# Please help me set up a television for my dorm.

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-set-up-a-television-for-my-dorm/193930>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [August 8, 2003, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-set-up-a-television-for-my-dorm/193930 "2003-08-08T23:14:48Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![CadburyAngel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c2a13f/32.png) [@CadburyAngel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CadburyAngel)\
**Post date:** [August 8, 2003, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-set-up-a-television-for-my-dorm/193930/1 "2003-08-08T23:14:48Z")

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The title says it all! I am going to be a house advisor (in charge of about fifteen dormies) this upcoming year, and based on an extremely informal study, have concluded that a television in the social room/house advisor’s room fosters socialization among the dormies as they gather around the pale blue glow.

I am also hoping to be able to watch “Angel” this year, as last year I was blocked from the television by other people as often as not. I don’t begrudge them, I just don’t like to miss the one hour of television that I regularly watch. I also have become a bit of a news junkie and would like to escape the college “bubble” and keep up with what’s going on through the nightly news.

So! How do I set up a television so that it receives the basic channels? (I’m thinking 2 - 22, 26, or so.) Do I have to pay for anything beyond six? I’m thinking I need to buy rabbit ears, but do I need to buy a cable box as well, or do 2 - 2x not count as cable? The dorm rooms and social rooms do not have cable outlets.

Thank you for helping me in my utter clueless state.

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**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\
**Post date:** [August 9, 2003, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-set-up-a-television-for-my-dorm/193930/2 "2003-08-09T00:19:39Z")

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If the rooms are not wired for cable, you’ll only be able to get off the air local channels. The TV should have a menu option for choosing the input. Choose “air” or something similar.