Free IPTV tool
EPG / XMLTV URL Validator
What an EPG is and why yours might be broken
The EPG (Electronic Program Guide) is the schedule grid that lets you see what is on every channel right now and several days ahead. It is delivered as an XML file in the XMLTV format - a flat list of <channel> entries (one per channel, each with a unique id) followed by <programme> entries (one per scheduled show, referencing a channel id and a start / stop time). Your IPTV player downloads the XMLTV file, matches each <channel id> against the tvg-id attribute on entries in your M3U playlist, and shows the matching programmes under that channel.
The whole system depends on those IDs lining up exactly. If your playlist channel says tvg-id="skysports1.uk" and your EPG says id="Sky.Sports.1.UK", the player has no way to connect them - and you get a beautifully formatted but completely empty guide. That is the single most common cause of "the EPG is not loading" complaints.
Common XMLTV problems this validator catches
Stale guides. If the latest <programme> entry ends before today, the EPG has not been refreshed and your player will show empty schedules from now onwards. The date-range badge tells you immediately whether the file is current or stuck several days in the past.
Sparse channel coverage. A subscription with 5,000 live channels but an EPG that lists only 200 channels means most of your guide will be empty regardless of ID matching. Compare the channel-count number here against your playlist channel count from the M3U Checker.
Encoding or parser errors. Some providers serve malformed XML (unescaped ampersands, broken UTF-8) or a gzipped file with the wrong content-type. The validator surfaces these as parse errors so you can ask your provider to fix the source instead of fighting your player's settings.
For legal IPTV services only. These tools work with any compliant IPTV subscription you own. ORCA 4K TV does not endorse, host, or distribute pirated streams.
How it works
- 1
Paste your XMLTV / EPG URL
Most IPTV providers expose the EPG at xmltv.php with the same username and password as your M3U URL. Paste the full URL (including credentials) into the field.
- 2
We fetch and parse the file
The XMLTV document is downloaded once on our server, parsed, and discarded. We never store the URL or its contents.
- 3
Review the report
You will see total channels, total programmes, the date range covered, and sample entries from both lists. A health badge tells you instantly whether the guide is healthy, sparse, or stale.
Frequently asked questions
- What is an EPG / XMLTV URL?
- An EPG (Electronic Program Guide) is the schedule grid your IPTV player uses to show what is on every channel now and over the next several days. XMLTV is the standard XML format used to deliver that schedule. Most IPTV subscriptions expose it at a URL ending in xmltv.php.
- How do I import an EPG into TiviMate, IPTV Smarters, or OTT Navigator?
- In TiviMate go to Settings -> EPG -> Add EPG source and paste the URL. In IPTV Smarters Pro, open the playlist settings and add the URL under EPG. In OTT Navigator, go to Settings -> EPG -> Add EPG source. After importing, the player will download the guide and display it under each channel.
- Why does my guide show empty in my player even though the EPG validates?
- The most common cause is a tvg-id mismatch: your M3U channels use one set of IDs and the EPG uses different ones. Ask your provider whether they have a "matched" EPG URL for your specific playlist. Alternatively, the editor in your player may need a manual EPG refresh.
- Does the validator handle gzipped EPG files (.xml.gz)?
- Yes - we send Accept-Encoding: gzip and Node decodes the response automatically. If the URL ends in .xml.gz but the host serves it as raw bytes, the parser will still try and may fail. In that case, ask your provider for the plain .xml URL.
- Will running this tool break my IPTV subscription?
- No. The validator makes a single GET request - the same kind your IPTV player makes when refreshing the guide. We rate-limit each visitor to ten checks per hour, so usage stays modest.
- Do you store my EPG URL?
- No. The URL is fetched once on our server to read the XMLTV, then discarded. We persist only a hashed IP address (with a server-side salt) for rate limiting - never the URL or its contents.
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Want a playlist that just works?
ORCA 4K TV ships a single authenticated M3U URL with a smart EPG, anti-freeze CDN, and 22,000+ channels in HD and 4K - no broken streams to check.