If your set top box has an HDMI port, you can use a standard HDMI cable to connect it to your smart TV. If you have an older cable box and just upgraded to a smart TV, contact your cable provider to see if they offer HD-compatible boxes.
If the box has composite RCA (yellow, white, and red) ports, you can connect it to your TV using an RCA-to-HDMI adapter. While you won’t get high definition, you can still watch cable this way at a lower quality. [2] X Research source If the box has component (red, blue, and green) ports, you can connect it to your smart TV’s component ports for HD resolution. [3] X Research source If your TV doesn’t have component ports, you can use a component-to-HDMI adapter and still get HD (as high as 1080p) resolution.
If you have both cable internet service and cable television, you probably have a coaxial splitter—an adapter that allows you to connect both a cable modem and a cable box to the wall at the same time. [4] X Research source Plug a coaxial cable into the available port on the splitter, and the other end into your cable box. Don’t turn on the cable box yet.
If you’re using an HDMI adapter for a non-HDMI cable box, connect that adapter to the end of the component cable that’s plugged in to your cable box, and then plug the HDMI end into an available HDMI port.
If you’re using a component cable instead, choose the Component input.
If you’re using a component cable instead, choose the Component input.
If you’re using a component cable instead, choose the Component input.
Cox: Contour TV app Optimum: Altice One app Mediacom: XtreamTV app RCN: RCN2Go app Sparklight: Sparlight TV app Spectrum: Spectrum TV app Wave: Wave TV On the Go app Wow: Wow! TV+ app Xfinity: Xfinity Stream app
Even if your TV does have a coaxial input, your cable TV provider may not provide channels without a set top cable box. Contact your cable provider to find out if you can access cable without a box. To connect a coaxial cable to the TV: Turn off the TV: Run a coaxial cable from the wall jack to the TV’s input. Turn on your smart TV. Use the smart TV remote control to switch to the “TV” input. You may have to go into your TV’s settings to find the “Tuner mode” section and switch it to “Cable. " Then, you’ll need to scan for channels to see what’s on.
To ensure the box works with digital cable, get a converter box with a built-in QAM tuner rather than an “over the air” tuner. Most of these converter boxes double as DVRs, which allow you to record your favorite shows.
