Aspects of a method and system for processing signals in a television system using a subset of receive operations for detecting digital and analog television signals are provided. The system and method may be deployed in, for example, cable TV set-top boxes, cable TV modems, and television receivers, which may be coupled to a cable TV or over-the-air terrestrial network. Performing only a subset of receiver operations may allow detection of the type of signal; for example digital QAM, digital VSB, or analog; present in a television channel. In this regard, it is not necessary to generate and validate a bit stream in order to detect if a signal is present and/or the type of signal present.