Cable knower abouters..

[rizzle]

Originally Posted by mikeyj23

When I first got my HDTV and didn't have an HD box I used just the tuner and got about 30 HD channels. No ESPN and about 10 spanish channels, but 30 HD channels is better than a lot of cable providers, which still puzzles me a bit.

See, this is what is puzzling me mikey. When I set the unit up and had it "find" the channels or whatever you call it, it didn't pick up any of the HD channels. I don't know why the tuner isn't grabbing those channels.

[dunng]

Originally Posted by rizzle

See, this is what is puzzling me mikey. When I set the unit up and had it "find" the channels or whatever you call it, it didn't pick up any of the HD channels. I don't know why the tuner isn't grabbing those channels.

Make sure it is searching the Digital Tuner too... some do it automatically, some do not...

Originally Posted by dunng

Make sure it is searching the Digital Tuner too... some do it automatically, some do not...

Exactly,,,mine runs analog first which takes about 10 minutes and then it automatically scans for digital which takes about another 15-20 minutes. There is another way to scan individually and I did that and was able to score movie channels,,,HBO, Cinemax, Showtime,,,I thought I had died and gone to cable heaven. Each of these "Premium" channels are HDTV. I now have about 25 HD channels.

[AD720]

Originally Posted by rizzle

See, this is what is puzzling me mikey. When I set the unit up and had it "find" the channels or whatever you call it, it didn't pick up any of the HD channels. I don't know why the tuner isn't grabbing those channels.

While it may be an HDTV it is possible that it does not have a QAM tuner.


NTSC tuner = analog over the air
ATSC tuner = digital (HD) over the air
QAM tuner = digital (non-scrambled/ "in the clear") over cable


That might explain why your TV is not finding any HD/Digital channels when it scans.

[Mugen910]

Originally Posted by AD720

While it may be an HDTV it is possible that it does not have a QAM tuner.


NTSC tuner = analog over the air
ATSC tuner = digital (HD) over the air
QAM tuner = digital (non-scrambled/ "in the clear") over cable


That might explain why your TV is not finding any HD/Digital channels when it scans.

True Andrew... assumed that his tv had QAM.

[AD720]

If the OP can post the brand/model I'm sure we can figure out if it has QAM...

[rizzle]

Originally Posted by AD720

If the OP can post the brand/model I'm sure we can figure out if it has QAM...

It's a Samsung LN19A450. I think the tuner is ATSC. What the hell does that even mean?

[AD720]

Originally Posted by rizzle

I think the tuner is ATSC. What the hell does that even mean?

See Below...

Originally Posted by AD720

While it may be an HDTV it is possible that it does not have a QAM tuner.


NTSC tuner = analog over the air
ATSC tuner = digital (HD) over the air
QAM tuner = digital (non-scrambled/ "in the clear") over cable

Originally Posted by rizzle

It's a Samsung LN19A450.

Several sources confirm that this TV has a built in QAM tuner. So that is not the problem.

My next guess is that it is mapping the Digital channels somewhere else than you would expect - IE channel "6" shows up on "116.7" or something like that. Consult your owner's manual.