Go here for more support- avsforum.com and the WatchHDTV thread in the Home Theater Computers Forum- HERE.  My member name is hdtval21.

For non-HDTV Wonder and non-FusionHDTV users, a decoders.txt file is required for live recording and timeshifting.  Without setting up a decoders.txt file, live recording and timeshifting will not work at all.

If the main control panel disappears and you can't get it back-

1.  Right-click WatchHDTV in the taskbar and select "Move" then use the mouse or keyboard arrow keys to move the window back into view.

OR

2.  Delete the config.txt file in the WatchHDTV folder.  This will cause all the settings to reset and will open WatchHDTV with the default settings.

CHANNEL SETUP-  You must setup a channel list to start using WatchHDTV.

To setup a channel list, you choose whatever channels you want and add them to the list.  The RF Channel will be the channel in parenthesis in TitanTV, or the frequency assignment on antennaweb.  The subchannel will be 1(or -1) for the main HD channel.  If you have subchannels, they will then be 2, 3, etc.  The main channel can either be tuned with 1 or -1.  Both should work, but one setting may work better than the other.  Some stations with multiple subchannels may not tune to the first channel if you have -1, so you may need to use 1.  Make sure the channels are working correctly with 1 or -1 before timeshifting/recording, because if the channel doesn't come in reliably any timeshifting/recording will not work properly.  Not all subchannels may work, even though they may be listed in your guide.  You do not need to add all subchannels or even the first subchannel to get any to work- you can add whatever channels you want.  The channel is the main channel number in TitanTV and the channel column in antennaweb.  You must provide the channel for subchannels past 1, otherwise the subchannels may not tune in.  Once you provide all three numbers, you can press "TUNE CH" to see if the channel works.  You can also just add the channel to the list without tuning.  Once you have all the channels you want, you can then start using WatchHDTV.

 

 

For www.TitanTV.com, you need to sign up for a free account and you will get a guide with the available HD channels in your area.  You can customize how the guide looks, but you need to look at the digital guide to see the channels and their frequencies.  In the picture below, Los Angeles has HD channels for all major stations.  The numbers with the .1,.2, etc are the regular channels in analog.  The number below in parenthesis is the frequency, or RF, channel.  It is the actual channel that you have to tune to.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

www.Antennaweb.org is another place to see what HD channels are available in your area.  You can simply provide your zip code and you'll get a list of all stations.  The channel column is the regular channel in analog.  Antennaweb doesn't list subchannels, so you could use TitanTV to determine which ones are available.  The last column, frequency assignment, is the RF channel that you need to tune. 

 

 

DECODERS SETUP-  For the ATI HDTV Wonder and DVICO FusionHDTV Series, WatchHDTV and WatchHDTVPlay will default to the included decoders.  All other tuners will default to system selected decoders.  If you want to use other decoders, you must setup a simple .txt file with the decoders you want. 

 

*WatchHDTVInfo is a new tool that can show the same information for the decoders so Graphedit or DSFMGR isn't necessary anymore.  You can create the decoders.txt file now with WatchHDTV Info.  Just select the decoders you will use and press "Create decoders.txt".

 

Graphedit is one tool you can use to find available decoders and is shown here.  DSFMGR(search for dsfmgr) is another tool that will lists the available decoders .  Open up the "Insert Filters" window and open up the directshow filters category.  You will get a long list of all types of filters on your system.  You want to look for MPEG2 video and audio decoders.  In the first list below, there are the CyberLink decoders provided with the HDTV Wonder.  You may have other CyberLink decoders if you have PowerDVD, but the ATI ones are denoted with "(ATI)".  In the next list are the FusionHDTV provided video decoders, Zulu HDTV DxVA decoder and non-dxva decoder.  The FusionHDTV audio decoders are found with the "DVICO" named filters.  The last list has some ATI MPEG filters.  These are possibly used by ATI TV, ATI transcoding, or when saving files to different formats when recording with ATI TV or DTV.

 

Once you find the decoders you want, you must setup a simple decoders.txt file with the video and audio decoders.  You must provide the exact name as shown in graphedit(or any other tool that provides the same information), with spacing, capitals, etc.  The first line of the file will be the video decoder and the second line will be the audio decoder.  You must provide both decoders.  Once you create the file, save it as "decoders.txt" and leave it in the same folder with WatchHDTV.  When WatchHDTV opens, it will look for the file and if it exists, will attempt to use the decoders listed.  If the decoders aren't compatible with HD streams, WatchHDTV may crash or WatchHDTV will open but you might not get any audio or video.  Just because WatchHDTV may open doesn't mean the decoders should work then.  If you get no video or audio, then the decoders likely won't work.  WatchHDTV Play will also use the same decoders, so you can try the decoders with this first.  In the decoders.txt file here, I've used the Fusion non-dxva video decoder and the ATI CyberLink audio decoder.  You can mix and match any decoders you have.  It is important that you make sure you use the EXACT names as shown in graphedit.