Multi System TV's

Now I think I already know the answer to this...but.....

After just learning how to make my Bose DVD player mutli system, I don't suppose that you can do this same trick to a TV at all can you?  We haven't moved back to the UK yet, but are packing everything up and we are going to sell my 42" Plasma...I really, really don't want to but I don't want a huge HD tv that is going to used for nothing but american DVD's.....

Thanks,

What make & model TV is it?  I've got a Sony LCD TV hooked up to a multi-system, multi-region DVD player, and it plays US/NTSC/Region 1 and UK/PAL/Region 2 DVDs just fine.  Depending on what you've got, it might, too.

Hmmmm.....

I have a Panasonic....I forget the model number...I have have to give this a try when I get home....

OK...so I have a Panasonic TH-42PX60U

From what I am reading it will have no problem playing a PAL DVD (as long as my DVD player will do it)...

Now my next question....how about for Satellite..say Sky?  Does anyone know how that works?

Hi George,

Not to be a downer on your plans - but shipping a Plasma telly isn't really worth it. The shipping charges will be quite pricey and the insurance if it's not included in that price will be hefty as well. Add in the fact that plasma's don't transport very well i.e they MUST be kept in the upright position and are extremely fragile items anyway - it's not really worth all that - as you probably end up with a broken unit once it gets here.

42inch plasma's from top brand's are really quite cheap here anyway - not as cheap as the USA of course! but for UK pricing they are. I'd suggest putting the money for shipping the unit across in with the price you sell it for in the USA and then put the dosh towards getting a Plasma or LCD over here

Of course, I don't know how deep your pockets are! - but if you do ship the unit across here, then getting a Sky satellite box hooked up to an NTSC TV will incur yet more expense! I'm sure there's a PAL to NTSC and vice versa converter you can get from specialist hi-fi dealers - look in the back of What Hi-Fi magazine and/or post this question up on avforums.com for much more specialised knowledge people to hep you out. From memory, the signal converter boxes will be a good £100 for a basic unit, and a good bit more for one of those high quality, low loss type ones.

Hope the above helps!

Cheers, DtM! West London & Slough UK!

Thanks Denis!  I think I agree with you completely...I wasn't going to ship it via mail, but with the rest of our household goods...but I think I am better off selling the TV and just getting a new one when we get there...I think I will get a multisystem one though just because we have so many dvd's and the Xbox and what not.....

If you connect a DVD player, satellite receiver or other signal source to the TV via component video inputs, then the NTSC vs. PAL encoding issues are completely bypassed.  All that is necessary then is that the TV can cope with the slightly different scanning rates of the two different systems (15,625Hz vs. 15,734Hz horizontal; 50Hz vs. 60 Hz. vertical).  Most modern sets will cope with those variations fine.   

Most American model TVs are not designed to accept PAL on the composite/S-video inputs, nor will they have a tuner which is suitable for use in the U.K., but if you are happy to watch everything by way of the component video inputs (satellite, digibox, DVD), you may be fine.

If you connect a DVD player, satellite receiver or other signal source to the TV via component video inputs, then the NTSC vs. PAL encoding issues are completely bypassed.  All that is necessary then is that the TV can cope with the slightly different scanning rates of the two different systems (15,625Hz vs. 15,734Hz horizontal; 50Hz vs. 60 Hz. vertical).  Most modern sets will cope with those variations fine.   

Most American model TVs are not designed to accept PAL on the composite/S-video inputs, nor will they have a tuner which is suitable for use in the U.K., but if you are happy to watch everything by way of the component video inputs (satellite, digibox, DVD), you may be fine.

Ahhhh.....thank you very much...that is exactly what I was wondering.

I think I am just going to sell this TV anyways, but you have helped me tremendously...I should not have to buy a "multisystem" then when I get out there as I can just run the DVD via Component or HDMI and then it isn't an issue.......

Thanks so much!

This is probably not an issue but the TV you buy in the UK might not support US closed captioning.  My overseas LCD (which was 110/220 and did PAL and NTSC and had more ports on the back than possibly needed) did not support closed captions (which was slightly annoying as I often have to watch the tv with the mute on do to other things). 

Just thought I'd mention it though it might not be an issue (i.e. if you aren't bringing the UK tv back to the US later on or don't use cc)

That's a good point you've raised, which I neglected to mention earlier.  It will work the other way too: A non-U.K. set, even if it will accept 625-line/PAL video might not support the British Teletext standard either, page 888 of which is used for sub-titles.   

This is probably not an issue but the TV you buy in the UK might not support US closed captioning.  My overseas LCD (which was 110/220 and did PAL and NTSC and had more ports on the back than possibly needed) did not support closed captions (which was slightly annoying as I often have to watch the tv with the mute on do to other things). 

Just thought I'd mention it though it might not be an issue (i.e. if you aren't bringing the UK tv back to the US later on or don't use cc)

Thanks for that...I don't think that should be an issue with us, but it is good to know ahead of time so that when/if I do need it I am not getting all mad trying to figure out what is going on..

 

another question for Paul....  We have a US LCD TV that says '110 - 120 volts'  60mhz  170 watts  .   could we use this with satellite tv and a step-down transformer in a 220 country?

thanks,

I am sure that Paul will be around to answer the question about being able to use the TV but just wanted to mention that in our own research that DH and I have been doing... make sure to buy a step up/down transformer that covers a bit more wattage than that of the TV itself.  Not sure if it is true or not but have found in searching that LCD TV's have a larger 'surge' or wattage used when you turn them on.  So we made sure to buy a transformer that goes above and beyond the wattage that ours said it used.  Just to be safe.. again it may be a bunch of rubbish but that is what we have read at least

We have a US LCD TV that says '110 - 120 volts'  60mhz  170 watts 

It will be 60Hz.        The frequency difference (50Hz in Britain) is not important for powering a TV, so it will run fine from a step-down transformer.   A lot of devices draw a brief surge of current above their normal rating when switched on.   The main thing on the voltage conversion is to use a proper transformer and not one of those cheap "transformerless" converters.   A good transformer will handle any switch-on surge without a problem, although it's still a good idea to go up to the next size if the rating is close, if only to provide a little spare capacity should you wish to add some other device in the future.

Try these suppliers for suitable step-down transformers:

http://www.airlinktransformers.com/
http://www.newmarket-transformers.co.uk/
 
With regard to the signal source, it will be the same as already described.  If using direct component video input from a U.K. satellite receiver or digital set-top box will almost certainly display just fine, as it's just the slightly different scan rates involved.   If you connect via S-video or composite video inputs, however, then the TV will need full PAL compatibility.

One little thing to watch for on the component inputs is that many U.K. satellite/digiboxes and the like have RGB outputs on the SCART sockets, but do not have Y/Pr/Pb or Y/Cr/Cb outputs.  Both are component video, but in a slightly different form (see the Technical Issues thread for more details).  If you don't have direct RGB inputs on the TV, you might be a little restricted on what you can hook up to it.   Most DVD players sold here do have Y/Pr/Pb outputs on RCA jacks, however.

I haven't been to a Dixons in awhile but is an HDMI port in the UK the same as an HDMI port in the US?  Same cables?