Beginning on June 15, 2010 many Cablevision customers were distressed to find they could no longer view TV stations on their televisions without a cable box. I have heard this from clients, friends and on several heated discussions on Facebook.
This is not true.
They now see the message below or something similar if they live in other parts of Cablevision’s territory, when tuning to an old, analog station, like 2 or 7. 
This message is technically correct yet misinforms Cablevision’s customers, making them think there are no channels they can view without a cable box.
All digital over-the-air (OTA) broadcast channels are unencrypted and available for viewing. These are the familiar New York OTA TV stations—WCBS, WNBC, WNYW, WABC, WWOR, WPIX, WNET and WLIW. Digital channels have numbers like 2-1 or 4-4, rather than the single number analog stations like 2 or 4.
You need an HDTV with a QAM tuner to view these channels. Your older standard definition TVs CANNOT receive digital channels without an intermediary device like a cable box that converts the digital signal to analog. Most HDTVs sold within the last 3 years have built-in QAM tuners. (QAM is an acronym for quadrature amplitude modulation, which is the format used in encoding and transmitting digital cable channels.)
You can tune to the digital OTA channels if you know how. This will vary with the HDTV and remote control. Check your manual for instructions on how to do this. You may be able to have the TV scan automatically for these channels.
You will NOT be able to see analog stations, like 2, 3, 4… or any non-OTA cable channels like CNBC, CNN or A&E, without a cable box.
Below is a partial list of the unencrypted digital OTA channels my HDTV can receive in Weston, CT, without a cable box. Your stations should be similar if not identical. Note that there are some cable-only channels on the list like News 12 and C-SPAN.
|
Television Station |
Digital Channel |
Digital Channel |
|
WCBS |
2-1 |
WCBS-HD |
|
WNBC |
4-1 |
WNBC |
|
4-2 |
NONSTOP |
|
|
4-4 |
USPORTS |
|
|
WNYW |
5-1 |
WNYW |
|
WABC |
7-1 |
WABC-DT |
|
7-2 |
LIVWELL |
|
|
7-3 |
WEATHER |
|
|
WWOR |
9-1 |
WWOR-TV |
|
WPIX |
11-1 |
PIX-11 |
|
11-2 |
ESTRLLA |
|
|
WNET |
13-1 |
WNET-HD |
|
13-2 |
KIDS |
|
|
13-3 |
V-ME |
|
|
Telemundo (?) |
16 |
(Spanish) |
|
WLIW |
21-1 |
WLIW-SD |
|
21-2 |
Create |
|
|
21-3 |
World |
|
|
Cablevision Electronic Program Guide (EPG) |
24 |
|
|
Cablevision Local |
82-912 |
|
|
Religious |
82-913 |
|
|
Weston Education Channel |
82-915 |
|
|
Weston Government Channel |
82-916 |
|
|
QVC |
91-1 |
|
|
C-SPAN |
91-2 |
|
|
Connecticut Government Channel |
105-3 |
CT-N |
|
Cablevision News 12 Connecticut |
105-12 |
|
If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it!
[...] I recently wrote Do you need a cable box from Cablevision?. [...]
[...] I recently wrote Do you need a cable box from Cablevision?. [...]
do you know if the digital channels available with a QAM tuner will be expanding in the future, or will those channels listed above be the only ones available from now on?
I don’t know for sure. I think what we see is what we will get.
It is possible that the OTA stations will split their digital signals further and create new stations like a 5-2. Also a few stations, like channels 3 and 8 have not switched to digital broadcasts and so they may come online at a time in the future. If these events occur our QAM channels might expand modestly.
Thanks Bud, I have been looking for this Info. for 2 hours! , All I have to do is buy a flatscreen with a QAM tuner and we will get around 30 channels for our bedroom….PERFECT
THANKS again
Thanks again Richard for everything, I got to see the All-Star game in HD thanks to you!
@B.G
I am glad this information helped.
Thanks for the info – my kids have standard def tv’s in their rooms (no cable boxes) and typically would watch Nick, Cartoon Network, etc. I guess I’m trying to see if a) there was still a way to access these channels with the current set-up; b) should we upgrade to HD tv’s for them, or c) is it more economically viable for the next coupla years just to spring for the cable boxes for them with their current standard-def tv’s.
- thanks again!
@RC
Nick and Cartoon Network are cable-only channels (not OTA). You need a cable box to view these. it does not matter whether your TV is HDTV or an older standard TV. Sorry.
re watching OTA channels without Cable box from Cablevision (CT):
Suddenly the OTA channels I could watch (from Redding, CT) all display “digital signal strength is low”. Only ch 21 comes through. I have a new HD TV; the channels in your OTA list were fine until last week. Is there anything I can do?
Cablevision adjusted the frequencies of these channels. You might need to have your TV re-scan for channels to find them anew.
If that works please let me know.
I tried re-scanning on an HDTV and found that all of the channels are now gone. I guess Cablevision has disabled this functionality. If you want to complain, the FCC has jurisdiction. I am not optimistic that they will help.
Nop, all channels are still available. Nothing has been disabled.
Can one purchase a QAM tuner that can be connected to an older TV for reception?
Or can you use a digital cable box purchased off the internet? (not a cablevision set-top box)
If not then they got you between a rock and a hard place if you have an older analog television.
These days the QAM tuner may buy you very little. Cablevision and other providers have encrypted their feeds so that without a cable box all you get is noise.
Other than using a device like a TiVo or a media PC with an external CableCARD device (Ceton and Hauppauge make them) you are SOL. There is no set top box that works with a cable system that they don’t rent, other than the CableCARD-enabled devices. The cable companies rent you the CableCARDs. You cannot avoid some monthly equipment charge. Sorry.