• FAQ
• Ask Zattoo

 

Frequently Asked Questions

I lost my password. How can I get a new one?

Due to security reasons we cannot change your password manually. To receive a new password, go to http://zattoo.com/ and click on "LOGIN". On the drop-down dialog that appears, click on "Lost password?". On the following page, enter the email address that you used during your initial registration and press "Reset Password". Within a few minutes a new password will be sent to you by email. If you don’t receive it, please check your spam/junk folder or spam settings. You can minimize typo errors when logging in by using the “copy/paste” function to enter your password.

How can I change my password?

You can change your password by accessing your personal data on our website (click on “LOGIN” in the upper right corner) and click on “Change” beside Email Address.

I cannot log in to my account. What can I do?

Have you registered your Zattoo account with a valid email address? If not, this might be the reason why you cannot log in and why you also will not receive a new password upon request. In this case, please just register a new user account once more and please make sure this time to enter your correct email address.

What is Zattoo?

Zattoo brings TV to the PC. We have developed a software that enables you to watch TV for free on your computer. The software is available for free and runs on Windows 2000, XP and Vista, Mac OS, and Linux. All you need additionally is broadband access.

How can I use Zattoo?

It’s simple: download the Zattoo Player at http://zattoo.com/en/download, install it, create a user account and start watching TV. You can find a detailed description for this on http://zattoo.com/en/download.

Do I have to pay to use Zattoo?

No! The software is free, and currently all the channels on offer for viewing are free and they’ll remain so! In the future, we plan to keep offering a broad basic service for free and a few specialized channels for a small subscription fee.

Are there any hidden costs in using Zattoo?

No. Both the software and the use of Zattoo are completely free of charge.

I’d like to register – what do I have to do?

Please go to https://zattoo.com/en/signup. Enter your email address, a password of your choice and all other information required in the form. After that, you can download the Player, install it and start watching TV free of charge on your computer.

In which countries can I use Zattoo?

Zattoo is currently available in Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Norway, Spain, Switzerland, and the UK. We are working continuously to be able to provide the Zattoo service in other countries as well. Almost every month new countries join the Zattoo community. So stay tuned!

I am in a country in which Zattoo is available, but I get an error message saying that I can’t use the Player in this country.

Depending on the geographic address of your Internet Service Provider (ISP) or your company’s IP registration your IP may be detected as not belonging to a Zattoo country and therefore you will not be able to watch TV. Please check your IP address (e.g. at http://www.ip-adress.com) and send it to us, indicating in which country you are.

Does one have to pay TV taxes or have a TV license to watch TV using Zattoo?

We recommend that you check with the local authorities in every country, as regulation varies when it comes to watching TV on a PC. Here is a list of the relevant agencies, for your convenience:

France: Impôts – Service de la redevance audiovisuelle (http://www.impots.gouv.fr)

Germany: GEZ (http://www.gez.de)

Spain: no TV taxes required

Switzerland: Bakom (http://www.bakom.ch)

UK: TV Licensing (http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk)

How does Zattoo detect in which country I am?

Zattoo detects your country by your computer’s IP address (i.e., the address your computer uses to connect to the Internet).

I have a Zattoo account and enjoy watching Zattoo at home, but I'm traveling abroad - can I still receive Zattoo?

You can only watch Zattoo in countries that have already been opened for service. Also, in these countries you can only watch the channels that have been cleared for these countries. So if you are traveling abroad you will encounter a different channel lineup.

Will Zattoo use my uplink bandwidth for streaming when I am not running the application?

No. Upload bandwidth is used only when the player is running.

Where can I download the Zattoo player?

Please download the original player from our website http://zattoo.com/en/download.

What about downloading from other sites?

Some websites offer the download of Zattoo against payment. Zattoo does not recommend using such offers as the software can be obtained free of charge via our website. We don't support downloading the Zattoo Player from other websites, as we are in no way associated with these third-party sites.

I can't reach your website!

Make sure that you have set up your Internet connection correctly with your Internet Service Provider (ISP). Check your cabling, modem or router, network, IP, and firewall configuration. If all is fine on your side, please check back later.

When I try to install Zattoo I get an error message saying that the installer file is corrupted.

Please download a fresh, original copy of the Zattoo player from http://zattoo.com/en/download and try to install again. If the installation still fails try the following: Uninstall/remove the possibly corrupted installation. Restart your computer. Download and install a fresh, original copy of the Zattoo player. If you keep on receiving installation errors, please contact us.

The player crashes before the update is complete.

Before Zattoo delivers updates the updates are tested for all major platforms and configurations. Therefore an updated player should work smoothly and automatically without needing any further manual installation work when starting the player. However, computer configurations vary all over the world and often tend to be not up-to-date.

Here’s what you can do: Uninstall/remove any older version of the Zattoo Player. Update your computer’s operating system to the latest version. (Please ask your computer vendor if you do not know how to update your operating system). Restart your computer. Download a fresh, original copy of the Zattoo Player from http://zattoo.com/en/download and install it. If you keep on receiving update errors please check our forum for further help.

I downloaded and installed the Zattoo Player. And now?

If you have not a user account yet, go to https://zattoo.com/en/signup to create one. If you have created a user account already, start the player (on Windows: click on Start->Programs->Zattoo; on Mac: double click on Applications->Zattoo) and enter the email address and password you used to register.

After switching channels, the image is blurred.

Sometimes you may encounter a low picture quality for the first few seconds after a channel switch. During that time, Zattoo is looking for the peers closest to you, to provide you with a reliable stream. Once those peers are found, the image quality should get back to normal. If that doesn’t happen, try switching channels again.

When switching channels, the player window goes back to its original size. How can I change this?

Select "Lock Window Size" under the "View" menu to lock the window size across channel switches.

Is it possible to choose between different video qualities?

No. Currently you cannot choose between different qualities. In the future Zattoo will provide the best available video quality based on the available Internet bandwidth. So please stay tuned for an update on this.

When trying to log in, I get the error: "Zattoo failed to contact the server. Check your Internet connection and try again."

Please make sure that the player has Internet access. Check the firewall configuration and unblock Internet activity for zattood.exe. For further information regarding the firewall configuration please read the security section in the FAQ.

When I try to watch a channel, I consistently get a "1105 network busy" error.

A very small number of users are experiencing this issue. While we are working on a solution, you may try the following workaround:

1. Check if your computer has any personal firewall or internet security software installed. Examples are Kaspersky Internet Security, Norton Internet Security, ZoneAlarm, etc. If so, find the settings for the Zattoo application within the security software, and disable all restrictions for Zattoo. This procedure may vary depending on the security software you have.

For more info on specific ports that the Zattoo application uses, please see here.

2. If you are a Windows Vista Home Premium, Vista Business or Vista Ultimate user, please ensure your Network Location settings are set to "Private" instead of "Public". You can access these settings by clicking the Start icon, then under "Network" select "Network & Sharing Center", and then "Customize Network Settings".

When I start Zattoo, the player stays in the "Starting Up..." phase and nothing happens.

Please make sure that the player has Internet access. Check the firewall configuration and unblock internet activity for zattood.exe. For further information regarding the firewall configuration please read the security section in the FAQ.

The Zattoo Player informs me I cannot use it in this country, but I was able to use it before at the same place.

Internet Service Providers (ISPs) sometimes shift allocations of IP addresses between locations. This can cause your computer to be incorrectly detected to be in a different country, which is not yet opened for service. It may take up to a month for your ISP to propagate this information to us.

I get a black screen with error message “insert smart card”. Where should I insert the smart card?

There is nothing you should do on your side. The smart-card error message relates to a technical problem with a channel on our servers. Such errors should be fixed within a few hours.

I get a black screen with error message “Der Dienst sendet nicht oder ist verschlüsselt”.

Broadcasters sometimes have to remove, or black out, programs (mostly sport events) for which they only own limited broadcasting rights. The "Black Screen of Doom", as we call it at Zattoo, is what you experience when programs are blacked out. There is nothing we can do yet to prevent this from happening.

In Windows, when I start Zattoo I get a .NET framework initialization error.

Please make sure that you have installed the latest updates for your computer’s operating system. Ask your computer vendor on how to proceed. Uninstall/remove the Zattoo Player. Download and install .NET framework 2.0 (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=0856eacb-4362-4...). Restart your computer. Download a fresh, original copy of the Zattoo Player from our website: http://zattoo.com/en/download.

I sometimes get low video quality on some of the channels.

When you first tune in to a channel, sometimes it can take a few seconds to allocate sufficient bandwidth to serve your stream. During that time, Zattoo is looking for the peers closest to you, to provide you with a reliable stream. Once those peers are found, the image quality should get back to normal.

If the low quality persists after the first few seconds of watching, your Internet connection may not be fast enough (Zattoo requires a broadband Internet connection with 500 Kbps or more of bandwidth) or your computer may not satisfy the minimum system requirements.

I often get bad video quality.

There are several possible causes for this.

1) Too little CPU. Decompressing and rendering the video takes a moderate amount of CPU
power and some video processing power. By contrast, the networking part
of Zattoo takes up very little CPU at all. Consider that when your machine
does not render such video properly, it may very well be on account of a
slow CPU or slow video card.

2) Wifi. Wifi, which many of our viewers enjoy, has transmission issues like a radio. If the connection isn't great, then the viewing is bad. There is nothing Zattoo can do about that, but the viewer can reposition vis à vis the Wifi device or get a higher quality Wifi to get a better wireless connection. Of course, the broadband connection behind your Wifi could also be overbooked by your provider (see 4) below).

3) Overbooking. We have made the rounds with our users and, unsurprisingly, those with higher speed connections are also happier with Zattoo's quality. However, not all providers are equal. Public networks such as an internet café and some network providers may be congested sometimes. If your problems persist, notify the provider and please copy us
(info@zattoo.com) on your message.

When will more channels be available? Could you please add channel X?

We are continuously enlarging our channel offering. For suggestions or discussions on new channels check out the comments on our blog.

Can I change the channel order on Zattoo?

In the current version this is not yet possible. We are planning to implement this feature in one of the next versions.

Will there ever be a version of Zattoo running on Windows Mobile, the Xbox, or the iPhone?

Not in the near future, but we are working on continuously widening platform support. Please check out our forum for further discussion on new platforms.

I have difficulties with my Linux environment. What can I do?

As there are many different Linux distributions, Zattoo cannot test and support all possible configurations. However if you encounter problems with your installation we encourage you to download the latest version on our website http://zattoo.com/en/download/linux. Here you also find a brief how-to for several different Linux distributions like Debian Etch, Ubuntu, Fedora and OpenSuse.

Should you use another distribution and the given support does not help you, please be patient for our upcoming forum support and periodically check our website for new versions.

Are there any known incompatibilities on WinXP?

It has been reported that on Windows XP the "Quicktime Alternative Player" and "Total Recorder SE" are incompatible with Zattoo. The first causes the video not to display at all, while the second causes double playback of the audio.

Does Zattoo run only on laptops?

Zattoo runs on both laptops and desktops.

What platform does Zattoo run on?

Zattoo currently runs on Windows XP/2000/Vista, Mac OS X, and Linux.

What is the difference between an ordinary channel and the HiQ version of it?

Subscribers of Swisscom home VDSL will see some extra channels in the player that are marked with a "HiQ". These channels carry a high-quality signal that shows a sharp picture even if you enlarge the player window.

When I try to watch the HiQ channels, the player keeps switching me to the normal version. What's wrong?

There are three possible issues:

1) You may be on a wireless connection. At this point, HiQ channels are unfortunately not viewable with WLAN.

2) You may have the Bluewin Security package installed. There is a known issue with this package that causes disruptions to the HiQ channels. Currently, there is no solution for this yet.

3) Your computer may be too slow to play the HiQ channels. We recommend a computer with at least Pentium IV 2.0 GHz or equivalent, ideally faster.

How can I enable the alternate language on dual-audio HiQ channels?

The dual-audio feature is currently not available on HiQ channels.

I need to configure my firewall. Are special ports needed to receive the HiQ channels?

If you have control over the firewall, please open the following inbound ports for best performance: 5002 (tcp), 8296 (tcp), 5003 (udp), 5501 (UDP), 30000 (UDP), and IGMP should be allowed. Please note that we do not support access over web proxies.

Alternatively, please contact your system/network administrator to enable these settings.

My antivirus software says that Zattoo contains a Trojan.

If you downloaded the Zattoo Player not from our website but from a third-party website, please stop the installation process and delete the program. By downloading the original Player from our site (http://zattoo.com/en/download) you are sure to receive a virus-free version.

However, some antivirus programs incorrectly detect the Zattoo uninstaller program as containing a Trojan. You can fix the false virus warning by updating your program's virus definition file. If the problem persists, please notify the manufacturer of your antivirus program of the problem. Zattoo is co-operating with anti-virus product manufacturers to support automatic distinction of the Zattoo Player from malware.

Can you add pause/play and record functionalities?

Pause/play and record functionalities will be added in a later version of the software. We cannot provide a date at this stage.

How can I switch the language on channels that support two languages?

Under the "Audio" menu item, you can choose to listen to only the left or right audio track. Usually the original language is on the right track and the dubbed language is on the left track. Note that the audio will then be mono, even though it will still be audible on both ears.

I cannot switch to the original language of a program; only the dubbed language is present on both audio tracks.

If the broadcaster doesn't transmit the original language, only the dubbed language will be present on both audio tracks. The only time you can choose to listen to either the original or dubbed language is when you hear both languages when "Stereo" is selected under the "Audio" menu.

Will Teletext (Text TV) and closed captioning be supported?

Links to websites providing teletext (where available) are published in the detail pane of each TV channel listed at http://zattoo.com/en/tv-channels.

Closed captioning will be supported in a future version of the software.

I can't log in on the website.

In order to log in on our website, you need to have your browser enabled for cookies. To enable cookies in Windows,
- in Internet Explorer 7.0 open "Tools", choose "Internet Options", select the register "Privacy", click on "Advanced", tick the option "Override automatic cookie handling", select "Accept" on both sides, and enable by clicking "OK".
- in Firefox select "Tool" - "Options" - "Privacy", check "Allow sites to set cookies" and under "Keep cookies" select "until they expire" or "ask me every time". In the "Confirm setting cookie" dialog, check "Use my choice for all cookies from this site".

To enable cookies in Mac OS X,
- in Firefox open "Preferences", click the "Privacy" tab, and enable "Accept cookies from sites".
- in Safari open "Preferences", click the "Security" tab, and select "Accept cookies: Always" or "Accept cookies: Only from sites you navigate to".

I need to configure my firewall. Which ports does Zattoo use?

If you have control over the firewall, please open the following inbound ports for best performance: 5002 (tcp), 8296 (tcp), and 5003 (udp). Please note that we do not support access over web proxies.

Alternatively, please contact your system/network administrator to enable these settings.