (Open Broadcaster Software)

OBS is primarily a streaming/recording tool but it can capture IPTV streams playing in a window on your screen:

  1. Set up your IPTV stream in any PC player (VLC, IPTV Smarters PC, etc.)
  2. Open OBS Studio.
  3. Add a Window Capture source pointing to your IPTV player window.
  4. Click "Start Recording" in OBS.
  5. OBS records everything playing in that window.

This method records video and audio at the quality displayed on your screen, making it suitable for HD streams.

Method 4: Build a Whole-Home IPTV DVR (Advanced)

For a fully automated DVR system — scheduled recordings, a library interface, and multi-device playback — see our dedicated IPTV DVR guide.

The short version: tools like Plex DVR (Plex Pass required), Emby, or Jellyfin can be configured to record IPTV streams on a schedule and serve the recordings to any device on your home network.

Using Catch-Up TV Instead of Recording

If your primary goal is to watch programmes you missed rather than build a recording library, catch-up TV is the simpler solution.

Catch-up TV is a feature offered by many premium IPTV services. It lets you scroll back 7 days in the EPG and watch any programme as if playing it on demand — without needing to set up recording or manage storage.

Requirements for catch-up TV:

  1. Your IPTV provider must support catch-up (most premium services do)
  2. Your IPTV app must support catch-up display (TiviMate Premium, IPTV Smarters Pro)
  3. Supported in TiviMate via the EPG — scroll left past the current time to see past programming

For most users, catch-up TV is a better solution than recording because it:

  • Requires no storage
  • Requires no setup
  • Allows you to watch retrospectively up to 7 days
  • Does not require scheduling in advance

Storage Requirements for IPTV Recording

Stream Quality File Size per Hour
SD (480p) ~1–2 GB/hour
HD (720p) ~2–4 GB/hour
Full HD (1080p) ~4–8 GB/hour
4K Ultra HD ~15–30 GB/hour

For regular IPTV recording, a minimum of 128GB external storage is recommended. For a full DVR system recording multiple channels simultaneously, 1TB or more is advisable.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I record IPTV on a Fire Stick without external storage? The internal storage on most Fire Sticks (8–16GB) is insufficient for meaningful IPTV recording. A 1-hour Full HD recording uses 4–8GB. An external USB drive via a powered USB hub is strongly recommended.

What format are IPTV recordings saved in? Most IPTV recording tools save in .ts (MPEG Transport Stream) format. This is a universal format playable by VLC, Kodi, MX Player, and most video players. TiviMate saves in .ts by default.

Can I record two IPTV channels at the same time? On TiviMate: yes, if your device has sufficient processing power and storage write speed. Fire TV Stick 4K Max handles concurrent recordings well; older sticks may struggle. On Kodi: depends on your device performance. On a PC with VLC or OBS, you can open multiple instances for simultaneous recording.

Is it legal to record IPTV for personal use? In the UK, recording broadcast content for personal (time-shifted) viewing is permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, Section 70 (time-shifting provisions). However, this defence applies specifically to content you are legally entitled to receive. Recording and distributing recordings to others is not permitted.

Can I watch a recording on a different device? Yes, if your recording is saved on a network-accessible storage device (NAS, PC with file sharing). Connect your other device to the same network, access the shared folder, and play the recording file with VLC, Kodi, or any video player that supports .ts format.

Does catch-up TV replace the need for recording? For most use cases, yes. Catch-up TV in a premium IPTV service gives you 7 days of retrospective access to all channels — no storage required, no setup needed. Recording is only necessary if you want to keep content for longer than the catch-up window.

Back to our complete IPTV service guide.

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