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Target Audience
Please note, this article is only for cable tv for students. For information related to faculty/staff, please see KB 929 (link) instead.
Cable television service is included in the room and board rate for students living in residence halls or university apartments.
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Equipment Needed
Students need to bring a digital-ready TV (manufactured in 2008 or newer) and coax cable to hook up their set.
Coax cable requirements:
Purchase an RG-6 rated, quad-shielded cable with screw-on connectors to prevent radio frequency leakage and meet MSU requirements. We recommend the cable be at least 12 feet in length, but setups can vary. Longer or shorter cables may be preferable depending on the space. See detailed tips for buying your coax cable on tech.msu.edu.
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How to Hook up Your Television
- Connect the coax cables from the digital-ready television to the cable outlet. Make sure both ends are tight. The coax cords must have screw-on connectors.
- Reprogram the television (the steps below are a general case, follow the manufacturer’s guide for the specific TV if this does not work)
- Turn the television on and go to the menu
- Select rescan or reprogram. Make sure to select cable mode.
- Wait for the scanning to complete. This process can take up to 15 minutes depending on the brand of television.
- When scanning finished, there should be close to 250 digital channels available.
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How to Get Assistance
The best and primary source of information is kept up to date at https://tech.msu.edu/network/telecommunications/cable-tv/
If not all expected channels are showing, verify the TV is digital-ready (one manufactured 2008 or later). Then try rescanning/reprogramming as per How to Hook up Your Television above.
If further assistance with your cable TV is needed, submit a Maintenance Request.
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