Programming the TV: Overview

If you have your manual, look in it to find out exactly how your set is supposed to be programmed. Your manual should be able to give you better instructions than this guide can, because it will be talking about your specific television. Basically, there are only two steps involved in programming a cable-ready television set:

• Let it know that it'll be receiving a cable signal;
• Second, scan through the channels to store the available ones in memory. Some TVs detect a cable signal automatically-- all you have to do is plug in the coaxial cable, follow the on-screen prompts, and turn the set on. The TV does the rest. However, some TVs need to be programmed manually.

Programming the TV: Step 1 - Receiving the cable signal

Many TVs are set to receive antenna (or off-air) signals by default. You will have to adjust your TV to receive the cable signal. Usually this can be done with your remote control.

Press the MENU (it may also be called SETUP) button on your remote. You should be taken to a new screen: either a blue screen with commands, or a screen with control icons on it.

If you don't have a MENU or SETUP button, try any similarly-named button that looks promising, until you get an option screen. Look for a menu (usually called SETUP) that lets you choose your television's input source; you should use the CABLE input.

Other input options that will work for receiving a cable signal:

• CATV
• STD (meaning Standard)
• HDTV
• LINE (meaning Hard Line)

Make sure CABLE is stored in the TV's memory. Many times a customer will see CABLE on the menu and wrongly think that it is selected. You can test it this way: after selecting CABLE, exit completely from the menu, then go back into the menu and see if CABLE is still highlighted. If it is, then it was selected properly.

Sometimes, the cable switch is an actual switch on the TV itself. Look on the front and back of the set for any switches labeled ANT and CABLE (or something similar). Keep your eyes open for switches hidden behind obscure access doors. Once you find it, set it to CABLE. Programming the TV:

Step 2: Storing the cable channels/Auto-program

Now that you have your TV set up to receive a cable signal, you now need to scan and store your channels. This process stores the channels of the UNH’s cable system into your television's memory, and deletes from memory any unused or inactive channels.

AUTOPROGRAM is usually a menu selection on the same menu where you selected CABLE. Or, there may be a button on your remote which says AUTOPROGRAM, CHANNEL SCAN, AUTOSCAN, or something similar.

Once you have selected or pressed AUTOPROGRAM, do not panic. Your screen will probably go blank or turn blue, and it will begin cycling through all of the cable channels. Usually, TVs are cable-ready for up to 125 channels, so let the TV scan through the channels until it finishes. DO NOT interrupt the scan - or else you may have to scan all over again.

After the autoprogram is complete, you should be able to flip through all of the UNH channels with your CHANNEL UP and CHANNEL DOWN buttons.

Why do I only receive channels 2 to 13?

One of the most commonly reported problems is that the television is only receiving channels 2 thru 13. This common complaint is normally a television set programming issue and has nothing to do with the cable service. This problem may result when the television is temporarily unplugged or there is a local power outage. The power loss to the television set could cause the TV to lose its memory. When this occurs it may become necessary to reset the television set to the "Cable" or "CATV" mode. This can easily be done by using the menu or setup button that can be located on the TV or the remote control. If the TV is set to the "Air" or "Antenna" mode it must be switched to the "Cable" or "CATV" mode. The TV must then be set to AUTO PROGRAM. (It may be necessary to consult the instructional handbook that came with the TV since manufacturer’s specifications do vary). This is an example of a problem that is not cable service related.

If television is cable-ready, you may need to reprogram your television set to receive the cable signal. See "Installation Configurations" (below) or owner’s manual for further details.

Non-cable-ready television will require the use of a cable-ready VCR (or other cable-ready device) to tune to channels above 13. You must also be sure that your television set remains tuned to channel 2 or 3 (depending on your market) in order for the VCR to perform tuning functions.