An Infuse alternative that speaks IPTV too.
Infuse plays what you own. Spectati does that too, and takes your IPTV subscription in the same app.
- Plex & Jellyfin
- Emby
- SMB shares
- Direct play
- Dolby Vision
- Dolby Atmos
- M3U & Xtream
- XMLTV guide
Where the two actually differ.
Most of the file-playback story is a tie, and pretending otherwise would not survive five minutes with either app. The gap is live television.
| Capability | Spectati | Infuse |
|---|---|---|
| Native on Apple TV, iPhone, iPad and Mac | Yes | Yes |
| Plex, Jellyfin and Emby libraries | Yes | Yes |
| SMB and network shares, with no media server | Yes, in beta | Yes |
| Direct play of 4K remuxes, no server transcoding | Yes | Yes |
| Dolby Vision, HDR10+ and Dolby Atmos passthrough | Yes | Yes |
| IPTV: M3U, M3U8 and Xtream playlists | Yes | No |
| Full XMLTV program guide with now and next | Yes | No |
| Catch-up and your provider’s on-demand catalogue | Yes | No |
| Channel curation across a ten-thousand-channel lineup | Yes | No |
| Plays a real film before you connect anything | Four sample films | No |
Written by Spectati and checked against Infuse's published feature list in August 2026. Spectati is not affiliated with Firecore or Infuse; feature sets change, so check theirs before you decide.
Your playlist and your server, in one library.
A file player treats live TV as somebody else's problem, which leaves you switching apps every time you want the news. Spectati loads M3U, M3U8 and Xtream playlists beside your Plex, Jellyfin and Emby servers, builds a full-screen guide from your XMLTV data, and puts everything behind one search and one Continue Watching row.
- M3U, M3U8 and JSON playlists, plus Xtream-compatible providers
- Full XMLTV timeline with now, next and live progress per channel
- Catch-up and your provider’s films and series, with a subscription
- Curation that cuts ten thousand channels down to fifty and survives a refresh
- One search across movies, shows, episodes and live channels
Your remuxes play exactly as they should.
Nothing here is a compromise you accept for the live TV. Spectati direct-plays high-bitrate 4K remuxes with no server transcoding, hands Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HDR10 and HLG to your display and Dolby Atmos, TrueHD, E-AC-3 and DTS to your receiver, and falls back to software decoding for the formats hardware refuses.
- Direct play at full bitrate, with your server CPU idle
- Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HDR10 and HLG passthrough
- Dolby Atmos, TrueHD, E-AC-3 and DTS to your receiver
- PGS, ASS and teletext subtitles, with delay and styling controls
- SMB shares read directly, with artwork and metadata filled in
Press play before you connect anything.
A new install is not an empty shelf asking for a server address. Four films are already on Home, and they play in seconds with no account, no playlist and no card. It is the real player on your own television, not a demo mode.
- Four Blender open movies, ready the moment you open the app
- Singularity is served in HDR10, so you see what full quality buys
- Nothing to sign up for and nothing that expires
- Connect Plex, Jellyfin or a playlist whenever you feel like it
HDR10
1440p
1080p
720pBlender open movies, licensed CC BY. Spectati streams them to a fresh install so there is something to watch before you connect anything.
Free to use. Pay only for full quality.
No trial clock, and nothing to decide before you have watched something. Free direct-plays your 4K remuxes with no transcoding, in SDR. HDR and surround sound are what a subscription adds.
Free
No account neededInstall it and press play. There is no trial clock and no card.
- Plex, Jellyfin, Emby, IPTV and SMB file shares
- Up to 2 sources running at once
- Direct play of high-bitrate 4K remuxes, no transcoding
- Live TV with a full XMLTV program guide
- Favorites, hiding, renaming and sorting, channel by channel
- Parental PIN, age-rating limits and per-provider locks
Full quality
OptionalOr $2.99/month, or $99.99 once and never again
- HDR and surround sound
- More than 2 sources at once
- Offline downloads
- IPTV catch-up and on-demand
- Bulk channel tools and program reminders
- iCloud sync across your devices
- Automatic subtitles
- SIMKL watch-history sync
Bought inside the app, whenever you decide you want it. Apple handles it via In-App Purchase, with Family Sharing. The annual plan starts with a 7-day free trial. Manage or cancel anytime from your Apple ID.
- Unlimited devices
- All providers
- tvOS, iOS, iPadOS and macOS
- Family Sharing
- Cancel anytime
Switching questions, answered.
Weighing the two up and still unsure? Get in touch.
Keep your library. Add your channels.
Spectati is free on Apple TV, iPhone, iPad and Mac. Press play on a sample film, connect a server when you feel like it, and keep Infuse installed while you decide. Nothing here asks you to commit first.
Also on Apple TV, iPad and Mac
Requires tvOS, iOS, iPadOS or macOS 26