How to use US televisions and DVD players in the UK

Do you really need to?

If you don't have an expensive set, or a lot of US electronics/content, our advice is to stick it on Craigslist and simply buy new. The shipping cost and the cost and time you'll need to set it up might outweigh any potential savings.


Check the voltage

US voltage is 110v; but Europe uses 220v. Check the power supply. If it doesn't say "110v - 220v" (or perhaps "100v - 220v" if it also works in Japan) then don't bother plugging it in unless it is through a transformer: it won't work.


Your TV

First, your television probably won't pick up any signal off-air. The UK and US systems are completely different. You'll need to buy a set-top box to be able to watch UK television. Luckily, these start very cheaply (less than £20 in some cases).

You'll need to make a choice between Sky, Freesat, Virgin Media or Freeview. This is out of this article's scope, but you might want to ensure you buy an HD box, and ensure it has an HDMI output or a component output.

The vast majority of UK television signals are standard definition: but an SD picture in the UK is a different size to the US - instead of being a 480i signal, an SD picture in the UK is 576i (sometimes quoted as 625 lines). You need to ensure that your television accepts a 480i and 576i signal (as well as the HD 720p and 1080i/1080p signals).

If your television doesn't cope with 576i, the you should be aware that due to security on the HDMI inputs, you can NOT convert from 576 sources over HDMI using a simple convertor box. This is an issue: because it means that your television won't be able to see normal, SD, pictures from the television. So ensure you check what your TV is capable of; and whether your TV can cope with a 576i signal. You may be ok with a SCART/HDMI converter (or scart/component as the case might be), or a component cable from your set top box.

The framerate also differs between the US and the UK - the US uses 30 frames a second, while the UK uses 25 frames a second. Most, if not all, US televisions can accept this difference in framerate.


Your SKY HD box

A Sky HD box will, by default, output at the native resolution of the broadcast - which, if your television doesn't cope with a 576i signal, you'll not be able to see. However, assuming you have access to a UK television to set it up, you can set a Sky HD box to automatically upscale all video output to 720 or 1080.


Your Wii

Double-check the power supply on your Wii. North American versions of the Wii normally only deal with 110v, and not the European 220v.

Your Wii only outputs component video - not great picture quality, but it should work well.

Keep in mind though that you cannot purchase games for your US Wii in the UK: only US purchased games will work in US Wii machines. The reverse holds true as well for those moving from the UK to the US.

Your Apple TV

This outputs only HD over an HDMI connection - either 720 or 1080 - so this should work well.

Your PS3

I bet you're thinking that you can use your UK-edition PlayStation 3 to play DVDs, right? Neat idea. The only issue with that solution is that a UK-PS3 outputs 576i over HDMI, which might not work well (see above). You might want to think about getting some component cables instead.


Anything with a SCART lead

Lots of European devices - like, perhaps, an SD set-top box for cable or satellite - has a SCART connector. You might want to find a SCART to YUV converter to enable you to connect these devices to your television. Largely, the SCART to YUV converters you find on the market don't deal with audio, so you need to have a separate audio channel from the device, or ensure that you buy a SCART lead which also presents you with a separate audio output.


Careful if you have more than one unit

If you have a, say, Blueray DVD player from the US, for your US discs, and you decide to buy another of the same make from the UK for any UK discs you buy, this sounds like a very sensible and pragmatic choice. However, you'll soon notice that the remote controls are identical, so pressing 'play' on the remote means that both units will start to play. This quickly becomes an irritation! Either invest in some ugly coverings for the infra-red port (some cardboard and duck tape will probably do the trick), or don't.


Finally

The devil is in the details and when you hit a snag you'll have to be willing to fight it. You may wish to use a HDMI video switcher to handle much of the conversion for you.

And buy lots of these.... you can never have too many!


Got any additional tips? Feel free to add them in the comments. And thanks to MarkK and BryanK for their assistance.