# Watching DVDs and Television



## BadgerUSA (Jan 26, 2014)

Please be kind as I am still new to this board. I have done a search but couldn't find the specific answers to my questions. I would say my knowledge of technology is about a 7/10 so also bear that in mind when responding.

1. We are coming from the U.S. I understand that TV available there is not necessarily the newest or perhaps what we would choose to watch. We were thinking about stocking up on DVDs of television and movies and catching up when we want entertainment in UAE. Could we purchase items from Amazon UK and these would be compatible with DVD players in UAE?

2. Will Apple TV work in UAE? Can I use the American version and get a UAE plug when I'm there?

3. I'm fully aware of the restrictions on certain topics on this forum. So let's say there is online content in UAE that I could stream to my TV. Can I then use Apple TV to display that on my television? I don't quite understand how all that works.

Any guidance on the forum or as a PM would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!


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## TallyHo (Aug 21, 2011)

You're planning on bringing your tv with you?

Yes, local programming is rubbish and expensive.

If you bring a tv/dvd from the US/Canada it will be Zone 1. The rest of the world will use Zone 2 dvds. Pretty much all DVDs ordered from amazon.co.uk will be Zone 2 and will be compatible with UAE DVD players (which is Zone 2). You can order Zone 1 DVDs from amazon.com but the shipping is more expensive and takes much longer than from amazon.co.uk.

If you're planning on buying a tv in Dubai, the selection is huge and well priced, and yes, order DVDs from amazon.co.uk. 

There are DVD players that can switch back and forth between Zones 1 and 2 but I can't comment on how common or reliable they are. As for TVs themselves, there's a reason why none of my American friends took their TVs bought in the UAE back to the US, but I'll leave it to the experts to explain why. 

Streaming is possible. You'll need a VPN. 




BadgerUSA said:


> Please be kind as I am still new to this board. I have done a search but couldn't find the specific answers to my questions. I would say my knowledge of technology is about a 7/10 so also bear that in mind when responding.
> 
> 1. We are coming from the U.S. I understand that TV available there is not necessarily the newest or perhaps what we would choose to watch. We were thinking about stocking up on DVDs of television and movies and catching up when we want entertainment in UAE. Could we purchase items from Amazon UK and these would be compatible with DVD players in UAE?
> 
> ...


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## mac86 (Mar 14, 2013)

Hi badger,

I grew up out here and remember back in the day the only English video we had was Thomas the Tank Engine that I insisted on watching on a loop, poor parents! However, now I think that the selection is much better out here.

TV Packages - whilst not the cheapest (I pay 700dhs per month for my internet, phone and TV package which is all the English channels and sport), I think they show a good mix of shows, for example at the moment Suits Season 3 is on and shows like Game of Thrones and House of Cards are advertised as showing the same time as the US (as are daily shows like Jon Stewart, Colbert, Tonight Show, Late Show, Ellen, Good Morning America). Movies are normally good too, I go through once a week and record 4-5 decent movies that would have just come out on UK/US TV.

Boxsets/Movie DVDs - I'm not sure you need to 'stock up' as Virgin Megastores here is actually very good for getting these out here, I haven't really noticed any difference with UK releases. Also, as above said, if you buy them from the States (Region 1) they'll probably not work on a standard DVD player bought here (Region 2). Electronics are incredibly cheap here, so you can get a good TV and Home cinema/DVD set up for a good price.

Apple TV - does work here, I bought the actual box here (although think its a Korean one as the plug is very odd!), linked to my UK iTunes account and it works fine.

Hope that helps, good luck with the move.


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## Fat Bhoy Tim (Feb 28, 2013)

*cough* TPB *cough*


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## indoMLA (Feb 6, 2011)

BadgerUSA said:


> Please be kind as I am still new to this board. I have done a search but couldn't find the specific answers to my questions. I would say my knowledge of technology is about a 7/10 so also bear that in mind when responding.
> 
> 1. We are coming from the U.S. I understand that TV available there is not necessarily the newest or perhaps what we would choose to watch. We were thinking about stocking up on DVDs of television and movies and catching up when we want entertainment in UAE. Could we purchase items from Amazon UK and these would be compatible with DVD players in UAE?
> 
> ...


In regards to the tv and dvd question, I would buy a dvd player that is zone-free meaning that it will work with all zones. You can buy this in the US (a bit more expensive) and there will no issue with playing it. The tv issue won't be an issue as long as you use an HDMI since the HDMI is digital and doesn't take into account the region you are in. 

For stocking up on things at home, I think you would be better off trying to rip your movies and tv shows into a format that can be played on laptops/tablets versus trying to lug a dvd collection to the UAE. 

Most people here just download the content they want to watch. Good luck.


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## Mr Rossi (May 16, 2009)

Fat Bhoy Tim said:


> *cough* TPB *cough*


Making white supremacists millionaires since 2003.


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## BadgerUSA (Jan 26, 2014)

Thanks for the replies so far. Just to clarify, we were not planning on bringing electronics. We would purchase those there.

My concern about buying DVDs in UAE was more with respect to whether they would be edited or whether it would be the same content we could get back home. 

Those of you that stream/download, is there anything you have wanted to get that you can't get? One example of something we would want to be able to get is the final season of Sons of Anarchy due out this fall. Any idea how long it would be before we could view this in some format or another?

Thanks!


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## Fat Bhoy Tim (Feb 28, 2013)

Mr Rossi said:


> Making white supremacists millionaires since 2003.


I wring my hands whilst it's downloading, but really the portal you use is irrelevant. 

EZTV is both better and easier, find myself using that more often.


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## londonmandan (Jul 23, 2013)

Fat Bhoy Tim said:


> I wring my hands whilst it's downloading, but really the portal you use is irrelevant.
> 
> EZTV is both better and easier, find myself using that more often.


EZTV and YIFY FTW!


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