Have you ever wondered what all the information means when choosing Streaming Links?

This is a question we receive often at TROYPOINT, and this guide will help explain what everything means when selecting a link to play.

Using Kodi addons or APK’s such as Cinema is a great way to stream Movies and TV Shows for free.

However, it can oftentimes be difficult to decide which link to play after making a content selection.

Most links or sources are accompanied by text and numbers that can be confusing if you don’t know what they mean.

This guide will explain streaming links and help you when deciding which link to play.

If you are a real-debrid user, this is especially helpful as these links are often even more confusing.

Streaming Links – What Does it All Mean?

Kodi

Most APK’s and Kodi Addons use the source-select option to play Movies and TV Shows.

Usually, this is the default setting and the best way to find a source for streaming.

This means that you are provided with multiple links to choose from after making a content section.

When using a Kodi addon or APK for streaming, you are usually presented with a list of links or sources to choose from for viewing.

But what are the differences in each link?

When using Kodi, you may be presented with the following screen before links are shown:

This is displayed while Kodi is “scraping” sources or scouring the internet for available streams.

As you can see, using real-debrid will provide you with tons of more links than if you do not have this service.

These real-debrid links are considered “Premium” links, while the free ones are deemed “Normal”.

Once the addon has finished scraping providers for links, we are displayed with the following screen:

(In this instance, we are streaming Night of the Living Dead which is considered one of the Best Public Domain Movies by TROYPOINT)

If you scroll all the way to the bottom, we can see all links available if we did not have a real-debrid account:

As you can see, using real-debrid is a major advantage for streaming content in both Kodi addons and Streaming APK’s.

Real-Debrid provided over 280 links that would not be available without it!

Now that we have a list of links to choose from, how do we know which one to select?

The information provided with each link will help us in determining the best option to play.

Using the instance above, each link can be broken down by the following:

Usually, any link that is a different color (Orange, Yellow, Purple, etc.) are real-debrid or premium links that are higher in quality than free links.

Another giveaway for real-debrid links is the RD at the beginning.

Information next to RD is the video resolution of each link and is very important in making a link selection.

Quality options are usually available in 4k, 1080p, 720p, 360p, and SD (Standard Definition).

Currently, 4k is the highest quality stream but will only work if your TV and or streaming device supports 4k HD resolution.

If there are no 4k options or you do not have a device that can play 4k links, 1080p is also a great choice.

Typically, the text following the video resolution is the source where the link comes from.

This is the website or torrent site that hosts the video file.

In the instance below, the link is hosted by TorrentQuest and scraped into Kodi for streaming.

If the file is a torrent file, it usually displays this after the file location as shown below:

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you choose to use torrent files for streaming, it’s important to ensure that you also use a VPN. Having a VPN is crucial to protecting your privacy and security while streaming.

Click HERE for a special IPVanish Discount.

In the example above, the video resolution is displayed as 1080p, followed by BLURAY/X264, which indicates the format of the video file.

When you encounter BLURAY, BDRip, or DVDRip/BDRip in a link, these are usually copies of the final released DVD and offer excellent quality playback.

Other formats you may come across include DVDscr (DVD-Screener), which is a pre-release version of the video shared with reviewers and others. While not of the highest quality, it often plays in 720p.

CAM is another common video file format, but these are usually of poor quality as they are often theater rips obtained by recording movies in theaters.

If you see x264 in a link option, it simply means that it’s the software used to convert the link into H.264/MPEG-4 AVC format for streaming purposes.

The last number associated with each link is crucial as it indicates the size of the file you’ll be playing, displayed in either GB or MB.

The file size you can play generally depends on your internet speed and the quality of the link. Real-debrid users can usually play larger files as these links are of higher quality and experience lower traffic.

If you are not a real-debrid user and have limited internet speed, you might need to stick to playing files that are 2 GB or less.

The provided image gives a rough estimate of the speed required to stream different video resolutions.

NOTE: The image provides estimates for necessary download speeds. Actual speed requirements vary based on different devices, ISPs, and other factors.

What is a Good Internet Speed? Everything You Need to Know

Streaming Links in APKs

Similar to Kodi, most streaming apps and APK’s also present all information associated with each link after making your content selection.

Currently, the most popular APK for streaming Movies and TV Shows is Cinema APK. Below is a screenshot of the links displayed once you choose your film:

Just like in Kodi, Cinema scours the internet for available links and presents them for you to select.

The information provided for each link is similar to that in Kodi, but you might notice additional details about the link that you haven’t seen before.

If you come across a link labeled [Need resolve] while using real-debrid, it simply means the link is yet to be resolved. Clicking to play usually resolves the link for smooth streaming after a few seconds.

Cinema does this to reduce server requests and improve download speeds for its users.

If you encounter playback issues, consider logging out of real-debrid and then logging back in. You can also refer to the guide below for troubleshooting real-debrid problems.

Real-Debrid Not Working? How To Fix

Other Information Presented with Streaming Links

At times, additional information accompanies certain links during streaming, especially when using real-debrid within APK’s like Cinema.

If you encounter numbers like 5.1, 5.1 CH, or 7.1, these indicate the audio format of the video file.

5.1 signifies six-channel surround sound, offering great audio quality for an immersive streaming experience, especially with soundbars or surround sound systems.

7.1 refers to 8-channel surround sound, delivering excellent audio quality, especially when paired with additional speakers in your surround sound setup.