Garbled labels can come from a text-encoding mismatch rather than a video fault. A player needs to interpret the playlist’s characters correctly. Keep the original file and investigate its encoding or import method before renaming every channel by hand.
Separate text from media
If a channel plays correctly but its name contains unusual replacement characters, the stream can be fine while the metadata is misread. This affects navigation and guide matching differently from a failed video decoder. Record whether categories and programme titles show the same problem.
Use a plain-text workflow
If you are authorised to edit a local playlist, use an editor that can show and preserve its encoding. UTF-8 is commonly used for international text, but blindly resaving a file can damage characters further if the original was decoded incorrectly. Keep a backup before converting anything.
Compare another supported import
If the same source displays correctly in another compatible player, report the first app’s version and import method to its publisher. Avoid uploading a private playlist to a public conversion website. A redacted small example containing only non-sensitive metadata can demonstrate the character problem.
