Local channels with QAM Tuner

[71LS5_454]

Has anyone been able to receive local FIOS channels with a QAM tuner?  I was thinking about putting a 26" TV in my bedroom but didn't want to install another STB just for local channels.

Thanks

[Keyboards · Accepted solution]

Been doing it for years now.  Still a few complaints that Verizon's PSIP causes some models to choke, but not the norm.  All the local channels map to their OTA equiv. (3.1, 3.2, 6.1, etc. for the Philly channels).

[71LS5_454]

Thanks,

So my OTA 8.1 NBC channel should come in on the same 8.1 using the FIOS cable input?  I'm going to get a TV with a QAM Tuner and try it. 

When shopping for a TV with a QAM Tuner, it's hard to find one without going on line first to check the specs.  In most cases, the boxes and shelf tags don't list the tuner info.

[Keyboards]

Yes, as long as the TV understands Verizon's PSIP information (what remaps the QAM channel to the OTA channel for you) 8.1 should be 8.1.  I haven't looked at TV sets lately, but I would suspect that most current TV sets have ATSC (OTA) and QAM (cable digiatal) tuners and possibly still an old NTSC (outdated OTA analog, but still used by some cable companies- NOT VERIZON) tuner.  Not positive of that, just my feeling.

[Hubrisnxs]

http://www.silicondust.com/support/channels/

just put your zip, and make sure to use the drop down and select fios.

[71LS5_454]

Thanks guys....I borrowed a friends Sony with a QAM tuner to verify that I can receive local FIOS channels without a STB and WOW!  I'm receiving all of the local stations and some extra ones too.

I also received all ot the Showtime channels that are free this weekend.

So I'll be shopping for a new TV with a QAM tuner for the bedroom next week.

[hmsrocinante]

I just signed up with FIOS yesterday, in Hockessin, DE. For one of my TVs, I elected to have no set top box. This is a 2009 Panasonic LCD, TCL42U12, which I'm pretty sure has a QAM tuner (says so on Panasonic's site, http://www2.panasonic.com/consumer-electronics/support/Televisions/VIERA-Flat-Panel-HDTVs/Technical-... .

It's connected to a coax cable coming from a splitter that splits the signal from the wall. The other end of the splitter goes to my FIOS router, which is working just fine.

I wasn't able to get any channels on this TV yesterday when I ran the auto-channel search thing on my TVs menu. One thing is though that I didn't let it finish the search, I stopped it after about a minute when it had found no channels. I'll obviously try to run it to completion tonight.

Do you think the reason I didn't get any channels is that they are all "high" numbers, and I just didn't give it enough time to search? It was about 20% complete when I stopped the search. When I had Comcast, channels were found almost instantly and they were typically "low" numbers.

Thanks!

[lasagna]

If I scan for clear QAM channels using my TV without a STB, it finds them in the range above what it's calling channel 60000.  Took forever to find them -- they were all the way at the end of the scan. 

[hmsrocinante]

OK, that's encouraging. Thanks!

[sharonp]

I've had NO luck getting the local channels with my QAM tuner here in the Richmond, VA area.  Can someone tell me how to connect to do this?  RF from the wall into my tv does not give me anything.  My Panasonic tv with QAM tuner was taking FOREVER to scan and then just seemed to give up.  It never went back to the screen view that showed the scan results, just back to the screen where you tell it to scan, with no results in the grid on screen...Very frustrating--I think I am doing it correctly but haven't found the HD broadcast channels as required to be available per the FCC rules.  Thanks.