ARCHIVED: How do I set up my TV for the IUPUI digital television system?

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IUPUI Television Services transitioned to an all-digital channel lineup in summer 2016. Consequently, to connect to IUPUI's digital TV service, your TV must have a QAM (quadrature amplitude modulation) tuner. A QAM tuner lets your TV receive digital channels without a cable box, using a coaxial cable that runs from your TV's input to your room's wall-mounted "F" (threaded) connector.

Setup

To set up your TV to connect to the IUPUI digital cable television service:

  1. Using a coaxial cable, connect your TV's input to the nearest threaded wall jack. (If your TV has more than one input, use the one labeled "Cable In", "CATV", "Antenna", "RF In", or something similar.)
  2. Power on your TV.
  3. Set your TV's input selector to use the appropriate input, and then scan for available channels. For instructions, consult your TV's user manual. Although the exact steps involved are different for each make and model, generally the process is as follows:
    1. Access the TV's menu (commonly by pressing MENU or SETUP on the TVs remote control).
    2. Find and select Media, Channels, Setup, Programming, or something similar.
    3. Find and select Channel Manager, Auto Channel Search, Channel Scan, Auto Program, or something similar.
    4. If prompted to choose between Antenna (or Air or Broadcast) and Cable, select Cable.
    5. If prompted, choose to scan digital channels only.

    If the scan completes successfully, your TV should find 85 channels in campus housing or 74 channels in non-residence buildings.

Troubleshooting

If your TV does not receive the channels listed at IUPUI Television Services:

  • Try re-scanning the available channels (repeat the process outlined above).
  • Your coaxial cable may be defective. Replace it with another cable, and then try rescanning again.
  • The digital signal at your location may be too weak or have other issues. If you are certain your TV has a QAM tuner and the above troubleshooting suggestions did not resolve the issue, ARCHIVED: submit a problem report to have UITS test your signal and (if necessary) fix the problem.

If your TV does not have a QAM tuner:

  • You may purchase a new(er) QAM-capable TV. Most major-brand TVs made after 2006 support QAM. To check whether a TV supports QAM, consult its user manual (look for a section titled "TV System", "Television System", or something similar). If the user manual does not mention "QAM", that model may not have a QAM tuner. Before buying a TV, make sure you can return or exchange it if it does not have a QAM tuner.
  • You may purchase a QAM-capable converter box to connect a older, analog TV to the digital system, but UITS suggests doing this only as a last resort.
  • If you live in campus housing, you can watch TV on a smartphone, tablet, and/or computer that is connected to the IUPUI network via IU Secure wireless or an active Ethernet jack; for more, contact your Housing Community Desk.

This is document ajrh in the Knowledge Base.
Last modified on 2018-01-18 17:40:21.