Open HTTP IPTV Lists in Your Browser: PrePlay HTTP Bridge
· 5 min read
If your provider's address starts with http://, you have probably run into a wall when trying to watch IPTV in your browser: the list is added but never loads, or you see a warning that the provider does not allow web pages. This article explains why, and how the free PrePlay HTTP Bridge extension lets you open an HTTP IPTV list in the online IPTV player.
Premium Player is only a player; it contains no channels, films or series and sells none. You get your list from your own IPTV provider.
Why does an http list not open in an online IPTV player?
The online IPTV player runs on a secure address, https://. Browsers do not let a secure page read an insecure http:// address; this is called the "mixed content" block. On top of that, most IPTV providers do not send the headers a browser needs. The result: the same list opens fine in an app but not in the browser.
This limit applies only to the browser. The Android, Windows, Mac and Linux apps do not have it. And if your address already starts with https://, you do not need the extension; the web player works as it always did.
What is PrePlay HTTP Bridge?
PrePlay HTTP Bridge is a free browser extension that lets the Premium Player web app (app.preplay.cc) read your own IPTV sources served over plain HTTP. It is built for Chrome, Edge and Brave and is available on the Chrome Web Store.
The extension handles Xtream Codes accounts, M3U playlists, XMLTV guides, live channels (HLS and MPEG-TS) and films. There is no proxy server: your lists and streams go from your provider straight to your browser and nowhere else. The extension collects no data and sends nothing to us or anyone else.
Installing and using it
- Add PrePlay HTTP Bridge from the Chrome Web Store. It asks for no site permissions when you install it.
- Open the online IPTV player.
- Go to Settings › Sources, choose Add Xtream Codes or Add M3U playlist, and enter your
http://address. - The extension asks, in its own window, whether this source may be read. Choose Allow.
- The browser asks once more for permission to access HTTP sites. Confirm.
- The source is checked and saved, and live channels and films open.
You grant permission for each source separately. The sources you approve are listed in the extension's toolbar window and can be removed with one click.
Safety: what the extension does and does not do
Adding an extension to your browser is a fair thing to think twice about, so here are the limits in plain terms:
- It works on app.preplay.cc only. No other site can use it.
- Every source is approved separately. The approval is a click of yours in the extension's own window; the page cannot approve on your behalf.
- Local network and private addresses are always refused. The extension is not an open proxy.
- It only reads lists, guides and streams. No cookies are sent, and only read requests are allowed.
- It collects no data. For the privacy details, see the privacy policy.
What happens without the extension?
Nothing breaks. HTTPS sources keep working without the extension, as before. If you add an http:// source without it, the web player tells you that the provider does not allow connections from a browser. If you would rather not install the extension, add the same list to an app: Windows, Mac, Linux, Android or Android TV and Fire TV. All are on the download page.
Limits to know about
- The extension is built for Chrome, Edge and Brave. On iPhone and iPad you use the web player in Safari; there an
http://list needs the app, and the App Store version is in preparation. - The web player does not work in a private window, because lists are kept in the browser's own storage.
- Some providers may still limit their streams. Watching with one account in several places at once is not permitted by most providers.
If you get stuck adding a list, see IPTV setup with Xtream Codes and how to open an M3U playlist.
Frequently asked questions
Why does an http IPTV list not open in the browser?
Browsers stop a secure (https) page from reading an http:// address. The PrePlay HTTP Bridge extension gets around this for the sources you approve.
Is PrePlay HTTP Bridge free?
Yes, it is free and publicly available on the Chrome Web Store.
Does the extension work on every website?
No. It works only on app.preplay.cc, and it asks you to approve each source separately.
Does the extension send my IPTV list to a server?
No. There is no intermediary server; the list and streams go from your provider directly to your browser.
Does Premium Player provide channels?
No, it is only a player. You get your list from your own IPTV provider.