Originally Posted by Miss Ann Thrope

Well I'm reviving this thread because I have just discovered that the usually reliable and incontrovertible Eeyore is incorrect on a few points above, particularly that last sentence. And I'm none too impressed with Samsung and feel like venting...

This is a characteristically long post from me but unlike most of the others involving bilious ranting, this is purely informational.

I purchased a large, expensive and flashy (well, for me) Samsung TV from Jackys in Dubai around 2011. It was not the biggest size (49") nor the fanciest spec but it was pretty high end, costing about Dhs 6.5k, which was a ridiculously large outlay then for somebody like me who HATES spending money. Anyway it looked and worked fine for the 7 years I used it in Dubai with a du set-top box.

As Eeyore and others have done, I included the TV in my company-paid goods shipment when I retired back to the UK last year. It's taken me a while to get around to setting it up as I planned to put it in the guest bedroom which is just now ready after a major house renovation. When I finally plugged it in and connected it the antenna yesterday, it seemed to be working fine except that it refused to tune into any channels when I activated the tuner. I suspected something fundamental was up as it seemed to be only scrolling through analogue frequencies.

I downloaded the manual from the very useful Samsung Gulf support site, which I found on google by typing in the TV model number. The manual didn't suggest any remedy and I hadn't been able to find anything scrolling through the menus on the TV. There was a live chat function on the Samsung Gulf site, which I didn't expect much from, but I started it up and within a minute I had a correspondent online. I gave them the model number and explained the issue. The response was fast and clear. That TV model does not have a digital tuner. I expressed reasonable astonishment that for that price and spec such a basic function was not included. They simply responded that it was a 2010 model TV. I did point out that, by that time, the UK, most of Europe and the US had already moved broadcast TV exclusively to digital channels after a decade of preparing consumers, so that was hardly an excuse. I asked if there was a plug-in solution and was told there was nothing available from Samsung. And, save some polite expressions of sympathy, that was that.

So, be careful what TV or any other electronic device that you have, if you do want to relocate it with you outside the Gulf. It might be missing something so fundamental that you wouldn't even think to ask if it was in the spec. The way devices are used in the Gulf region may be quite different to how they are used elsewhere, in non-obvious ways, and the device spec may be different accordingly. Make no assumptions.

I think it is pretty shoddy of Samsung to de-spec a high end model like this, presumably to save a few Ringgit (it was made in Malaysia). But the Gulf is exactly the kind of market where they can get away with something like that. I guess I can buy a set-top box to make the TV receive digital channels but that wasn't the point for a spare-room TV.... And, on principle, I won't be buying any more Samsung devices of any kind, despite their surprisingly efficient support site in the Gulf.

Tldr; give your TV away before you leave.

Originally Posted by Pongo

Originally Posted by csdf

I can confirm this issue - my UAE-bought Samsung TV has many of the features disabled* that the exact same model shipped with when sold in the UK and US.

* Voice control and wireless pairing with Samsung speakers being the two I've most been annoyed by

Originally Posted by csdf

My TV's already set to the UK region but that just changes what apps are available. The voice control is a hardware feature of the remote, and the remote that ships in the UAE doesn't have the microphone needed for voice control. Not sure about wireless linking to soundbars (could be software or hardware) but it's definitely not available on UAE SKUs.

Originally Posted by Miss Ann Thrope

Yes, but I really shouldn't have to supplement the basic capability of an expensive digital TV from a major manufacturer purchased well into the era of digital broadcasting with fiddly add-ons, ugly extra components and multiple remotes etc. That's what I'm moaning about (not to mention having to spend another thirty odd quid!).

The point of starting all this up again (aside from the fact that you lot seem to have bugger all else to talk about) is that contrary to what others have been saying, you cannot assume that your device will have the same functionality in the UK as it does in the Gulf and presumably vice-versa.