Recording
Recordings are written to the download folder (Settings > Downloads > Folder). Bookings, and recordings started by hand from the playlist, the guide or the player, are all listed in the Recordings view.
From the guide
Record this programme (or Record on the toolbar) does what makes sense for the programme:
- On now: records what is left of it, straight away.
- Still to come: books it. It starts a little early and runs a little late (see padding below), and the block in the guide gets its record mark.
- Already over, on a channel with catch-up: fetches the programme from the provider's catch-up archive and records it at once. That works for Xtream Codes accounts, Stalker portals and playlists that describe their catch-up with the catchup tags. If the provider no longer has it, you are told.
If the playlist carries a channel more than once (HD, SD, a backup), Choose a stream asks which one to record from, and offers your last choice for that channel first. If the new booking would run at the same time as another from the same provider, the studio lists the clash, says how many connections the account allows when it knows, and asks whether to book it anyway.
Other ways to record
- Record or download.. on the Playlist view's right-click menu records the selected channels (its caption becomes Record.. for channels and Download.. for films). Record asks how long, from 15 minutes to 24 hours or Until cancelled, and remembers what you picked last.
- Record channel.. in the guide does the same for one channel.
- In the Player, R records what you are watching and B saves what you have just watched.
Series rules
Record the whole series asks "Record ... on ... whenever the guide says it is coming?". Say yes and the studio keeps a standing rule. It books every showing of that title on that channel that is already in the guide, and books new ones as they appear each time the TV Guide view reads the guide, so a series is followed for as long as it runs, not just for the few days the guide covers. When the guide numbers its episodes, an episode the rule already has is not booked a second time. A showing that would clash with another recording from the same provider is left out.
A rule keeps every recording it makes unless you tell it otherwise. Select one of its bookings in the Recordings view: the inspector shows a Series rule section with Keep - Every episode, or only the latest 1, 2, 3, 5, 10 or 20. With a number set, older recordings of the series beyond it are deleted, files and all, the next time the guide is read.
Padding, disk space and tidying (Settings > Recording)
| Setting | Unless you change it | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Start recording this many minutes early | 1 | Guides run late and programmes overrun. A booking keeps the padding it was made with. |
| Stop recording this many minutes late | 3 | Guides run late and programmes overrun. A booking keeps the padding it was made with. |
| Stop recording with this much left free (GB) | 2 | A recording does not start on a drive that is already that full, and one that runs the drive down to it stops and closes its file properly. |
| Delete recordings after (days, 0 keeps them) | 0 | Finished recordings older than this are deleted. Only files the studio recorded itself are touched. |
| Record a channel for | Until cancelled | The length a channel is recorded for when nothing else says how long. |
What a recording is written as
- Write a recording as: Automatic, MP4, Matroska (MKV), FLV or Transport stream (TS). Automatic goes by the stream's own name and falls back to TS, which still plays if the recording is cut short.
- Write a recording of sound alone as, for radio: Audio as it comes (the sound exactly as it arrives, named for whatever it turns out to be), MP3, AAC, M4A or Matroska audio (MKA).
- Write the picture as: As it arrives, H.264 or HEVC (H.265). Write the sound as: As it arrives, AAC or MP3.
- As it arrives copies the broadcast exactly and is almost always the right choice. Converting is only for a device that takes one codec. It uses the decoders and encoders Windows has, on the graphics card when it can and on the processor when it cannot. If the computer has no encoder for what you asked, the recording fails and says so rather than quietly writing something else.
- MP4 and Matroska recordings carry the programme's details inside the file: title, episode, plot, channel, when it went out and the picture. A booking or a waiting recording can be given its own container and codecs in the Recordings or Downloads inspector.
When things go wrong
- Dropped stream: the recorder picks it up again, up to six times, ten seconds apart. The recording is then marked Partly recorded, with the reason "The stream dropped while this was recording and was picked back up, so the file has a break in it."
- Provider connection limits: an account usually allows a set number of connections at once. The studio asks the provider (Xtream Codes accounts say) and holds a recording or download back until a connection is free rather than having it refused. When more recordings are due than there are connections, the one with the higher Priority goes first. A recording still waiting when its programme is over gives up.
Sleep, wake and missed recordings
- While recordings are booked or running, the studio keeps the computer from going to sleep, and sets it to wake up a minute before the next booking. If Windows will not allow either, you are told when you book, so you can leave the computer on or turn on wake timers in the Windows power plan.
- A booking whose whole time went by while the computer was off, or the studio was closed, is marked Missed. One that started late is Partly recorded, "This recording started late, so its beginning is missing."
- If the studio is closed while something is recording, the booking says so the next time it opens. Closing the studio while downloads or recordings are running asks first.
The Recordings view
The Recordings view (Ctrl+4) lists everything booked, recording and finished, including recordings started by hand. Its button on the rail shows how many are still waiting.
- Columns: Programme, Channel, Starts (with a countdown such as "in 25 min" for what is waiting), Length and State.
- States: Waiting, Recording, Recorded, Partly recorded, Missed and Failed.
- The inspector on the right shows the Recording (Programme, Channel, Starts, Ends, the window actually Recorded with its padding, State, and the Reason when it did not simply work) and its Settings: Priority (High, Normal, Low), Container, Picture and Sound. Settings can be changed only while it is Waiting.
- Remove takes the picked booking out, after asking if it is still to come. A running recording is stopped from the Downloads view with Cancel. What it recorded so far is kept.
- Clear Finished takes out everything whose time has gone.
- The search bar finds a recording by name.
Recording while the studio is closed
With "RecordingCLI run" going in the background, bookings are recorded and downloads carry on while the studio is closed, and the two hand the work back and forth by themselves. See the command line page. Series rules need the studio, because it reads the guide.
Frequently asked questions
What does ERD-Playlist Studio do?
ERD-Playlist Studio builds and looks after IPTV playlists. Open a playlist from a file or from your provider, tidy it up, check which channels still work, match it to a TV guide, and watch, record and download what is on it.
What do I need to run ERD-Playlist Studio?
- Windows 10 or later.
- A 64-bit PC (x64), a Windows on Arm PC (arm64) or a 32-bit PC (x86).
- Administrator rights to install.
- Windows' own media support.
The player says "Windows cannot decode this". What can I do?
The player uses the decoders built into Windows. The "N" editions of Windows ship without Windows' own media support: there the studio starts and works, but the player says "Windows cannot decode this" until you add the Media Feature Pack from Windows' Optional features. When Windows has no decoder for a single track, the player names it (for example "HEVC: no decoder on this computer") and plays the rest of the stream.
Where can a playlist come from?
A file you have (M3U, Smart IPTV, Enigma/Dreambox bouquets, XSPF, ASX, WPL or PLS), an address from your provider, an Xtream Codes account, a Stalker (Ministra) portal, the free channels of iptv-org or radio stations from radio-browser.info.
Which formats can I save and export to?
Save and Save As write M3U (.m3u or .m3u8), Smart IPTV, Enigma/Dreambox, ASX, WPL, PLS or XSPF. Export also writes the ticked groups as an HTML, CSV, JSON, Markdown or XML report. Files are written as UTF-8 text.
Can I undo changes to a playlist?
Yes. Every change to a playlist can be undone with Undo (Ctrl+Z) and done again with Redo (Ctrl+Y), each playlist keeping its own history. Bigger jobs, such as an import, a find and replace or a sort, are one step each. Locking is not an undo step.
How do I find out which channels still work?
Run Stream > Stream Checker... It tries every stream of All Groups or one group and marks each with a green star (online) or a red one (offline). It then reads up to 50 of the streams that answered, and a stream that is not what it says gets a violet star. Delete offline streams removes what was found offline, and can be undone.
What do the coloured stars mean?
Grey: not changed. Blue: changed. Green: online. Red: offline. Violet: not what it says it is. An orange star before a name marks a favourite; a red star after a name marks a locked stream.
How do I merge my provider's new playlist into my own?
Use Tools > Playlist Health Center.. and choose Compare with a provider playlist and apply selected changes. You see every stream the other playlist Added, Removed or Modified, all ticked; untick what you want to keep as it is and press Next to apply the rest. Tick Save as provider profile to keep comparing with that source on a schedule.
How do I keep a playlist up to date with my provider automatically?
Set up a provider profile with Tools > Provider Profiles... While the studio is open it looks every minute for enabled profiles that are due, and brings them up to date in the background. Profiles can also be brought up to date with the studio closed, with M3UEditorCLI sync_all --due-only in Task Scheduler.
Can a provider profile empty my playlist by mistake?
No. When the provider sends back an empty playlist while your target has streams in it, the run stops rather than emptying your playlist. Before any change is made, a snapshot of the target is kept, and the new playlist is only put in place once it has been read back and found sound.
How do I restore an earlier version of a playlist?
Before the Playlist Health Center or a provider profile changes a playlist, the studio saves a copy of it as it was. The last ten are kept for each playlist. Tools > Restore snapshot.. lists them, newest first; the one you pick opens as a separate playlist called Restored- followed by the name.
How do I match my channels to a TV guide?
A guide finds a channel by its tvg-id. Choose an EPG code set (SmartIPTV, BaZnGa or DiamondTV) under Settings > TV guide, then use Tools > Assign EPG Codes.. to write the best match into tvg-id for all groups or one group. The TV Guide ID editor (the "..." beside tvg-id) does the same for one stream.
The TV Guide shows data for only a few of my channels. Why?
The status bar says how many of the playlist's channels the guide actually has data for. A low number usually means the channels' tvg-id tags do not match the guide.
All the times in the guide are an hour out. How do I fix that?
Set Settings > Guide alignment > Guide time offset (minutes, may be negative). Guide alignment is an expert page: tick Show expert settings under Settings > Common to see it. For a single channel, right-click its name in the guide and choose Guide offset.
Can I pause live TV?
Yes. Press Space to pause a live channel; the player keeps recording it into a buffer on disk, so you can carry on where you paused. The size of the buffer is "Live TV kept for pausing (MB, 0 is off)" on the Playback settings page, 512 MB unless you change it.
Can I watch a programme that has already been on?
When your provider keeps catch-up for a channel and the TV Guide knows what is on, Backspace offers the programme on now from its start, and going back past the pause buffer offers the programme at that moment. Press Y to switch.
Which streams can the player not play?
rtsp, rtmp, srt and mms addresses cannot be opened, and the player says so. Neither can streams protected with DRM.
Can I play a stream on my television?
Yes, with Send to TV. It finds Chromecasts, Google TVs and televisions with Google Cast built in, AirPlay receivers such as an Apple TV, and DLNA televisions and players on your network. To put a whole playlist on a television running the Smart IPTV app, use Tools > Send to Smart IPTV...
Can I record while the studio is closed?
Yes. With "RecordingCLI run" going in the background, bookings are recorded and downloads carry on while the studio is closed, and the two hand the work back and forth by themselves. Series rules need the studio, because it reads the guide.
Will my computer wake up for a recording?
While recordings are booked or running, the studio keeps the computer from going to sleep, and sets it to wake up a minute before the next booking. If Windows will not allow either, you are told when you book, so you can leave the computer on or turn on wake timers in the Windows power plan.
What happens when my provider only allows a few connections?
The studio asks the provider (Xtream Codes accounts say) and holds a recording or download back until a connection is free rather than having it refused. When more recordings are due than there are connections, the one with the higher Priority goes first.
Can Kodi, Plex, Emby or Jellyfin use my playlist's films and series?
Yes. Tools > STRM Library.. writes the playlist's films and series as a library of small .strm files that Kodi, Plex, Emby or Jellyfin can list and play without anything being downloaded, with .nfo files if you like. Downloads can also carry an .nfo file beside them.
Do I need accounts for film details and subtitles?
TMDB and TVDB both need a free account of your own; put the keys under Settings > Databases. No key ships with the studio, and a database with no key is simply not asked. Keys are stored encrypted for your Windows account. Subtitles come from OpenSubtitles.com with your own OpenSubtitles API key under Settings > Subtitle search; with no key nothing is fetched, and a user name and password are optional. CDDB and MusicBrainz need no account.
Is my Trakt password stored in the studio?
No. Connect.. under Settings > Trakt shows a code to type on Trakt's website; your Trakt password is never asked for.
How can I lock channels from children?
Right-click a group or streams and choose Lock, and set a code under Settings > Parental lock. From then on, watching a locked stream, sending it to a TV, or recording or downloading it asks for the code first. The lock is written into the playlist file; the code is kept on this computer only and never written into a playlist.
Which languages does ERD-Playlist Studio speak?
Fifteen: English, Dutch, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Polish, Turkish, Russian, Ukrainian, Greek, Romanian and Swedish. Choose one under Settings > Common > Language and press OK; the whole program changes at once, without restarting.
Can I open two playlists in separate windows?
Yes. Untick "Allow only one instance" under Settings > Instances (an expert page). With more than one window open, the first one looks after the recording schedule, the unattended refresh of your provider profiles, the download queue and the AI assistant connection. Only that window records and downloads, so nothing is done twice.
Can I use ERD-Playlist Studio from scripts?
Yes. M3UEditorCLI works on playlists and RecordingCLI on recordings and downloads. Both answer in JSON on standard output, and several commands can go on one line. "help" after either tool's name lists everything it can do.
Can an AI assistant work with my playlists?
An AI assistant that supports the Model Context Protocol (MCP) can read and edit your playlists, book recordings and look after your downloads: either on the playlist open in the studio (Settings > AI assistants, off by default, only programs on this computer can connect), or on any playlist file with M3UEditorCLI mcp.
Is a licence key needed?
Yes. ERD-Playlist Studio needs a valid licence key to run. Enter it with Help > Activate License..; the command line tools use the same key. Please do not share your key: a key that is shared can be revoked.
Are updates checked to be genuine?
Yes. Before anything is offered, the answer from the update server is checked to be genuine, and the downloaded installer is checked against it before it runs. An update can never take you back to an older version, and your settings are kept.
What does uninstalling leave behind?
The uninstaller leaves your own things where they are: your settings, caches and kept guides, recording schedule and download queue, logs, earlier versions of your playlists, and every recording and download. To start completely afresh, delete the program's folder in your local application data folder and in your Documents folder.