Patrick

I seem to be getting a lot of crap for this comment. I am basing on two facts.

1. my neigbour (a us serviceman) just bought a vcr in the states and gets me to tape stuff of sky for him then plays it on his vcr. He did not buy it with the intention of being posted to the uk and he told me (which I assumed to be true) most vcrs now play both.

2. My Mum just bought a cheap vcr (in England) and it plays NTSC tapes on it.

Putting these two facts together (and doing a bit of research on the web, where Toshiba claim most of their vcrs play both) I thought it safe to put these comments down. Thanks for the slamming guys!

Patrick

OK. I just did some research and heres the gen

For a vcr to play both NTSC and PAL it must be a multisystem vcr - apparently these are quite common. For the PAL video to play on a NTSC TV either

1. the VCR has to have a built in video converter
2. You must buy a video converter
3. You have to buy a multisystem TV which is capable of receiving and displaying a variety of video standards (again in these times of global markets these are too not that scarce)

The cheapest multisystem vcr I found was a JVC at $129
Found hundreds of multisystem tvs starting around $250
The cheapest video converter I could find was $240

So you could get a decent multisystem vcr and multisystem TV for under $500 and there are a lot of them around!

Pulaski

Mrtravel, I think that you are right, and that Patrick doesn't know what he is talking about.

PAL and NTSC are fundamentally different systems, though confusingly they both use exactly the same size video tape.

When I asked in Circuit City for a dual standard PAL/NTSC VCR I was referred to the manager who confirmed that this was a specialised VCR that they did not stock.

I would be interested to hear from anyone who has successfully played a PAL tape in an NTSC machine, and NOT somebody who has a friend who's sister's hair stylist's boyfriend did!

Mrtravel

afosuk wrote:
    > Originally posted by Mrtravel:
    > > Patrick wrote:
    > > > Part Two: Most modern VCR's play both formats now - you would be extremly
    > > > unlucky to buy a brand new vcr and it only play 1 format. T
    > >
    > Can I jump on the VCR/DVD/TV thing here:
    > I'm bringing over to the U.S my VCR (which plays PAL & NTSC) but not my TV (too big
    > and old) Can I get a TV that will be ok with a PAL signal VCR ?

I haven't dual NTSC/PAL TVs in the US. I think it might be easier to replace the VCR
with one the plays PAL/NTSC tapes and outputs to NTSC.

Just Jenney

Here's my 2¢...

1) You *shouldn't* have a problem getting an apartment if you can pay several months' rent upfront. That's what I did a couple of years ago after my divorce. I didn't have a job lined up yet in my new city, but I *did* have enough savings to pay 6 months' rent. They felt satisfied that within 6 months I'd have a job with steady income, and had no problem offering me a lease.

2) Maybe it's just me, but I've NEVER received ANY of my security deposit back on ANY apartment I've ever rented. I've always been a very good tenant, keeping the place in good shape, no damage at all, nothing beyond normal wear-and-tear. I've always cleaned, vacuumed, scrubbed and steam-cleaned before I move out, removed all garbage and cleared out completely. I also always filled out a detailed inventory sheet when I moved in. But they ALWAYS keep the deposit, saying that it's needed to clean the carpets and repaint or whatever. I've resigned to the notion that I'll probably never see any of my security deposits ever again. (Lots of people I know have had similar situations.)

So for all of you who have said you've only gotten half your deposits back, I'll gladly take even half of them!! Ha!!

~ Jenney

Andy Platt

There's always a way; guarantor's may be one. For me I just brough traveller's checks
over with me and they accepted those. So then I had an address and could open the
bank account.

Andy.

--
I'm not really here - it's just your warped imagination. "carjen"
<[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
    > Thanks everyone for your input. On the subject of apartments, it seems like it's
    > catch 22- we can't get bank accounts without an address, we can't get an apartment
    > without bank statements! How do you do one without the other? If neither of us
    > finds a job immediately, we still want to have an apartment to live in, and our
    > money in a bank. I have a SSN, so presumably that will be enough to open a bank
    > account? Would they accept my very well-off parents as guarantor on an apartment,
    > plus 3 months rent in advance? I would expect to pay a deposit, have done so in
    > every single place I've ever rented previously. Good idea to take pictures when we
    > arrive, and pictures when we leave, and get a signature to say no damage. Thanks
    > for that tip. About the VCRS, it seems to be people have had different experiences.
    > I'm fairly certain from the responses to this question that I can get the kind of
    > VCR I want. We have way too many videos of all sorts of stuff to replace them all
    > on DVD. Thanks for all the info, Kiera
    > --
    > Posted via http://britishexpats.com