Television Connections

I am planning on heading to the UK for a job relocation in January, 2006.  I have tried to educate myself on the electronics issues (mostly on this forum) and have a question.  Our current TV will essentially be useless over there, and I am thinking of getting one in the US since the consensus seems to be that they are less expensive here.  I have found the Sharp Aquos line of LCD TV's, and am wondering if they might be a good option to bring over, and then be able to bring back should we return to the US within 3-5 years.

I know the voltage will be fine, since the TV will handle 110-240V 50/60HZ.

The TV also has a 'dual tuner' that handles NTSC and PAL.  I assume that this will get me at least the off-air feeds, and possibly DVD player to work as well?

The big question I have is the connections.  If I buy it in the US, it will have relatively standard US connections (coax, Composite (RCA), S-video, component (Y/Pr/Pb), and HDMI) but will I be able to connect it to a feed in the UK?  I know that DVD players should be fine with component or S-video, but what do most off-air or satellite feeds in the UK look like?  I have heard of something called a SCARP cable, and the TV definitely does not have that type of connection.  Are there converters for one of the inputs listed above?  What about sattellite or other cable feeds?  Is there anything else I need to worry about with this type of Television?

Thanks for the help.  I hope I can work something out, but worst case is I just contact the manufacturer, or buy something in the UK.

Hi,

The TV also has a 'dual tuner' that handles NTSC and PAL.  I assume that this will get me at least the off-air feeds,

Maybe.  A 625-line PAL composite video signal is basically the same wherever it is used, but there are several different standards for the way in which it is broadcast along with the associated audio signal.    Most of Western Europe (except France) uses PAL systems B and G, but the U.K. and Ireland use system I.     If you tried to use a B/G set to watch system I transmissions, you would have no sound, due to the different audio/video carrier spacing.    So, you need to check that the model in question supports PAL system I, not just systems B/G which are the more common.  

General sales staff are often not too clued up on international standards, so it's best not to accept vague assurances that the set "Will work anywhere in Europe."   I'd ask the manufacturer's technical department specifically about system I compatibility.

By the way, if you want it to receive stereo off-air, it will also need to support the NICAM-728 stereo system.

I should also mention that analog broadcasts are due to be shut down between 2008 and 2012, region by region.

and possibly DVD player to work as well?

Few DVD players on ther market have an integral modulator to provide an RF output.   You usually need to connect the video directly, which will result in much better quality anyway.

it will have relatively standard US connections (coax, Composite (RCA), S-video, component (Y/Pr/Pb), and HDMI) but will I be able to connect it to a feed in the UK?  I know that DVD players should be fine with component or S-video, but what do most off-air or satellite feeds in the UK look like?  

Yes, as the set supports 625/PAL you will be able to feed composite video, S-video, or component Y/Pr/Pb video in with no problems.    This completely bypasses the systems B/G/I issue of broadcast signals, so even if the set doesn't support system I, you could still watch TV here by feeding through the tuner of a British VCR or a digital set-top box.

The standard connector for UHF antennas and the RF links between equipment is the Belling-Lee coax plug, named for its original manufacturer (although few people these days know the name --  they'll just call it a TV coax plug or something similar).  It's just a simple push-in plug:



You could use a patch lead with one end replaced with an F-type connector to fit the antenna socket on the TV.    F-type connectors are easily obtainable here, as they are used for the dish-to-receiver side of satellite installations.

I have heard of something called a SCARP cable, and the TV definitely does not have that type of connection.  

It's called SCART --  Syndicat des Constructeurs d'Appareils Radiorécepteurs et Téléviseurs.     It's a European standard adopted in the 1980s, using a large 21-way connector which combines several audio and video inputs and outputs in one socket.  Just about all domestic video equipment sold here now uses the SCART system:

Are there converters for one of the inputs listed above?  

The SCART system provides for composite video and separate RGB direct video (although not every piece of equipment supports every function of SCART).  It's easy to find adapter cables which go from a SCART plug to separate RCA plugs for composite or RGB video.   The SCART socket also carries stereo audio signals, so you'll find adapter cables which also include two RCA plugs for left and right audio.

SCART doesn't support S-video or Y/Pr/Pb.    Adapter units to convert between the composite video on SCART and S-video are available, although they can be of somewhat variable quality.  

What about sattellite or other cable feeds?  

All the latest satellite receivers, VCRs, digital terrestrial, and cable set-top boxes provide a SCART output.  On the low-end units, that's often the only connection available, but the better units generally provide composite video and separate audio on RCA jacks, and S-video where appropriate.  

The Y/Pr/Pb input on your TV will likely only be of use for connecting a DVD player.  If it doesn't have direct RGB inputs, then you should be able to connect anything else via adapter leads to the composite or S-video inputs in some combination.

Paul,
Thanks so much for the informative post, it really is invaluable.  It is pretty obvious that things are a little complicated and I need to be careful.  Sharp's website gives some specifications, and for the same Aquos TV with two different model numbers, one says it has a PAL-M/N tuner, and the other says it has PAL-B/G, D/K, and I.  I suspect I need to double check the model number before buying anything.  I also notice the second one mentions NICAM and a built in Teletext circuit, which is good.

Thanks again for the response, not sure what I am going to do, but this definitely makes me think it could be possible to find something that would cover me in both countries if needed.

It is pretty obvious that things are a little complicated and I need to be careful. 

I'm afraid that the way TV developed on this side of the Atlantic with disparate systems in the relatively small countries has resulted in a lot of complexity and varying degrees of compatibility between the systems.      It's actually quite  a bit simpler now than years past, when there were even more different systems in use.

You're very much more fortunate in North America in having a standard which is effectively the same throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and much of Central America and the Caribbean too.

Sharp's website gives some specifications, and for the same Aquos TV with two different model numbers, one says it has a PAL-M/N tuner, and the other says it has PAL-B/G, D/K, and I.  I suspect I need to double check the model number before buying anything. 

Definitely.  The PAL-M/N version will be intended for the South American market.   System M is the normal American standard, but Brazil uses a modified form with PAL color instead of the basic NTSC arrangement.   System N is a 625-line standard used only in a handful of other South American countries     You want the B/G, D/K, I version, which will work throughout the British Isles and much of Europe (France being the most notable exception, unless it supports SECAM system L as well).

I also notice the second one mentions NICAM and a built in Teletext circuit, which is good.

Yes, NICAM is a European standard, so there would be no point providing it on the PAL-M/N model.    Ditto for Teletext.