TV Player - Multi-Platform IPTV Application

A comprehensive .NET application for streaming IPTV content across multiple platforms using the MAUI cross-platform framework and WPF for Windows.

Project Overview

This project provides two implementations:

• WPF (Windows) - Primary Windows desktop application
• MAUI (Multi-platform) - Cross-platform support for Android, Windows, and macOS

Both implementations share common business logic for M3U playlist parsing and EPG (Electronic Program Guide) handling.

Architecture

Shared Components

ViewModels (MVVM Pattern)

• ObservableViewModelBase: Base class implementing INotifyPropertyChanged
• TVPlayerViewModel: Central application state (Lazy singleton)
• MainViewModel: Main UI logic
• PlayerViewModel: Video playback management
• ProgramViewModel: Program/channel selection
• SettingsViewModel: User preferences

Services & Utilities

• M3UParser: Parses M3U playlists using regex
• M3UInfo: Represents individual M3U playlist entry
• ProgramsData: Manages playlist and EPG data via Reactive Extensions
• PlaylistSettings: Configurable settings for URLs and cache behavior

Data Models

• GroupInfo: Channel grouping information
• ProgramGuide: EPG channel data
• ProgramInfo: Individual program schedule entry

Platform-Specific Code

WPF Implementation

TV Player WPF/
├── ViewModels/
│   ├── MainViewModel.cs
│   ├── PlayerViewModel.cs
│   ├── SettingsViewModel.cs
│   └── ...
├── PlaylistWorker/          # Shared parsing logic
├── MainWindow.xaml
├── VideoPlayer.xaml
└── Assets/                  # Styles and resources

Key Features:

• Full Windows desktop experience with keyboard shortcuts
• Fullscreen support
• Persistent settings (Windows Registry/AppData)
• Window state management
• Responsive UI with XAML styling

MAUI Implementation

TV Player/
├── ViewModels/              # Shared with WPF
├── Platforms/
│   ├── Android/
│   ├── Windows/
│   └── MacCatalyst/         # NEW: macOS support
├── MainPage.xaml
├── PlayerPage.xaml
├── AppShell.xaml
└── MauiProgram.cs          # DI configuration

Key Features:

• Cross-platform support (Android, Windows, macOS)
• Native platform integration
• Responsive UI adapting to screen size
• Singleton pattern with proper initialization
• Async-first design

Code Quality Improvements

Critical Fixes Applied

1. Exception Handling

Before:

catch {} // Silent failure - impossible to debug!

After:

catch (HttpRequestException ex)
{
    System.Diagnostics.Debug.WriteLine($"Network error: {ex.Message}");
}
catch (XmlException ex)
{
    System.Diagnostics.Debug.WriteLine($"XML parse error: {ex.Message}");
}

2. Thread-Safe Singleton Pattern

Before:

if (_instance == null)
    _instance = new TVPlayerViewModel();  // Race condition!
return _instance;

After:

private static readonly Lazy<TVPlayerViewModel> _instance = 
    new Lazy<TVPlayerViewModel>(
        () => new TVPlayerViewModel(), 
        LazyThreadSafetyMode.ExecutionAndPublication);

public static TVPlayerViewModel Instance => _instance.Value;

3. Proper Resource Disposal

Before:

private IDisposable _groupsSubscriber;
// ... disposed only on navigation, leaking memory otherwise
_groupsSubscriber.Dispose();

After:

private CompositeDisposable _disposables = new();

protected override void OnAppearing()
{
    base.OnAppearing();
    _disposables.Add(
        TVPlayerViewModel.Instance.PlaylistData.GroupsInformation
            .Subscribe(x => Programs = x)
    );
}

protected override void OnDisappearing()
{
    base.OnDisappearing();
    _disposables.Dispose();  // Complete cleanup
}

4. Safe Application Shutdown

Before:

Environment.Exit(0);  // Force exit without cleanup

After:

if (Application.Current?.MainWindow is Window window)
{
    window.Close();  // Allows cleanup sequence
}

Additional Improvements

• Input Validation: Null checks for navigation and URLs
• Configuration Management: PlaylistSettings for URL configuration
• Base Classes: Proper inheritance for reusable code
• Async/Await: Fire-and-forget tasks now properly tracked
• DateTime Parsing: CultureInfo.InvariantCulture for reliability
• Code Cleanup: Removed 70+ lines of commented code

Building & Running

For WPF (Main Windows Application)

cd "TV Player WPF"
dotnet build --configuration Release
dotnet run

See WPF-BUILD.md for detailed instructions.

For MAUI (Cross-Platform)

macOS (NEW!)

cd "TV Player"
dotnet build --framework net8.0-maccatalyst
dotnet run --framework net8.0-maccatalyst

Android

dotnet run --framework net8.0-android

Windows (MAUI)

dotnet run --framework net8.0-windows10.0.19041.0

See MAUI-BUILD.md for detailed instructions and prerequisites.

Features

M3U Playlist Support

• Format: Standard M3U8 with extended info
• Parsing: Regex-based extraction of metadata
• Grouping: Programs organized by group/category
• Logo Support: Channel logos from M3U metadata
• Error Handling: Graceful handling of malformed entries

EPG (Electronic Program Guide)

• Format: XMLTV standard
• Async Loading: Non-blocking EPG download and parsing
• Caching: Local storage to reduce network requests
• Timezone Support: Proper DateTime parsing with culture info

Streaming

• Format Support: M3U8, HTTP, RTMP streams
• Adaptive: Handles different stream formats
• Timeout Protection: Configurable network timeouts
• Error Recovery: Retry logic for failed streams

UI/UX

• Cross-Platform: Consistent experience across platforms
• Responsive: Adapts to different screen sizes
• Accessible: Keyboard navigation support
• Dark Theme: Professional appearance (configurable)

Configuration

Playlist Settings

public class PlaylistSettings
{
    public string M3UUrl { get; set; }
    public string EpgUrl { get; set; }
    public int TimeoutSeconds { get; set; } = 30;
    public bool CacheEpgLocally { get; set; } = true;
    public int CacheValidityDays { get; set; } = 3;
}

Default configuration uses the provided IPTV service, but can be customized via:

1. Application settings UI
2. Configuration files
3. Programmatic configuration in PlaylistSettings

Platform Support

Platform	Status	Minimum Version	Notes
Windows (WPF)	✅ Primary	Windows 10 19041	Full-featured
Windows (MAUI)	✅ Supported	Windows 10 19041	Cross-platform
Android	✅ Supported	API 21+	MAUI UI
macOS	✅ New	macOS 14.2+	Mac Catalyst
iOS	⚠️ Possible	iOS 14+	Not tested

Dependencies

Core NuGet Packages

• System.Reactive: 6.0.0+ (Rx streams)
• Microsoft.Maui.Controls: 8.0.20+ (MAUI UI framework)
• CommunityToolkit.Mvvm: Latest (MAUI DI)

Optional

• LibVLC (for advanced video playback - currently unused)
• Custom HTTP clients support

Troubleshooting

macOS Build Issues

# Install MAUI workload
dotnet workload install maui
dotnet workload install maccatalyst

# Verify
dotnet workload list

Network Errors

• Check Debug output for specific error messages
• Verify firewall allows outbound connections
• Test URL directly in browser
• Check for HTTPS vs HTTP issues

Performance

• Use Release build for testing
• Check available memory and CPU
• Monitor network bandwidth

Development Guidelines

Adding New Features

1. Implement ViewModel inheriting from ObservableViewModelBase
2. Add proper exception handling (not bare catch blocks!)
3. Use CompositeDisposable for subscriptions
4. Test on all platforms before committing

Error Handling Pattern

try 
{
    // Attempt operation
}
catch (SpecificException ex)
{
    Debug.WriteLine($"Specific error: {ex.Message}");
    // Handle specific case
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
    Debug.WriteLine($"Unexpected error: {ex.Message}");
    // Handle general case
}

Resource Management

Always use using statements or proper disposal:

using (var client = new HttpClient())
{
    // Use client
} // Automatic disposal

For subscriptions:

_disposables.Add(observable.Subscribe(...));
// Cleanup in OnDisappearing or Dispose method

Future Enhancements

High Priority

• Shared core library to eliminate duplication
• Unit tests for M3U parsing
• Integration tests for EPG loading
• Settings persistence across platforms
• Search functionality

Medium Priority

• Channel bookmarks/favorites
• Recording functionality
• Picture-in-picture support
• Subtitle support
• Audio track selection

Low Priority

• Push notifications for new channels
• Social sharing
• Analytics integration
• In-app purchases for premium features

Contributing

Code Standards

• Follow C# naming conventions (PascalCase for public, camelCase for private)
• Use meaningful variable names
• Add XML comments for public APIs
• Keep methods focused and under 50 lines
• Use async/await for I/O operations

Pull Requests

1. Create feature branch from main
2. Test on all supported platforms
3. Update documentation
4. Submit PR with description of changes
5. Address review feedback

License

[Your License Here]

Contact & Support

For issues, questions, or suggestions:

• Create an issue on repository
• Check existing documentation
• Review debug logs for error details

Changelog

See CHANGELOG.md for detailed version history.

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Last Updated: March 22, 2026 Project Status: Stable (MAUI with macOS support) Main Implementation: WPF for Windows Cross-Platform: MAUI for Android, Windows, macOS