Common Streaming Terms Explained: A Glossary for Beginners

Streaming and IPTV come with their own vocabulary, which can be confusing when you're just getting started. Here's a plain-language glossary of the terms you'll come across most often.

IPTV

Internet Protocol Television — television content delivered over an internet connection instead of cable, satellite, or antenna broadcast. Read our full explainer on what IPTV is for more detail.

Buffering

When a player pauses playback to download more video data before continuing — usually a sign of a connection or network issue. See our full guide on buffering causes and fixes.

M3U

A common playlist format used to deliver a list of channels to an IPTV player, either as a file or a URL.

EPG

Electronic Program Guide — an on-screen schedule showing what's currently airing and what's coming up next on each channel.

Bitrate

The amount of data used per second of video. Higher bitrates generally mean better picture quality but require a faster, more stable internet connection.

Resolution

The number of pixels that make up a video image, commonly described as SD, HD, Full HD, or 4K — higher resolutions show more detail.

On-Demand

Content available to watch whenever you choose, rather than following a fixed broadcast schedule.

Xtream Codes

A login-based method of accessing IPTV content using a server address, username, and password instead of a playlist link.

Latency

The delay between an action — like changing a channel — and it actually happening on screen. Lower latency generally means a more responsive experience.

Conclusion

Getting comfortable with a handful of common terms makes the rest of the streaming and IPTV world much easier to navigate — bookmark this glossary and come back to it as needed.