These days, the Internet hype might have you thinking that movie streaming is kicking out TV channels but that’s not necessarily the case. While streaming platforms are becoming more popular, there are millions of people who prefer the good old tradition of following TV programs. If you’re one such person, then today’s app from Linux Mint is for you.
Hypnotix is a free and open-source IPTV streaming application with support for live TV, movies, and series. It is developed and managed by the Linux Mint team to support multiple IPTV providers of the types Xtream API, local m3u playlist, and M3U URL.
Related Read: 12 Best Free Movie & TV Show Streaming Sites in 2021
On installation, it comes with FreeIPTV (a project with M3U for 2000+ legally available TV channels) preconfigured. This means that once you start using Hypnotix, you have access to more TV channels than you can watch from all over the world!
When deciding on which TV channels to watch, you can filter the list by clicking on the region or country you are interested in to view the results in the left sidebar. Click on a channel to immediately start streaming your channel selection in the main section to the right of the sidebar. Tap F or F11 to go fullscreen if you don’t want to use the on-screen button.
One cool feature in Hypnotix is the ability to pause the TV channel to resume later. This functionality is possible due to the app’s ability to cache data on your machine but we don’t know exactly how big the cache is. You may be some seconds behind when you resume; this apparently depends on the cache.
Features in Hypnotix
- Free, open-source software with source code available on GitHub.
- Simple, easy-to-use user interface.
- Supports Video on Demand (VOD) library.
- Pause live streams.
- Keyboard shortcuts.
There are a handful of points we’ve noticed while using Hypnotix and you may find them useful too if you want to use the app right away:
- Your viewing experience is dependent on your connection speed and that of the TV channel’s servers.
- Not all the TV channels listed in the application work.
- The TV channels are not listed with details of the running programs.
- There is no way to control the video quality as you would on YouTube, for example.
- All the ads broadcasted during program breaks are streamed as well.
Installing Hypnotix in Ubuntu and Debian-based Distro
Hypnotix is currently in its beta phase but you can already test it on Ubuntu or any other Debian-based distro using its .deb file.
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If you’re running Arch Linux or any of its derivative distributions, you can install it from the AUR – no surprise there.
For Hypnotix to run, it requires Python 3 packages which may not be available on Linux Mint 19 and Ubuntu 18.04 versions yet. If you have Python 3 installed on your system, you can download the dependency package by clicking the button below.
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Future Updates
According to Linux Mint, Hypnotix will be getting some important updates soon. These include:
- EPG support for Live programs.
- Hiding unused content. This will make the UI less cluttered.
- PVR: pausing, recording, time-shifting, etc.
- Custom categories for listing channels.
- Favorites. A nifty feature in any streaming service.
After Warpinator, this another application that Linux Mint is taking their time to build from the ground app and it is good that not only the people who have their distro installed can enjoy it.
Do you like the idea of watching IPTV channels from the comfort of your computer? Tell us what you think about the Hypnotix project in the discussion section below.
Is there any information available on removing the free-tv m3u file and replace it with a different one? If there is I don’t see where to do it in the gui.
Where is the BACK button?
Once I choose a certain country, and I want to go back to the country list, there is no BACK button.
The only option is to close the program and re-open it… Weird
When I want to add a provider (I have my own M3U provider), a new window opens and I add the Name, URL and EPG and click [ OK ].
The window disappears and there is NO new provider. Is this a bug, or am I doing something wrong?
This is absolutely fabulous, the UI is intuitive and the app works well. I downloaded the .deb and installed it on Kubuntu 20.11.
This is a part of the Mint package that I decided to try out, but found it to be balky, with each channel simply stopping and seeming to lose the stream after a time from a couple minutes to ten minutes or so. It simply stops playing. Maybe due to net congestion? Even so, it doesn’t pick up the stream again by itself, and the only way I have found to get it back is to open another channel, let it play for a few seconds, then return to the original. Awkward way to watch. (my connection is 25/25 with under 50ms latency)
App is not quite ready for prime time viewing.
I am trying Mint.20.1 from a live USB. Hypnotix presents an almost blank screen with no providers and none offered. The hamburger menu does not offer any access. How to start? My current OS is Mint.20.
Delete it and reinstall it. Hypnotix recently got some bug fixes that may have addressed your issue.
That is great, cannot wait to try it out.
Hello Anthony, how has the Hypnotix experience been?