I Built a Privacy-First Streaming Player for Personal M3u/hls Playlists

I built a player (mobile / TV / web) that only plays user-provided playlists (M3U/HLS), no content included, no ads, no tracking. UI is designed for a premium streaming experience (grid of thumbnails, categories, search, profiles, resume, favorites). I’m mostly looking for candid feedback from folks who actually use playlist-based players — and whether a €2–3/month price for a “ultra-premium” player sounds reasonable.

Background (very short) I’m a dev and built this initially for personal use. It works across iOS, Android, Smart TV and a Web client. Playback is HLS-first, playlist import & parsing (M3U) supported, and the server-side component is only used for optional metadata: thumbnail generation, EPG parsing, and lightweight heuristics to auto-group channels into categories. No content is stored or redistributed by me — the app only plays streams you provide.

What it does (features, non-marketing) • Import/play your own M3U/HLS playlists. • Grid-based UI with thumbnails and category views (automatic grouping heuristics). • Instant search, favorites, per-profile watch position (resume). • Optional EPG metadata enrichment (parser + simple heuristics). • Cross-device parity (syncing of preferences only — no telemetry). • No ads, no bundled playlists, no content hosting.

Tech notes (brief) • Web frontend: single-page app (modern component framework). • Native: thin wrappers / native shells for mobile and TV where useful. • Playback relies on built-in HLS stacks on each platform (no re-streaming). • Server: small Python microservice for metadata/thumbnail tasks; everything else is client-side.

Questions I’d love honest answers to 1. For people who use playlist-based players today: what are the absolute must-have features you miss in existing apps? 2. How valuable is a very polished UI/UX to you vs. raw functionality? (i.e. would you trade a few convenience features for a much cleaner interface?) 3. Platform preference — would you use this mostly on TV, mobile, or web? 4. Pricing: would you pay ~€2–3/month for a no-ads, privacy-first, ultra-polished player that only plays your own playlists? If not, what model would you consider (one-time fee, higher monthly, free with paid extras)?

Constraints / transparency • I’m not providing or endorsing any playlists. This is strictly the player. • No analytics beyond basic crash reporting (user opt-in only). • I’m not fundraising — this is a product-market fit check.

If you’ve got a minute, I’d appreciate: a short sentence answering Q1–Q4 above, and any quick suggestions or pain points you think I should prioritize. If it helps, I can post a few screenshots in replies (no links or downloads — just visuals).

Thanks for any blunt feedback — I’m trying to avoid building something pretty that nobody actually wants.