How to Record an IPTV Stream

This short guide will take you step by step through the process of recording an IPTV stream using either Windows or macOS.

With what I consider the best media player in the world (VLC) it’s quite easy to record a video stream. Just follow these steps based on your Operating System, Windows or macOS.

How to Record an IPTV Stream in Windows

1. If you don’t have VLC installed yet, visit their homepage and grab a copy. Once you’ve completed the installation, launch VLC and load your .m3u file or select Media from the main menu and then Open Network Stream… from the drop-down list to open your IPTV stream. To begin recording, select Playback from the main menu and then Record from the drop-down list.
2. VLC will being recording the video stream – but there will be no on-screen indication that it’s recording. If you open Windows Explorer and navigate to the Videos folder, you’ll find a newly created file named vlc-record-date-and-time-channel_name.mp4
3. When you’re ready to stop the recording, simply select Playback -> Record again.
4. If you think you may be doing a lot of recording in the future, select View and then Advanced Controls
5. This will place a “record” button right in the Control Bar at the bottom of VLC that you can use instead of Playback -> Record
6. All done!

How to Record an IPTV Stream in macOS

1. If you don’t have VLC installed yet, visit their homepage and grab a copy. Once you’ve completed the installation, launch VLC and load your .m3u file or select File and then Open Network… from the drop-down list to open your IPTV stream. To begin recording, select Playback from and then Record from the drop-down list.
2. There will be no visible on-screen indication that VLC is recording.
3. If you select Playback again, this time there should be a ‘check mark’ next to Record – this indicates that VLC is currently recording. When you’re done recording select Playback again and then Record again.
4. You’ll be able to find the recorded video file in your Movies folder. It’ll have the file name vlc-record-date-and-time-channel_name.mp4
5. That’s it!