English user manual

1. What the plugin is

HPL ink IPTV is a plugin for satellite set-top boxes running Enigma2. It plays channels, movies and series from IPTV lists, shows the TV guide and reminds you about programmes. Lists, the guide and settings are easiest to add from a computer or phone, in the browser panel.

• M3U / M3U8 lists from a URL, from a file on your computer or from an Xtream Codes account (server, login, password).
• TV channels in three columns: bouquets, channels and a card with the current programme.
• Its own player with OSD, channel list, tile strip, reminders and automatic recovery of a stopped picture.
• Movies with a poster wall, series with the next episode, resuming from where you stopped.
• XMLTV guide with automatic import, guide search, reminders with a choice of „Remind” or „Switch”.
• Favourites, history, a „Watch later” list, Polish and English language.

2. Hardware and software

What the plugin was tested on

In addition, the plugin was checked on OpenBH 6.0 (Python 3.14) — it works correctly after installing one package, python3-sqlite3 (chapter 3).

Playback was checked on both Enigma players: GStreamer (4097) and exteplayer3 (5002) with the ServiceApp plugin.

Requirements

• An Enigma2 box connected to the home network (cable or Wi-Fi).
• An IPTV list from your provider: an M3U address, an M3U file or Xtream Codes account details.
• Access to the box over FTP / SFTP (e.g. WinSCP, FileZilla) and Telnet / SSH (e.g. PuTTY) — only for installation.
• The python3-sqlite3 Python module — included in the OpenBH 5.x image, on OpenBH 6.0 it must be installed (chapter 3).

3. Installation

Install command:

opkg install /tmp/enigma2-plugin-extensions-hpliptv_2.01_all.ipk

Updating to a newer version works the same way — the new package replaces the old one, settings and lists stay. Uninstall: opkg remove enigma2-plugin-extensions-hpliptv.

exteplayer3 player (optional)

By default the plugin plays through GStreamer (4097), which every image has. The second player, exteplayer3 (5002), is sometimes better with high-bitrate channels. It needs the ServiceApp plugin from your image's repository:

opkg update && opkg install enigma2-plugin-systemplugins-serviceapp

After restarting the GUI choose Player: exteplayer3 (5002) in the plugin Settings. When ServiceApp is not installed, the plugin plays through GStreamer on its own and says so in a message.

4. First start

On the first start the plugin has no list yet. The simplest way is to add one through the browser panel.

1. In the plugin choose Web panel (PC) TV. The screen shows the panel address, e.g. http://192.168.1.50:8098, a QR code and an access key.
2. Open this address in a computer browser or scan the QR code with a phone PANEL.
3. In the panel go to Settings → Add list (or the Add list button on the Home page) and enter the list address or the Xtream Codes details. A file from your computer is added in the same place: Upload an .m3u file from the computer.
4. The list downloads to the box. Go back to the plugin on the TV — channels, movies and series are ready.
5. The EPG guide downloads on its own („Auto PL” source). It can also be imported right away: EPG and reminders → Import TV EPG.

5. Start screen

On the left there is a list of nine items, on the right a preview panel with the data of the selected item. At the top: clock, date and the name of the active list; at the bottom: the number of channels, movies and series.

Items marked › open a submenu. OK enters an item, EXIT closes the plugin. After you stop watching you return to the same submenu you came from.

6. TV channels

The screen has three columns: bouquets (groups from the list, „Search channel” at the top), channels of the selected bouquet and a card of the selected channel — logo, current programme with times and a progress bar, description and the next programme. The channel that is playing has a play marker.

The channel guide shows the schedule for the next days. OK opens the programme description, GREEN sets a reminder, YELLOW sets a channel switch when the programme starts. The programme gets a REMIND. or SWITCHES marker. The same key again deletes the reminder, the other colour changes its type.

7. Player

When you play a channel or a movie, the OSD appears: channel number and group, name, clock, logo, programme title, start and end time, a purple progress bar, the next programme and key hints. The OSD hides by itself after the time set in OSD bar time.

Player menu — MENU key

• Programme description and Channel guide — without stopping playback, the picture keeps playing underneath.
• Remind: HH:MM title or Switch: HH:MM title — a reminder about the next programme on this channel; when one is already set — Delete reminder.
• Reminders — the list of all scheduled reminders, on a semi-transparent background.
• History — recently watched items, switching without leaving the player.

Notices and reminders on the picture

• Small progress bar in the bottom-right corner when the OSD is hidden (can be switched off).
• Next programme announcement a chosen number of minutes before it starts.
• „Later” panel — three upcoming programmes near the end of the current one.
• Reminder — a bar in the bottom-right corner: „In 10 min · channel”, and at the start „Starting · channel” or „Switching · channel”. When the plugin is not playing, the reminder appears in an Enigma window. A waiting reminder is shown by a dot in the OSD.

When the picture stops

The plugin watches the stream by itself. When the picture stands still for more than a dozen seconds, the message „Restoring picture...” appears and the plugin tries to rebuild the connection — up to three times. If that does not help and the list has a second channel with the same name (a backup link), the plugin switches to it. When the network is down, it waits for it to return.

Movies and series in the player

A movie stopped halfway remembers its position — when you play it again, the plugin offers to continue. After a series episode ends, the next one starts.

8. Movies and series

Movies

The Movies submenu has two forms: Poster wall (a grid of covers, three sizes in Settings) and List (a plain list of titles).

The movie card shows the poster, category, rating and description (when available in the list or in the TMDb database).

Series

Series are grouped from the episodes in the list. Choose a series, then an episode. The plugin remembers watched episodes and suggests the next one — also on the start screen (YELLOW key).

9. My lists and Search

My lists

• Continue watching — movies and episodes stopped halfway.
• Favourites — channels and items marked with the YELLOW key.
• Watch later — movies put aside for later.
• Recently watched — history.

Search

• Search movie/entry — in movies and series from the list, with the on-screen keyboard.
• Search the programme guide (EPG) — in programme titles of the whole guide, from now on. In the results: OK plays the channel of a running programme, GREEN sets a reminder, YELLOW a channel switch.

Channels are searched on the channel list, with the BLUE key.

10. EPG and reminders

EPG guide

The plugin uses a guide in XMLTV format. The source is chosen in Settings:

• Auto PL (default) — a set of Polish guides from the internet.
• url-tvg from the M3U list — the guide address stored in the list itself.
• Own XMLTV URL (EPG custom URL) — any address of an .xml or .xml.gz file.

With an Xtream Codes list the guide is set automatically from the Xtream server when the list gives no address of its own. The import runs automatically every 48 hours and does not disturb watching — while something is playing, it waits. Manually: EPG and reminders → Import TV EPG.

EPG matching

When a channel has no schedule while others do, assign the right guide channel to it: EPG and reminders → EPG matching. OK assigns, BLUE filters by name, YELLOW deletes the assignment. The same can be done in the panel, in Settings → EPG guide → EPG matching.

Reminders

A reminder is set on a future programme: in the channel guide, in the guide search results, in the channel menu, in the player menu or in the panel. Every reminder has a type:

The list of all reminders: EPG and reminders → Reminders or MENU in the player. RED or YELLOW deletes the selected one. Reminders that will switch the channel have a SWITCHES marker. An earlier advance notice (5–30 minutes) is set in Settings.

11. Browser panel

The panel is a page served by the box itself. The address and access key are shown by the Web panel (PC) item on the start screen — with a QR code for a phone. The address looks like http://box-IP:8098. The address with the key should not leave your home.

Tabs

TV bar

At the top of the panel there is a bar showing what plays on the box, with control buttons: previous / next channel, seeking, pause, stop, volume and mute.

Reminders from the panel

In the channel schedule window (Channels tab → schedule) every future programme has two buttons: Remind and Switch. A running programme has Play. A reminder that is set can be deleted in the same place.

M3U lists

1. Settings → Add list.
2. Type: M3U list address (name + http://… address) or Xtream Codes (server http://server:port, login, password).
3. Add. The list downloads to the box. The active list is chosen on the Home page, in the M3U lists card.

A file from your computer: Upload an .m3u file from the computer. Automatic download of the active list once a day is switched on on the Home page, in the Automatic download card. The active list can also be changed on the TV: M3U lists on the start screen.

12. Remote keys — summary

13. Settings

Settings and tools → Settings TV or the Settings tab PANEL. On the TV the settings are in five sections. A value is changed with LEFT / RIGHT and saved with GREEN.

Playlists and sources

1. M3U sources file / Active source from file — the lists added in the panel and the choice of the active one.
2. Source 1–5 (file or URL) — backup profiles with a list address, used when no list was added in the panel; Active backup profile picks one of them.
3. M3U list - auto download — „Once a day” or „No - on demand only”.

Playback

1. Player — GStreamer (4097) or exteplayer3 (5002, needs ServiceApp).
2. Preferred audio language — Polish, English, German or unchanged.
3. Subtitles at start — off or unchanged.

EPG and reminders

1. EPG source and EPG custom URL (XMLTV) — see chapter 10.
2. EPG range (days) — 2, 3, 5 or 7 days of schedule.
3. EPG auto-import — import every 48 hours or only manually.
4. Next programme announcement (min) — how many minutes before the start to show the notice (or off).
5. Send EPG to Enigma — also passes the schedule to Enigma's own guide.
6. Reminders — the default type for reminders without a chosen type: „Message only” or „Switch channel”.
7. Reminder advance notice — 5, 10, 15 or 30 minutes earlier, or off.

Appearance and language

1. Language — Polish or English (plugin and panel).
2. Channel logos — first from the EPG guide or first from the M3U list.
3. OSD bar time (s) — 5, 10, 15 or 20 seconds.
4. Small progress bar (no OSD) and „Later” panel (3 programmes) — on / off.
5. Channel list font, Programme description font — three sizes.
6. Poster size in Movies — small, medium or large.

Web panel (PC)

1. Web panel (PC) — switches the browser panel on or off.

Tools

• Refresh M3U list — downloads the active list again.
• Save list to .m3u — saves the downloaded list locally on the box.
• Diagnostics — the state of the list and the guide, useful when reporting a problem.

14. Troubleshooting

Message „The sqlite3 module is missing - EPG has nowhere to be saved”

The python3-sqlite3 package is missing — this concerns OpenBH 6.0. Enter opkg update && opkg install python3-sqlite3, restart the GUI and run the EPG import again (chapter 3).

The list is empty

Check the list address in the panel and choose Refresh M3U list. An Xtream list needs a correct server address with the port, login and password.

No EPG

Run Import TV EPG and wait for the completion message. When the import fails, change the EPG source or enter your own XMLTV address.

One channel has no schedule while the rest do

Assign a guide channel to it in EPG matching (chapter 10).

Black screen on exteplayer3 (5002)

Most often ServiceApp is not installed or does not match the system. Set Player: GStreamer (4097). Open Menu → Plugins — if Enigma shows the „Some plugins are not available” window with ServiceApp, install ServiceApp from your image's repository (chapter 3).

The picture freezes or a channel does not respond

The plugin tries to restore the picture by itself (chapter 7). When the problem returns on the same channels, try the other player (4097 ↔ 5002) and check the box's network connection — preferably wired.

The panel does not open

Check that the panel is switched on (Settings → Web panel (PC)), that the computer is in the same network and that the address is copied exactly. Restarting the box GUI also helps.

The plugin does not start after installation

Restart the GUI. Make sure the system uses Python 3 (Python 3.12 or 3.14, chapter 2) — this version does not work on images with Python 2.7.

15. Contact

The plugin is free. Comments, bug reports and ideas:

• e-mail: hplink.soft@proton.me — use the subject HPL ink IPTV Enigma2,
• Session: noname554@,
• other HPL ink programs: https://hplspam1-jpg.github.io/HPL-ink-Software/index.html.

HPL ink IPTV v2.01 · manual of 04.10.2026 · plugin tested on VU+ Duo 4K SE and VU+ Solo 4K with OpenBH 5.x (Python 3.12) and on OpenBH 6.0 (Python 3.14, with the python3-sqlite3 package).