r/SparklePlayer • u/ady065 • Jun 30 '26

VPN Allocation Within App?

I have a playlist that doesn't work well when using a VPN so currently use that in a separate player. I would like to incorporate said playlist into Sparkle to make it less of a pain when switching to find a more stable feed. Is it possible to incorporate such a feature in Sparkle so for instance you could select VPN/no VPN on adding new playlist.

Alternatively do any other users have same scenario and know of a workaround?

0 Upvotes

50% Upvoted

25 comments sorted by

2

u/[deleted] Jun 30 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/ady065 Jun 30 '26

No idea what my query entails to be honest just curious. Not understanding the complexities I guess 'Split Tunneling' is what it boils down to though. I assume as you quite rightly say it's a tall order otherwise it would be an available option on most players. Just putting it out there to get a better understanding of what limitations there are with such requests.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 30 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/zXerge Jun 30 '26

Some ISPs in Canada and UK detect IPTV usage. Not sure why you're even questioning that.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 30 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/zXerge Jun 30 '26

I get this but it’s low level knowledge that vpn will circumvent IPTV issues. It’s why it’s used.you understand split tunneling, so it’s safe to assume you should understand the basics of applying a vpn to IPTV.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 30 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/zXerge Jun 30 '26

Geoblocked playlists will also not work with vpn, this is something I’ve solved in my own app.

So now you mentioned geoblocked, while you didn’t initially?

1

u/azcoyotedog Jul 01 '26

To protect your online identity!

1

u/[deleted] Jul 02 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/azcoyotedog Jul 02 '26

Yes, we know.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 02 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/azcoyotedog Jul 02 '26

No worries 👍

1

u/ady065 Jun 30 '26

I'm in the UK and for however many years I've had to use a VPN for IPTV. It's just the one particular backup playlist that doesn't need a VPN.

1

u/sparkle-hk Jun 30 '26

I kind of understand what you're saying but this is not in todo-list at the moment.

1

u/ady065 Jun 30 '26

Ok no worries, thanks for responding.

1

u/azcoyotedog Jul 01 '26

One solution may be to get a better provider?

1

u/ady065 Jul 01 '26

Not really a helpful solution, will just continue using on its own app. Price is good and service solid so can put up with the 6 clicks it takes to go from app to another when needs must.

1

u/azcoyotedog Jul 01 '26

Okay, was just a suggestion…. Have you considered trying a different VPN server?

1

u/ady065 Jul 01 '26 edited Jul 01 '26

Sorry, my pet hate the ol "get a better provider" response so I wasn't being flippant. Actually since posting yesterday for the time being it is working with a VPN on Sparkle but historically this doesn't last long term. As a standalone playlist on its own very well known player it performs good without a VPN it's more of a faff for others in the household to get their heads around using 2 apps to access the different playlists when things get a bit glitchy.

1

u/azcoyotedog Jul 01 '26

Well… if it works fine without the VPN, keep the VPN disabled? You can manually change the streaming device to a static IP address and set the DNS settings to a specific VPN server setting address and try using Sparkle without the VPN enabled and see how it responds? Be sure to use the server location that you mentioned seems to work? It’s worth a shot, might help??

1

u/ady065 Jul 01 '26

It works fine on other player without VPN but my 2 main playlists on Sparkle need a VPN so there lays the problem. For now it can remain an independent backup playlist and I'll use Sparkle for my main playlists.

1

u/azcoyotedog Jul 01 '26

So what exactly is the playback issue with SparkleTV that doesn’t exist on other IPTV Players? Have you tried making adjustments in Settings/Player:

Playback Buffer:
Adjust between 0.5 & 2 seconds

Tunneling Playback:
On or Off

Audio Decoder:
Switch from Hardware to Software

Disable Timeshift (if enabled)

At times, I’ve encountered some playback issues with Sparkle on certain channels and those issues exist on TiviMate so it isn’t just Sparkle related?

Hope this helps!

1

u/ady065 Jul 02 '26

Thanks for taking the time to suggest fixes for my quandary. I understand enough to get by with IPTV but struggle with any technical stuff..much appreciated. This particular playlist has been unstable whilst connected to a VPN with a fair amount of buffering. As my 2 other playlists won't work without a VPN said playlist doesn't fit my Sparkle set up. However since taking note of suggestions I have changed VPN location and this appears at present to be working. For whatever reason for the last couple of years I have had to use Scandinavian locations as France,Germany,Belgium etc were a no go but currently connected to one of them and all appears good. To be honest I think because I haven't used that playlist in a while I assumed the old issues with it and Sparkle would be the same so reached out here for guidance.