# Streams via URL **URL:** \ **Category:** Feature Suggestions\ **Created:** [January 23, 2022, 4:39am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/streams-via-url/772407 "2022-01-23T04:39:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Main\_Account](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5ac83/32.png) [@Main\_Account](https://forums.plex.tv/u/Main_Account)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2022, 4:39am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/streams-via-url/772407/1 "2022-01-23T04:39:46Z")
You know how you can watch streams with VLC Player with just having the URL? Maybe you do, maybe you don’t; but you can. Anyways, is there a way to input the URL in Plex, and watch the stream through Plex Media Player? ---
**Author:** ![tom80H](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/tom80h/32/19753_2.png) [@tom80H](https://forums.plex.tv/u/tom80H)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2022, 10:21am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/streams-via-url/772407/2 "2022-01-23T10:21:05Z")
There’s an existing feature suggestion asking to support a model like STRM files. Those are basically files you can store in your media library which point to the URL of a video. > [@\[REQ\] ADD STRM Support](https://forums.plex.tv/t/req-add-strm-support/233521): > > Taken from: [https://forums.plex.tv/discussion/317877/strm-support](https://forums.plex.tv/discussion/317877/strm-support)@jinxy88 said: This is a huge huge request for plex developers, please add STRM support back into Plex. People with huge libraries using gdrive as a source would love this feature. Emby allready added this feature and its starting to get a lot of attention since it did, because there are scripts that just passthrough the STRM to the client, thus getting rid of transcoding, wasting precious resources, and everything gets direc… # Similarly there’s an existing suggestion asking for an option to link media from other platforms (not like those will allow something like this). > [@Register links to other sources like Google Play](https://forums.plex.tv/t/register-links-to-other-sources-like-google-play/82375): > > In addition to Plex, I would like to register links to other sites that host content.     Show all the features a movie would normally have (Posters, metadata, etc.) but instead of playing the movie a URL would be displayed with a way to copy the URL.   I do not expect Plex to actually open up the link though if I am in a web browser that would make sense.  What I want is the artwork overlayed with a visual indicator that the content is external.   Why this is needed: I have ripped all th… # Keeping in mind that Plex is aiming to be a platform for media you own (aside of online media sources contributed through Plex), I consider supporting such external URLs will be quite a significant change (and one with a lot of licensing/legal implications). # TL;DR: I suggest you comment/vote in the existing suggestions to avoid distracting votes by having duplicate versions. ---
**Author:** ![OttoKerner](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/ottokerner/32/10079_2.png) [@OttoKerner](https://forums.plex.tv/u/OttoKerner)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2022, 10:21am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/streams-via-url/772407/3 "2022-01-23T10:21:09Z")
> [@Support for M3U playlistss in Live TV](https://forums.plex.tv/t/support-for-m3u-playlistss-in-live-tv/232215/1): > > Many IP TV providers provide a channel list with TS streams defined in an M3U playlist, often with HLS seperation of streams to support multiple bit rates. They also use a groupid tag to place channels into a sutiable categorisation for use in the EPG TV guides. Please consider adding support for M3U as a tuner type in DVR/Live TV. I have just tried out Emby’s version of this, and it kills Plex dead in my house for live tv. ---
**Author:** ![tom80H](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/tom80h/32/19753_2.png) [@tom80H](https://forums.plex.tv/u/tom80H)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2022, 10:21am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/streams-via-url/772407/4 "2022-01-23T10:21:27Z")
2022 clean-up: - duplicate (see 1st response) - 3rd party work-around (see Otto’s response)