Anyone Taken their TV back to the UK?
 

Hi

Has anyone taken their TV back with them to the UK? How did you do it and how much did it cost please?

Thanks,

Zain

Re: Anyone Taken their TV back to the UK?
 

That sounds crazy... Why would you ever think this is worth it considering the shipping, chance of damage and the fact that the same TV is available in UK

Re: Anyone Taken their TV back to the UK?
 

That's not answered my question

Re: Anyone Taken their TV back to the UK?
 

The answer is - "It is not worth it."

Re: Anyone Taken their TV back to the UK?
 

Taking TVs back to the UK is un-British.

Re: Anyone Taken their TV back to the UK?
 

Never ever known of any Brits who have taken their TV back home.

Re: Anyone Taken their TV back to the UK?
 

The flux capacitor in a foreign TV will be different - you won't be able to use it in the UK unless you reverse the polarity on the incoming signal amplitude regulator.

Re: Anyone Taken their TV back to the UK?
 

Re: Anyone Taken their TV back to the UK?
 

I took a TV back to the UK once. It went into the container with all the other stuff.

As weasel said, the amount of rework I had to do on the flux capacity was quite expensive and not really worth it - same for the XBOX, I also had to reverse the polarity on the BSUSB port.

Re: Anyone Taken their TV back to the UK?
 

He might be ok if he can get Dr Emmett Brown to make a slight tweak on it.

Re: Anyone Taken their TV back to the UK?
 

Why bother? You’ll soon get sick of watching Saudi programmes on it.

Re: Anyone Taken their TV back to the UK?
 

I am moving to UAE (Abu Dhabi) soon (the opposite of this article) and I am wondering if it is worth to ship my 55" Sony smart TV. I guess Etisalat/DU come with receiver boxes anyway, so it should work, right?

Re: Anyone Taken their TV back to the UK?
 

We brought our TV back to the UK with us in 2015 - why replace it when it was working fine and was effectively "free" to ship in the container with all our other belongings?

It was properly packed in its own wooden crate by the shipping people and it's still our main TV to this day. Obviously there's no need to modify it at all, it uses the same mains voltage (and 3-pin plug) as the UK and your Sky/Freeview/cable box plugs straight in via HDMI.

Yes, any UK TV will just plug and play in the UAE, and of course vice-versa.

Re: Anyone Taken their TV back to the UK?
 

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.

Re: Anyone Taken their TV back to the UK?
 

My mate shipped one back. It might have worked or might not have worked, he never got to find out because they smashed the screen in transit somewhere.

I know right, call me Mr Helpful.

Re: Anyone Taken their TV back to the UK?
 

Re: Anyone Taken their TV back to the UK?
 

Re: Anyone Taken their TV back to the UK?
 

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

Re: Anyone Taken their TV back to the UK?
 

Re: Anyone Taken their TV back to the UK?
 

Agreed and the wireless link from LG to LG soundbar was dogshit. If it's sat under the telly (where they recommend you put it) then making it wireless seems like a feature too far.

Re: Anyone Taken their TV back to the UK?
 

In my case, the only relevant region option on my Samsung TV was "Asia/Europe", so it was the same for Gulf and UK. Other regions, aside from the obvious few, were oddly specific and random (e.g. Indonesia/NZL) and not relevant. I'm not sure if it made any difference to any other features but the digital tuning is a hardware issue as they told me in the online chat. I had done full reset to Plug & Play as well as attempting manual set-up.

Re: Anyone Taken their TV back to the UK?
 

Can you just plug a freeview box or sky box into it?

Re: Anyone Taken their TV back to the UK?
 

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.

Re: Anyone Taken their TV back to the UK?
 

Re: Anyone Taken their TV back to the UK?
 

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.

Re: Anyone Taken their TV back to the UK?
 

Re: Anyone Taken their TV back to the UK?
 

One could if one was terribly bored. Thanks for taking the bait though...

Re: Anyone Taken their TV back to the UK?
 

Tightwad.

Re: Anyone Taken their TV back to the UK?
 

The Wrath of God is visited on those who are misers.

Re: Anyone Taken their TV back to the UK?
 

But of course there's a plug-in solution - any DTT, DSAT or DCAB box will plug directly into it via HDMI.

I do actually point this out in my post :)

I knew that my TV didn't have a digital tuner. It's not just Samsung and it's not a purely Gulf-related issue either - the TVs sold in the Gulf aren't Gulf-exclusive, they're sold across the huge swathes of the world outside Europe where there is no terrestrial digital broadcasting at all, it's all done via satellite, cable and IP.

That's why the TVs sold in those markets don't have digital tuners. You're actively *expected* to plug in a digital box of some description - just as you are in Dubai, where there is no terrestrial TV broadcasting of any kind any more.

In any case, why would you expect a TV bought in the Middle East to contain a tuner (digital or analogue) compatible with the UK? There is no standardisation between countries for TV broadcasts via RF, they all use different parts of the spectrum, offset the video and audio subcarriers differently, and so on. Tuners have to be localised to their market, which increases costs.

The fact remains that you can take any TV from the UAE back to the UK and it will plug in and work just as it did in the UAE. The only thing it won't offer will be a digital tuner, but you can buy a Freeview box to plug in for under £15.

Re: Anyone Taken their TV back to the UK?
 

I have many times taken large and unsuitable items between UK and Middle East (in both directions). It is generally fine, but be aware that there is a small but irreducible risk of damage. In theory airline is liable (pursuant to Vienna convention). I say "in theory" because in reality they may just laugh at you and gamble that you won't actually sue them. You might actually be better off packing the TV lightly so the workers can see it will be damaged if flung off the top of a ladder and therefore hopefully treated more kindly, whereas if hidden inside a well padded case it is more likely to be abused due to apparent solidity. Make sure also that the box could withstand being at the bottom of a pile of other boxes for a few hours.

PS If you can't accept a 10% chance of the TV being completely broken to pieces, don't do this.