By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man –Follow on Facebook & X.
Former editor of 4 TV magazines. Author of TV Dot Com.
TV Answer Man, I just bought a Smart TV and we have Comcast and our customer service says we need cable TV to operate the Smart TV. I’m not that experienced with this stuff (I’m 68 years old!) so I’m not sure if that is true. Can’t you just get the Internet and Netflix on the Smart TV without anything hooked up to it? — Jim, Bowie, Maryland.
Jim, you are not alone in your confusion. I often receive e-mails from readers asking if they need a cable or satellite subscription to watch a Smart TV, which, as you know, is a television that can stream video and audio over the Internet. The reason for the confusion is that the answer can be yes or no. Let me explain.
Cable TV Is Not Required For a Smart TV
If the installer was referring to watching video on your Smart TV, he was wrong. You don’t need a subscription to a cable TV or satellite TV service to watch programming on a Smart TV.
You can watch video on one of the television’s apps, such as Netflix. (Most Smart TVs come with Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime Video, among other programming apps.) You can also watch some video for free on Smart TV apps such as YouTube. (If your Smart TV doesn’t have a favored app, you can connect a Smart TV device such as Roku or Amazon Fire TV to the set. Both offer thousands of different streaming apps.)
Smart TV Does Require an Internet Service
However, if the installer was talking about subscribing to a cable Internet service, he was right if that’s the only Internet service available to you at your home. (In some markets, the local cable company basically has a monopoly in providing home Internet service, particularly high-speed Internet.) You will need to connect your Smart TV to the Internet to watch all the programming that available via streaming. Of course, you could just connect an antenna, or a Blu-ray or DVD player to the set, but it doesn’t sound like that’s what you’re looking to do. You bought a Smart TV because you want to stream.
So, in sum, you don’t need cable TV, but you will need the Internet, which might have to come from your cable company.
Last note: If you want to watch cable TV channels on your Smart TV, you will need a cable TV subscription for some of them. However, some cable TV staples such as Max (HBO included), Discovery and Starz, can be purchased as apps without a cable subscription although the programming may vary from the cable TV lineup.
For more information and products that can help you get the most out of a Smart TV, check out this page from Amazon.com.
Jim, hope that helps. Happy viewing and stay safe!
Have a question about new TV technologies? Send it to The TV Answer Man at swann@tvanswerman.com Please include your first name and hometown in your message.
The TV Answer Man is veteran journalist Phillip Swann who has covered the TV technology scene for more than three decades. He will report on the latest news and answer your questions regarding new devices and services that are changing the way you watch television. See the bio for Phillip Swann here.
