Will a Smart TV Work With Cable? Yes! Here’s How

Smart TVs typically use streaming services, such as Netflix or Prime Video. However, many people want to use the cable channels they know and love. After all, cable often has more sports, regular TV shows, and movies you can’t find on some streaming services.

A smart TV will work with cable if you plug a coaxial cable into the TV and into a cable box. You can use a coax to HDMI converter if your smart TV doesn’t have a coaxial input. You can also plug the cable directly into the coax wall outlet.

In this post, you’ll find out how to use cable with a smart TV. I’ll also provide methods to make cable work with your smart TV with or without a cable box.

How to Use Cable on a Smart TV

To use cable on a smart TV, follow these steps:

1. Turn off the cable box and the TV, then unplug them. It’s important that there’s no electricity going to any of the devices in the process. Not only can it cause various electrical hazards, but you’ll also risk frying the cable box or the smart TV.
2. Attach your smart TV’s HDMI cable to the cable box or use a coax converter to switch from HDMI to a coaxial cable. According to Samsung, most modern cable boxes have HDMI ports. You won’t need a coax cable or a coax converter for these boxes.
3. Plug everything into the wall and turn on the TV and cable box. Make sure all of the cables are tightly secured and the wall outlet has power. Check if all of the necessary lights are illuminated on the cable box to know if you’ll get all of your desired channels.
4. Click the Source button on your remote until it gets to the cable option. If your smart TV remote has a Source button, it’ll let you move through HDMI sources. Find out which HDMI source your cable box is plugged into on the back or side of the smart TV.
5. Cycle through the channels to see which ones are available to you. If you have a cable provider, you’ll have plenty of channels. Many cable providers offer 900 or more channels. Those without cable providers will likely have limited cable access.

If it seems like your smart TV is using a lot of data, consider switching to cable. You can go back and forth between cable and your smart TV’s streaming services whenever you want to. Contact your cable provider to expand how many channels you can access.

How to Connect Cable to a Smart TV Without a Box

To connect cable to a smart TV without a box, try this method:

1. Plug your smart TV into the cable wall outlet with a coax cable. The G-Plug Coax Cable comes in multiple lengths to help you connect your TV to a nearby cable outlet. Plug it into your TV or a coax convert, then twist the nut to tighten it. This durable cable is waterproof, too.
2. Turn on your smart TV and look for the cable menu with the Source button. Click Source on the remote until it gets to the proper coax channel or HDMI channel. You might not notice channels appearing right away. Give it a few minutes until all of them load.
3. Go to your smart TV’s settings and look for the Cable option (this only applies to some makes and models). If the previous step didn’t work, you can go find it by clicking Cable and sending the smart TV’s signal to the correlating coax or HDMI outlet.
4. Wait for your TV to find all of the available cable channels. The Conch Tech mentions that it could take a while for your smart TV to gather all of the available channels because it doesn’t have access to a cable provider or cable box. Give it 10 to 15 minutes before assessing your channel options.

Unfortunately, you likely won’t have too many channels without a cable box. You might have access to several local channels, but there’s no doubt you won’t have a fraction of what’s available to those with a cable provider. Nevertheless, it’s better than nothing.

Pro Tip: Some smart TV remotes have buttons linked to various streaming services. For example, you can use your remote to go to Prime Video, then choose the Back button to go back to cable TV when you’re done.

How Do You Switch to Cable With a Smart TV’s Remote?

To switch to cable on a smart TV, here’s a few things you can do:

• Click the Source button on your remote until it gets to the cable input. This method will cycle through all of the HDMI and coaxial inputs until you find the one with your cable setup. You can use this suggestion whether or not you have a cable box connected to your smart TV.
• Look for the Cable option in your smart TV’s general settings menu. Click to the Home button, go to the Settings menu, then look for Inputs, Sources, or anything similar. Find whichever option says Cable, then click it to switch over.
• Find the Source button on your TV. This suggestion uses the same process as clicking Source on the remote. A smart TV’s source button is usually on the side or underneath it. Click it until you find the cable input, then you’re good to go.

If your smart TV’s picture isn’t clear when you’re watching cable, it might be because you’re not using the proper cables. HDMI cables provide UHD and HD resolution. It could also be because the channel doesn’t support high-quality videos and images. Some cable providers have HD versions of each channel.

In Conclusion

Just because you have a smart TV doesn’t mean you have to give up your favorite cable TV shows and movies. You can have the best of both worlds by connecting your smart TV to a cable box or directly into the coax wall outlet.