Do Canadian TVs work In Singapore?

[Shermy]

Hi, it's boxing day and there are some great deals on TVs... however, as we are moving to Singapore in a few weeks, I'm not sure whether to get a TV as I do not know if they will work... I know I have to look for 100-240 V and 50-60W, those I can get (e.g. LG or Sony) but not sure about the TV system, i.e. it is NTSC here and PAL over there... Should I just buy it there? Would NTSC TVs work there? Are there gadgets/gizmos that you can use? Many thanks in advance for your comments/suggestions/advice
Cheers

[Strong Eagle]

A pure Canadian TV will not work as yours is NTSC and Asia is PAL. You can buy multi-system TV's... I own one... but they will cost more in the USA/Canada... and maybe less than one in Singapore.

Courts in Singapore gives a reasonable approximation of what you will pay for a TV in Sinagpore... prices are in Singapore dollars.

http://www.courts.com.sg/search/go?w=TV" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Shermy]

Many thanks for the prompt reply! Will look if I can find the multi-system ones... if not, I guess we'll have to get one in Singapore. Cheers

[zzm9980]

Honestly having just been through this exercise, almost every new TV I looked at (say anything made in past 3 years) has been both NTSC and PAL. The hardest part was making sure it supported both 110v and 240v. Most of the TVs I looked at in the US only did 110v. Even across the same brands, some models did both and others didn't. If you're looking for a new one, I found some LGs and some Sonys that did both. I'd strongly suggest though going to a shop and looking at the back of the TV physically first to confirm it is dual before purchasing.

[x9200]

Out of curiosity, has anybody tried his luck with the tv set manufacturers if there was an option to replace the power supply PCB? Everything right now is modular so I would expect in 90% of cases instead of buying some unreliable, overpriced external transformer it should be possible to get the PCB for much lower price.

[zzm9980]

Out of curiosity, has anybody tried his luck with the tv set manufacturers if there was an option to replace the power supply PCB? Everything right now is modular so I would expect in 90% of cases instead of buying some unreliable, overpriced external transformer it should be possible to get the PCB for much lower price.

I did consider it actually. My last TV purchased in Singapore was a model number 'XXXXXXX-SEA' where the SEA i found out was meant for Southeast Asia. There was a -NA, and a few others. I wondered if it was just a firmware flash for the menu and whatever else. But honestly, it wasn't worth the effort at the time to bring itback to the US and putz with it. This time, I found something that was a deal that worked here so again no need.

[PNGMK]

IF you bring a Canadian TV to Singapore all it will do it fizz and occasionally display a blurred image of a maple leaf.

[Shermy]

ha-ha! yes, I can imagine as it was the same when moving from a different region/system to Canada...
As Strong Eagle mentioned (and the guy at BestBuy confirmed), multi system (if available) would be very expensive and most likely not worth buying...
I guess we'll go shopping in Singapore... Any suggestions for a good electronics store with good prices/deals?
Many thanks!

[zzm9980]

ha-ha! yes, I can imagine as it was the same when moving from a different region/system to Canada...
As Strong Eagle mentioned (and the guy at BestBuy confirmed), multi system (if available) would be very expensive and most likely not worth buying...
I guess we'll go shopping in Singapore... Any suggestions for a good electronics store with good prices/deals?
Many thanks!

Don't give up that easily. I went to Costco in the US and the TVs with multiple power support (110-240v) were no more expensive than comparable models. In fact, the ones that had it were cheaper than the ones I actually wanted. It was more just random than a higher-end feature they added. I paid about $500 USD for a 55" LG 240Hz, not 4k. This was 6 weeks ago. At the time the same TV would have been at least double in Singapore per my friends who checked.

As for NTSC/PAL, you'll probably have a harder time finding a modern TV that doesn't support both than once that supports the dual-power. If you use HDMI connections anyway, it's irrelevant for compatibility. It will just matter more for how the frame is rendered.

[Shermy]

Multiple power support does not seem to be the problem... most of both, LG and Sony, are set with the 100-240V 50-60Hz... my main concern would be the NTSC/Pal, as all TVs in Canada are NTSC only... Does an HDMI connection solve the issue? i.e. from the TV provider box to the actual TV?
Thanks for the advice

[zzm9980]

Digital sources (hdmi) will support both. NTSC vs pal will mean different frame rates on your HD, but that's a non issue for you.

If the TV really doesn't support PAL (I'd be shocked, it's probably just not mentioned) then you'll only have issues with OTA broadcasts and if you try to use something they doesn't offer hdmi out. Which isn't much these days.

[Strong Eagle]

Digital sources (hdmi) will support both. NTSC vs pal will mean different frame rates on your HD, but that's a non issue for you.

If the TV really doesn't support PAL (I'd be shocked, it's probably just not mentioned) then you'll only have issues with OTA broadcasts and if you try to use something they doesn't offer hdmi out. Which isn't much these days.

Here is something else to consider. NTSC and PAL are dying/dead broadcast technologies... I don't think you can find any NTSC broadcasts at all in the USA. About the only reason you would want a NTSC TV was if you wanted to watch something on an ancient VCR.

What matters more (HDMI aside) is the digital over the air capabilities of your TV. OTA standards are different all over the world. The USA and Canada uses ATSC for OTA, Europe and Singapore uses DTB-T. Therefore, your Canadian purchased TV will not bring in OTA channels in Singapore and your Singapore purchased TV will not bring in OTA signals in Canada.

I've randomly looked at several late model TV manuals in Singapore and the USA. Not a single one of them provides dual digital transmission support... and actually, there are four OTA digital transmission standards.

Cable and satellite transmissions are different as well but are essentially becoming meaningless as cable and satellite providers switch to encrypted signals which require their own decoding boxes, rendering these standards useless.

The OP really ought to ask the following questions.

a) Will I be using only cable service in Singapore/Canada, and therefore all I need is HDMI inputs?
b) If I want OTA transmissions, would I prefer to use this in Canada or Singapore (there aint much in Singapore).
c) How long do I think I'm going to own this TV?

[Shermy]

Thank you all for your feedback/advice. We arrived and decided to buy a TV here in Singapore, potentially having a $2,000+ TV as screensaver seemed not a prudent expense... plus I already found some interesting offers at Courts.