CD's, DVD's, Computers, Cars and Pets...Please help!!

Hey guys,

I was wondering if anyone else has had experience with the cd and dvd thing.  We have a monster collection of both cds and dvds and would be completely heartbroken if we weren't able to use them in the UK.  I know that the region free players exist, but are they easy to get your hands on and are they affordable?  What about computers?  We just got a new computer and we would hate to get rid of it?  Can we use it there? 

Also, does anybody think that buying a cheap car is a good idea?  We have a dog that is obivously coming with us and we love to travel and camp, so I was thinking that having a cheap car to get us to our outdoor activites and to trasnport the dog (I heard that they are not allowed on trains) is the right way to go.  Anyone have any advice.

Also, on the pet topic.  I am so nervous for her to fly.  I am not even worried that we will make it over, I am more worried that she will completely freak on the way over.  Anyone have any soothing words of advice for me?

Thank you to anyone who responds.

 

You can get multi-region DVD players easily. We got ours for £40 from Amazon.co.uk.

There are several threads on here about DVD/CD players and computers - have a look. I belive if yoru computer hard drive lets you switch to UK voltage, you can bring it.

Used cars can be quite cheap over here. I wouldn't buy one there and ship it. A US car will have a lot of issues here... higher insurance, problems with tolls, etc.

There are also lots of threads on the PETS scheme here. But, if your dog is high strung, talk to your vet and see what they recommend!

Good luck!

Some questions have already been answered here and it's true, the DVD/computer issues have been raised in many other posts on this forum. As long as your computer's power supply has dual voltage (110/220 V), you're fine. But even if not, instead of buying a new computer, you could buy a different power supply (around $20-100 depending on type) and install it yourself or have someone install it.

Most newer LCD monitors should come with switchable power but you better check with the manufacturer's manual. Some individual peripherals (scanner, printer etc.) might not be used over here, though I think Hewlett Packard devices are equipped with switchable power supplies - it only needs the appropriate lead to plug in the UK sockets. I run my US (Canon) scanner/printer and network router through a power converter which I bought in the US before coming over here. My US Samsung LCD monitor had dual voltage (as did my computers), so no probs there.

Regarding DVD players and TVs... I have seen both that say they will play NTSC.  My question is, are both necessary?  That is, if you buy a DVD player that will play NTSC, can you use any TV?  Or do you also need one that handles NTSC?

There are some players which can play an American DVD/VHS tape and output a type of signal commonly known as NTSC 4.43.  That's a kind of hybrid standard which will let many UK TVs show a picture of sorts, although it's far from ideal.

TVs which will accept a true NTSC signal are easy enough to buy over here these days.  It's best to just go with both a TV and DVD player which are fully NTSC compatible.

I've been wondering about this, too, thanks for the clarification! I didn't want to risk anything hence I went for both, a NTSC capable TV and DVD player ... 

TV standards in Europe are something of a minefield for the non-technical person, as there are so many variations in such a relatively small region as one crosses international borders.     Even between the U.K. and Ireland, which are both the same basic standard (PAL system I) there are complications in the tuners, and prior to 1985  Britain actually had two different broadcast standards in use!   

North America is much simpler, with the same standard used in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, almost all of the Caribbean, and beyond (DVD region coding excepted).