Welcome to PVN's step-by-step cable TV hook-up guide. We recommend that everyone follow these steps before calling the PVN office to report a problem. 90% of the problems we hear about can be solved by following these set-up steps.

In order to receive the signal from the Penn Video Network, you must have a cable-ready television, VCR, or cable box. The best way to determine if your equipment is cable-ready is to check your owner's manual. If you do not have the manual, here are some tips:

1. If your TV was recently purchased (after 1990 or so), or if you can use your remote to enter channel numbers, then there is a good chance that it is cable-ready. You can also check the back of your TV for an RF jack - it looks like this:

2. If, instead of an RF connector, you have several pairs of screws for connection of an antenna, then you will also need a 75-300 ohm transformer. The transformer looks like this:

It allows a coaxial cable to be attached to a standard twin-lead antenna connection.

3. If you must manually tune in channels (like with roll knob sets), then your TV is most likely not cable-ready. In this case, you will need to purchase a cable-ready VCR in order to receive PVN.

4. If your television was purchased very recently, you may not see a cable jack, but instead a bank of RCA or Optical Inputs. In this case, you will need to purchase a cable-ready VCR or similar tuner in order to receive PVN.

The Penn Video Network does not supply cable-ready VCRs or cable box converters. Please see: Other Options: Converter Boxes.

If you don't have a remote control, you may not be able to program your TV correctly. Many TV functions can only be accessed with the original remote--it all depends on your TV.

If you don't have your original remote control, and you have a universal remote instead, you still may not be able to program your TV correctly. Most universal remotes only duplicate the basic functions of your original remote. So if the universal remote won't perform a certain function, and the TV doesn't have a button for it either, you may be out of luck.

Go ahead and proceed through this hookup guide, and if you get to a point where you can't go any farther, you will have to:

• find the remote

• order another remote from your TV's manufacturer,

• buy a new TV, or

• rent or purchase a VCR or cable decoder box.

The manual for your TV is a big help if you don't know how to program your set to receive cable TV.

TV sets vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. Even though the basic procedure for programming a TV is pretty much the same as for any other TV, the actual steps you have to take to accomplish it can vary widely.

We don't know how all TVs work, and we're not TV repair people, so we probably won't know how to program your TV set for you. However, we can offer general suggestions and tell you how it usually works.

Once you figure out if your TV is cable-ready, you will need a coaxial (video) cable.

A coaxial cable is a thick, stiff cable used primarily for cable television installations. A coaxial cable looks something like this:

If you don't have a coaxial cable, you will need one. For College House and Sansom Place residents, coaxial cables are available for free at your House computer lab or the front desk. Coaxial cables are also widely available from stores such as K-mart or Radio Shack.