Cable TV at Union

Image: tv icon

Cable TV service is provided for many common rooms in student housing and various other spaces throughout the campus like the Achilles Gym.

Effective January 17, 2018, all channels are provided in a ‘QAM’ digital format.

All televisions on campus must contain a QAM digital tuner to receive the channels. Older analog televisions are no longer compatible with the College’s cable TV system. Most televisions today are digital/QAM compliant, however less expensive or budget televisions may not be. To find out if your television has a QAM tuner, check the specifications in your owner's manual, or visit the manufacturer's website.

 

What is a QAM tuner and how do I know if my TV has one?

A QAM tuner allows your TV to tune to digital or HD channels. Most, but not all, TV’s that were made after 2006 have a QAM tuner built in. Most Samsung, Sony, Sharp, Panasonic, Toshiba, and Visio models have a built in QAM tuner.

  • You can search online by make/model of your TV or reference your TV’s owner’s manual for specific model information related to what type of tuner is present in your TV.
  • An example of what the manual may say if the TV has a QAM tuner:
    • “Built in digital tuner (ATSC/Clear QAM)”, or...
    • Built in digital tuner “NTSC/QAM“
  • Additionally, if your TV remote has the (.) or (‐) symbol button for easy tuning or is able to display channels such as 5.2 or 5‐2, your TV likely has a QAM tuner.
  • An example of what the manual may say if the TV does NOT have a QAM tuner:
    • “ATSC / NTSC Tuner” (there will be no mention of QAM)

 

Televisions that, depending on model, may be missing the QAM tuner:

  • Apex
  • Dynex
  • Element
  • Haier
  • HiSense
  • RCA
  • Sceptre
  • Seiki
  • Sylvania

If you are choosing one of these brands, please verify that the model has a QAM tuner. Please be advised that less expensive TVs sometimes come with a lower quality QAM tuner that may be unable to tune all of the channels. We have found this to be true on certain models of bargain brands such as Apex, Dynex, and Sylvania.

 

 

Click here to see the Spectrum Channel Line-Up.

Print Article