Buying a TV in London

You're probably right!  I didn't know there was an electronics section. 

I think I might have found something.  Philips seems to be the only manufacturer that posts video formats that include NTSC.  If you look at the specs it looks like this model does



Maybe I found my TV!  I think because of the Wii I need to find a TV that has this specified.  All the Wii NTSC/PAL info out there is confusing. 

www.220-electronics.com is a US outfit, so I cannot purchase a TV from them now that I'm in the UK.  I was posting this as an example of what I'm after. 

My apologies; I missed that last night.    

I guess I just don't get how a UK PAL TV could play NTSC DVD's from the US.  There are two issues, region coding and systems. 

It gets rather more complicated than that.  The region coding on DVDs is a completely separate issue, totally different from the different picture standards (although naturally region 1 DVDs are usually NTSC whereas region 2 DVDs are usually PAL, due to the respective markets).

When it comes to the different video systems, the situation is complicated by the fact that there are different ways you can connect a signal source to your TV, and each method has varying degrees of compatibility between the two systems.

I posted a fairly detailed explanation in the Technical Issues thread some time ago, see reply #34:
http://talk.uk-yankee.com/index.php?topic=12567.0;all

However, to summarize the basics:

1.  Component video, which either connects individual RGB (red/green/blue) video signals to the TV, or which uses color-difference signals Y/Pr/Pb (also called Y/Cr/Cb).   Because the red, green, and blue components of the picture are being sent individually, the NTSC vs. PAL issues don't come into the picture (excuse the pun).   The only compatibility issue is the different scanning rates and number of lines.  Practically all modern TVs will work with either an American or a British video signal this way.

2.  S-video (Y/C) & composite video.  The color-difference signals from above are encoded into the appropriate NTSC or PAL standard, and thus the TV must be capable of accepting the format you are supplying.   An increasing number of U.K. TV sets do accept NTSC video this way, but it is not guaranteed.

3.  RF/antenna connections.  Whether you are receiving an off-air signal or using the RF output from a VCR/DVD/other box it doesn't matter.   The composite NTSC or PAL video signal is processed and combined with the audio signal into the same format which is broadcast from the TV transmitter towers, so the TV would not only need to accept NTSC video but also have the correct tuner which matches the American broadcast standards.  Such sets in the U.K. are rare.    There are also variations between PAL countries in this respect, which means that a PAL TV will not automatically work in every PAL country when it comes to off-air signals.

Anyway, turning to your shortlist......

I found a manual for the Sharp LC42X20E here:
http://www.tradenet.sharp.co.uk/tech/fromcorp.asp?ID=102945

Video Colour System  PAL/SECAM/NTSC 3.58/NTSC 4.43/PAL 60
TV-Standard Analogue CCIR (B/G, I, D/K, L/L’)
Digital DVB-T (2K/8K OFDM)
Receiving Channel VHF/UHF E2–E69ch, F2–F10ch, I21–I69ch, IR A–IR Jch (Digital: E5-E69ch)
CATV Hyper-band, S1–S41ch
TV-Tuning System Auto Preset 999 ch, Auto Label, Auto Sort
STEREO/BILINGUAL NICAM/A2

These specifications show that the set will accept NTSC video on the composite & S-video inputs, as well as component video, of course.  As usual for a U.K. model, the tuner would not work in the U.S. if you took the set back there at some point in the future, but it is also compatible with the broadcast standards used throughout most of Europe.

I couldn't find anything on the Toshiba 42XV505DB to suggest NTSC compatibility, I'm afraid, although given the specifications it would almost certainly work with component video as with most modern sets.

I'll come back and see what I can find on the LG models later.

O.K., I've managed to track down the user manuals on the LG website, but they're a little imprecise.  The technical specification pages don't list NTSC video compatibility, but the section on AV inputs in the manuals do suggest that all three models you listed will accept NTSC on the composite inputs.   It would be a good idea to fire off a query to LG Electronics if you were considering one of those to be sure.

I think I might have found something.  Philips seems to be the only manufacturer that posts video formats that include NTSC.  If you look at the specs it looks like this model does

User manual for that set here:

http://www.p4c.philips.com/files/4/42pfl5603d_10/42pfl5603d_10_dfu_eng.pdf

It does indeed appear to be fully NTSC compatible at baseband video, although as usual you would not be able to use an American device which connects via the RF/antenna input.

Paul, thank you so much for taking the time to help me figure this out.  You're a huge help!  Now I feel like I have some real options!  And I'm not concerned about bringing the set back to the US.  I'm fully prepared to leave it behind when (and if!) we move back. 

Look at Sony - the handle both regions.