How do i know if my tv has a quam tuner im not

Make sure you have a good connection from antenna to TV. Check antenna and cable and cable connection to TV. Select DIGITAL button on TV remote when wanting HD channels. Remember HD channels are always digital. Also, any given TV station may not be broadcasting in HD at a given time. They can broadcast in digital but in standard definition sometimes. Your TV has a built-in DVB-T tuner. Try executing a channel scan to pick up all available channels. On-screen menus go to Digital Setup, then Digital Tuning, you can auto-tune or manual tune channels. The TV should take a few min. to scan thru available channels and store the channels its finds. Check with anyone in your area to see if they get HD channels (it is possible to be outside of the range of some TV stations) Your TV is a 2006 model and should still be compatible with local digital TV broadcasts but keep in mind digital signals could change in the near future (DVB-T2) and you may need a tuner/converter box to make the TV compatible.

To get HD channel form your cable TV without using the cable provider HD tuner box but using your TV Clear QAM tuner (your TV has Clear QAM tuner, my TV also has QAM tuner so I do not have to use the cabel box, but my COMCAST does not provide may Clear QAM signals like they use to) to get the unscrambled HD, the cable provider must provide those unscrambled Clear QAMsignals for your TV to pick up the signalS.
Learn more about Clear QAM cable signals:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAM_(television)
Did you use the correct setup during the tuner setup to scan the availabel cable channel per user manual?

Because it does not have a ATSC nor a Quam tuner in it. Just a regular tuner. As it says HDTV ready. This meant back when you bought it that it will receive HD when a hd cable box is used and connected to the DVI or the Component input in the back. This was a low end set at the time. It will still receive regular cable without a box.

The original question seems to be for someone without cable, so Dave 1645's answer is incorrect.

What the Original questioner would be best off puchasing is a Centronics ZAT 502 HD (AKA: RTC DTA1100HD / Digiwave DTV5000HD) which is $100 and is a much better tuner than most tuners integrated into HDTVs.

The Centronics ZAT 502 HD is highly regarded on expert forums such as AVSforums.

The issue of the original question has nothing to do with QAM.

So far as I know the HLN series does not have an ATSC tuner, thus no over the air (OTA) reception. You can probably still get a $40 coupon for an OTA ATSC to NTSC converter. Note that will NOT get you high definition (HD). With Dish you can get HD receivers that do get OTA ATSC both HD and SD. With Direct, no OTA AFAIK. With cable you would need a QAM tuner, not in your TV AFAIK to get clear channels as required for locals. Otherwise cable needs a Set Top Box for digital and scrambled channels although the standard definition (SD) non-scrambled channels work with your NTSC tuner. Too bad there seem to be no ATSC to 5-cable RCA or HDMI HD converters except Dish. -Ken

This TV is not able to understand digital channels because its tuner is not able to find that band, it works only in analog channels. To be able to get HD channels is needed a decoder box that has digital tuner build in. for a tv to understand HD Channels with analog tuner is to us to try to speak at the same time different languages.

Yes it is HD ready. You have atsc/quam tuner which means you can receive digital stations by over the air ( rabbit ears or outside antenna) or on cable.Your ready to roll. Hope this answers you question....Have a nice day.

Just to make sure, you do have analog tuners setup right?  Media Center 2005 requires analog tuners be working before digital tuners are allowed.

Doubt it. We ran HD through our small CATV system using consumer grade modulators but could only get them on the AIR frequencies, as we had very limited bandwidth as we had to carry 64 analog channels plus digital HITS packages for our Motorola DSxxx series boxes. Try plugging the CATV feed into the ANT input and do an autoprogram, or tell the tv to look on the AIR frequencies when it asks if you have CATV or AIR. Worth a shot though.

First I need to know if you have a digital quam tuner in the set? If you don't you will only get analog thru the tuner. You must use a HD box from your cable co. or sat. provider to receive digital channels thru your component input.