IPTV vs cable vs streaming
Cable delivers TV through a physical coax cable to a box you rent from the cable company. Streaming (Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV+) delivers on-demand video over the internet from a specific service's own servers.
IPTV sits between the two: live and on-demand video, delivered over the internet, but from a provider you subscribe to independently — with a player app that reads a standard format. Because the format is open, you can swap the player without switching providers, or the provider without switching players.
The two most common IPTV formats
M3U (or M3U8): a text file listing streams and metadata. Your provider gives you a URL and any compatible player reads it.
Xtream Codes: an API that exposes live channels, movies and TV series with categorised metadata. Instead of a URL you get a host, username and password.
Most modern IPTV services offer both. Xtream Codes generally gives a richer library because it categorises movies and series properly.
Where a player like Kanalo fits
The player is the app that turns the raw playlist into a watchable interface: channels, guide, seasons, resume, AirPlay, PiP. Kanalo is a native iOS player — you bring your own M3U URL or Xtream Codes login, Kanalo turns it into a proper Apple-feeling app.
Kanalo does not sell subscriptions, does not host content, and is not affiliated with any IPTV provider. You choose your source, Kanalo just plays it.
Is IPTV legal?
The technology is entirely legal — it's just video over the internet. What matters is the source: if your provider has the rights to the channels they're offering, watching is legal. If they don't, it isn't. That's on the provider, not on the player.
Kanalo doesn't verify or endorse any provider. Users are responsible for the sources they load.