British bought TV work in the US?
 

This may sound a silly question, but if I bring my TV bought in England to the US, will it work OK?

Minty

Re: British bought TV work in the US?
 

No.

Unless you bought a multi-system TV (eg. Secam/NTSC/PAL) but that's unlikely for a bog-standard TV which you purchased in Comet, Curry's etc.

Re: British bought TV work in the US?
 

You should search for the many other threads on this topic. My recollection is that you'll need a converter/transformer for the electrical current and that you will only be able to use it to play UK videos and DVDs (on a UK Video/DVD player). I don't think you'll be able to watch US TV programming.

Check: http://freespace.virgin.net/john.cle...ult/compat.htm

How long are you here for? If you're here for the medium/long haul, this might be a good excuse to buy yourself a nice new US TV and surround sound system!

Re: British bought TV work in the US?
 

I don't know how truthful this is because I havent researched it enough, but British TV's can aparently deal with NTSC signals. It is American telly's that have trouble with the PAL signal. I had no problem playing NTSC movies on my TV when I was in the UK, no transformer or anything needed. You would most likely have problems watching terrestrial or cable broadcasts in the U.S. though it though, since they use a different frequency to broadcast.

Re: British bought TV work in the US?
 

Why bother? You can pick up an oversized "fish tank" special at WallyMarts for less than a hundred or so buckaroos. Maybe even get a flat screen for that price these days.

Re: British bought TV work in the US?
 

Most TVs in the UK have NTSC compatability as the norm.

I agree with fatbrit. Why bother shipping it all the way out here when they are dirt cheap (and oversized) in stores all over the US.

Don't waste your time. Sell it or give it away and buy something better in the US.

Re: British bought TV work in the US?
 

I think that the number of pixels that the UK uses is different from that in the US. One uses Pal and the other SECAM.

Re: British bought TV work in the US?
 

Hey Minty!

I have PM'd you regarding a question on your timeline.

Thanks!

Re: British bought TV work in the US?
 

There are several considerations as to what degree a U.K. TV will work in the U.S.A. I'll try to cover all angles for anyone else who is confused by the different standards. As far as the British side is concerned, I'll refer only to the modern, current system. If you want to import a 40-year old classic TV set, that's a whole different ballgame.

First is the power source. Many of the latest TVs will work on either 120 or 240V supplies, but if the set is designed only for 220-240V then you will either need to run it via a step-up transformer (about $25 for the type needed for an average TV) or get a 240V outlet installed in your living room. The frequency of the supply differs as well (UK=50Hz, US=60Hz), but that isn't going to be a problem with modern equipment.

American TV has a picture comprised of 525 lines and a vertical scanning rate of 60Hz, which gives 30 complete frames per second. British TV, on the other hand, has a picture comprised of 625 lines with a 50Hz scan rate, giving 25 frames per second. On top of that are two different methods for transmitting color. America adopted the NTSC (National Television Standards Committee) system in the early 1950s and has used it ever since. By the time Britain went for color, we chose the PAL (Phase Alternation by Line) system, which in many respects can be looked upon as a refined version of NTSC designed to overcome some of its shortcomings (and introduce a few of its own!).

NTSC and PAL are not directly compatible with each other. However, a British PAL set already contains all that is needed to decode an NTSC signal with only a minor tweak to the circuitry, so as has been mentioned, many of the latest British sets will actually display an NTSC signal. In general though, they will do so only when the signal is fed in directly as separate video and audio. Most will not receive an off-air NTSC broadcast.

Another difference is that Britain now uses only UHF channels for TV broadcast (numbered 21 through 69), so many sets come with only UHF tuners. In the U.S., though, bioth VHF and UHF channels are still in use. As channels are announced all the time in the U.S., I'm sure many of you will already be aware that VHF is 2 through 13 and UHF channels run from 14 upward, (but using totally different frequency allocations to the British UHF channels). That and some other technical specifications which I won't bore you with basically make off-air broadcast signals incompatible.

The only way a set purchased in the U.K. will receive off-air broadcasts properly in the U.S. is if it has both a VHF and UHF tuner, and can be set not only for NTSC color but also to system "M". (The UK system is "I.") Sets which will do this are rare.

In summary, a modern British set which offers NTSC compatibility could be used in conjunction with a U.S. VCR to watch off-air broadcasts, but you won't be able to receive them directly. Modern British sets come with a SCART connector on the back rather than separate video and audio jacks, which can be used to feed the VCR signal in. The SCART standard is a European one, however, so don't expect to find a similar SCART output on your American VCR. You'll need an adapter lead, best bought in the U.K. and shipped with the TV.

To be honest, unless your TV is something very special or you specifically want to maintain the ability to watch 625/PAL material (from a British camcorder for example) you'd probably save yourself a lot of trouble by just buying another TV in America.

Hope this helps.

Re: British bought TV work in the US?
 

what about this scenario?

my UK tv plugged into my comcast digital cable box via s-video and audio (yellow, red and white cables) and hooked up to the mains via a transformer

yes/no maybe?

tv cost a fair amount and i woudn't be able to get comparable quality with a wally-world special....

Re: British bought TV work in the US?
 

It's possible, but it really wouldn't be worth the effort of bringing it over, just get a decent box over here for less money, plenty of decent sets online.....

Re: British bought TV work in the US?
 

So long as the set can be switched to accept a normal NTSC video signal (check the manual), you should be able to use it in combination with any U.S. "box" which provides a direct video output: VCR, cable receiver, satellite receiver, etc.

By the way, make sure when checking the specifications that the set supports regular NTSC video, which may also be listed as NTSC-M or sometimes NTSC 3.58. There is a kind of hybrid system known as NTSC 4.43 which is used mostly in a broadcast/studio environment. It is not compatible with normal NTSC video, so a set which supports only NTSC 4.43 but not regular NTSC will not work in America. (It's unlikely you'll find it on a domestic British set, but be aware of it just in case.)

Re: British bought TV work in the US?
 

simple question = simple answer .....NO....

Re: British bought TV work in the US?
 

http://www.threedoubleyou.com/converters.htm

That site sells converters that'll change the signal's if you have a camcorder and want to be able to use them in the states, but the converters for the tv that are needed for big ones, digital one's that you'll need for broadcast signals etc, there really rather expensive...