# Will American TV work in Dubai



## Mustaq M

Moving to Dubai in summer from USA.
I have a new flat panel Samsung TV that I would like to take to Dubai.
Does anyone know if it will work in Dubai with the required power adapter?
Please let me know.
Thanks


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## SPT1108

I have a fairly old american TV out here which works fine with the correct adaptor (you can get these anywhere out here). 

S


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## bigdave

yes the tv will work fine. you will have to go out and buy the little adapter things to convert american 2 prong to the 3 prong they use over here. you can find them any where and they are anywhere from 1-3usd.
here is my short list of what will work and what wont

will work
tv's
playstation3
xbox360
dvd players
radios
irons
computers. laptops and workstations
external hard drives
sorround(spelling) sound systems

wont work
kitchen appliances (even nice stuff kitchen aid)
Wii
lamps
all electric tools, drill, jigsaw, skillsaw, ect..
fans (plug in)


thats all the stuff i can think of now


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## amaslam

Just one more thing to check before you get a really expensive door-stop, the voltage the TV accepts. If you look in the manual or the back of the TV (look for sticker near the power). Look for 100-240V, if it only says 120V Only then DON'T turn it on in Dubai until you've also bought a voltage converter, otherwise you'll hear a pop if you turn it on and viola "instant doorstop".



bigdave said:


> yes the tv will work fine. you will have to go out and buy the little adapter things to convert american 2 prong to the 3 prong they use over here. you can find them any where and they are anywhere from 1-3usd.
> here is my short list of what will work and what wont
> 
> will work
> tv's
> playstation3
> xbox360
> dvd players
> radios
> irons
> computers. laptops and workstations
> external hard drives
> sorround(spelling) sound systems
> 
> wont work
> kitchen appliances (even nice stuff kitchen aid)
> Wii
> lamps
> all electric tools, drill, jigsaw, skillsaw, ect..
> fans (plug in)
> 
> 
> thats all the stuff i can think of now


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## funkur

bigdave said:


> wont work
> kitchen appliances (even nice stuff kitchen aid)
> Wii
> lamps
> all electric tools, drill, jigsaw, skillsaw, ect..
> fans (plug in)


To get an US Wii to work here, just buy a 220v Wii Power Supply from any gaming store/kiosk in Dubai. Mine's been working great for months.


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## RossJohn

*The TV will work...but not good US Ch. selection here*



Mustaq M said:


> Moving to Dubai in summer from USA.
> I have a new flat panel Samsung TV that I would like to take to Dubai.
> Does anyone know if it will work in Dubai with the required power adapter?
> Please let me know.
> Thanks


Yeah...the TV will work, but good luck on watching your favorite shows! The only thing available out here is Sky Movies, etc. all the sports is either soccer, cricket, or rugby. I live in Qatar, and have Habu.TV IPTV service. You get all 250 ch. subscription to TW cable PLUS streamed to you at guaranteed 2Mbps from a NOC in NY. I opted for their set-top box...so you dont have to go through a PC to watch TV. At $149/month a little pricey for some...but worth it. Free sites are unreliable quality at the best of times.

Cheers!

Ross/Qatar


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## bigdave

nice advertising habu


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## maccy

I use 'Stateside TV'.

Very reliable and very happy with the service, much cheaper than HABU.


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## nomadfam

*Moving from US to Dubai - Will TV Work?*

I recently bought a Panasonic Plasma TV that I want to ship to Dubai, as I quite like it. Are there any issues with that? I believe the voltage may be the only thing - are there any known issues with getting a solid converter to convert from 110 to 220? 

Has anyone done this in the past without issues? Would appreciate feedback and experiences.


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## nomadfam

Hey Mustaq , did you ever move to Dubai, and did your TV work after using a converter, or did it have a universal power supply allowing it to take voltage from 110-240? Would appreciate your feedback, as I'm looking to do the same.

Thanks!


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## mrbig

will work fine.
I brought 3 plasmas with me and didnt have any problems.


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## nomadfam

Perfect! Thanks. Did you need to buy a converter? Were they Panasonic, and did you have to buy a converter?


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## Man

*Moving from USA to Dubai- Will my tv work*

Hi friends and future nieghbors. I have a question you've probably never heard before. I'm moving from Colorado, thats in The United States- To Dubai and I just bought a huge flat screen tv. Will it work there? Are there any stations broadcasting in english there, are there any tv stations at all there?

Thanks


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## vincetruong

*Wattage Output*



nomadfam said:


> I recently bought a Panasonic Plasma TV that I want to ship to Dubai, as I quite like it. Are there any issues with that? I believe the voltage may be the only thing - are there any known issues with getting a solid converter to convert from 110 to 220?
> 
> Has anyone done this in the past without issues? Would appreciate feedback and experiences.


I bought all my converters in the US and the main thing to watch out for is the wattage. Some are meant for "heat-producing" electronics like blow dryers, irons, etc and others are for smaller things. Not sure what category the TV would fall in.


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## mrbig

no converters.
just buy one of those multi plug things, forgot what they are called.
all new and couple year old plasmas and lcd power sources are 120-240.

no problems at all.


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## amaslam

Not true, they still sell 120V only models in the US, avoid having a 'pop' sound and a very expensive doorstop and check.



mrbig said:


> no converters.
> just buy one of those multi plug things, forgot what they are called.
> all new and couple year old plasmas and lcd power sources are 120-240.
> 
> no problems at all.


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## Andy Capp

Why bring american tv to dubai? For goodness sake it's probably even worse that uae stuff!


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## Man

Andy Capp said:


> Why bring american tv to dubai? For goodness sake it's probably even worse that uae stuff!



No sorry..I only buy American made products. If they don't sell Ford Trucks over there I will eventually have mine shipped over.


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## mbg

bigdave said:


> yes the tv will work fine. you will have to go out and buy the little adapter things to convert american 2 prong to the 3 prong they use over here. you can find them any where and they are anywhere from 1-3usd.
> here is my short list of what will work and what wont
> 
> will work
> tv's
> playstation3
> xbox360
> dvd players
> radios
> irons
> computers. laptops and workstations
> external hard drives
> sorround(spelling) sound systems
> 
> wont work
> kitchen appliances (even nice stuff kitchen aid)
> Wii
> lamps
> all electric tools, drill, jigsaw, skillsaw, ect..
> fans (plug in)
> 
> 
> thats all the stuff i can think of now


Make sure to check on the back of your desktop computer, for a switch (110 to 220). I did not check and heard the poof. Only cost about $49(us) to change out converter, but was just another item on an endless list of headaches.

mbg


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## john0869

I move to Dubai about 6 months ago with a US Samsung LCD....the TV works fine here. The "cable box" provided by Du (the internet and "cable" TV provider) can deliver a TV signal in the Europe format or the US format....the instruction manual details how to set it up. Keep in mind you will most likely require a "step down" converter that will convert the electricity from 220V (Dubai) to 110V (US requirement), you can pick one up at any hardware store here in Dubai. 
There is one more thing to consider, a couple of the english channel (MBC 1-4, and Fox movie) have an annoying split second delay in the picture when delivering a US format signal....the picture will freeze for a fraction of a second about every 5 seconds.....it can be somewhat distracting. It seem to happen with LCD and plasma TV's


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## mrbig

we dont have that problem john.


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## john0869

Who is your provider? Du? We live on the Palm and a co-worker has the same problem with his American TV (also a Sumsung TV)


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## mrbig

showtime


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## Loladada

Our Sony t.v. is from Canada and it doesn't work here. The cable guy said our t.v. has NCTS setting and for the t.v. to work here it has to be on PAL setting. Hubby haven't had time to investigate if this can be remedied and in the meantime somebody lent us a small t.v. It would be appreciated if anyone had this problem and was able to fix/switch the t.v. settings. Thanks!


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## rainshadow

*American TV*



bigdave said:


> yes the tv will work fine. you will have to go out and buy the little adapter things to convert american 2 prong to the 3 prong they use over here. you can find them any where and they are anywhere from 1-3usd.
> here is my short list of what will work and what wont
> 
> will work
> tv's
> playstation3
> xbox360
> dvd players
> radios
> irons
> computers. laptops and workstations
> external hard drives
> sorround(spelling) sound systems
> 
> wont work
> kitchen appliances (even nice stuff kitchen aid)
> Wii
> lamps
> all electric tools, drill, jigsaw, skillsaw, ect..
> fans (plug in)
> 
> 
> thats all the stuff i can think of now


If you think you just need a 3 UAD plug adapter to use your TV your wrong. You have to step down our UAE power from 220 to 110 volts or the TV goes up in Smoke


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## Ridge

*how did you do this?*



john0869 said:


> I move to Dubai about 6 months ago with a US Samsung LCD....the TV works fine here. The "cable box" provided by Du (the internet and "cable" TV provider) can deliver a TV signal in the Europe format or the US format....the instruction manual details how to set it up. Keep in mind you will most likely require a "step down" converter that will convert the electricity from 220V (Dubai) to 110V (US requirement), you can pick one up at any hardware store here in Dubai.
> There is one more thing to consider, a couple of the english channel (MBC 1-4, and Fox movie) have an annoying split second delay in the picture when delivering a US format signal....the picture will freeze for a fraction of a second about every 5 seconds.....it can be somewhat distracting. It seem to happen with LCD and plasma TV's


How did you get this to work? I just moved onto the Palm and brought a Samsung LCD with me but cannot get anything but blue screen...Please help!


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## john0869

Ridge said:


> How did you get this to work? I just moved onto the Palm and brought a Samsung LCD with me but cannot get anything but blue screen...Please help!


Ridge - Well I have good news and bad news....first the bad news. Du "upgraded" their cable boxes a couple of months ago. The new cable boxes only deliver a PAL signal (European format). The old boxes could deliver a PAL and/or a NTSC signal. Your North American TV requires a NTSC signal. So your TV will not work with the new Du cable boxes. 

The good news...there is a work around. Have you heard of a slingbox? You need to get a PAL signal slingbox (can pick one up in HK, UK or Australia). If you run the Du cable box into the slingbox then through your computer it will convert the signal and you can watch it on your US TV (eg you are watching it on your computer with your US TV as the monitor). 

Granted it is not a simple solution, it really depends on how much you have invested in your US TV ($$$).


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## Ridge

john0869 said:


> Ridge - Well I have good news and bad news....first the bad news. Du "upgraded" their cable boxes a couple of months ago. The new cable boxes only deliver a PAL signal (European format). The old boxes could deliver a PAL and/or a NTSC signal. Your North American TV requires a NTSC signal. So your TV will not work with the new Du cable boxes.
> 
> The good news...there is a work around. Have you heard of a slingbox? You need to get a PAL signal slingbox (can pick one up in HK, UK or Australia). If you run the Du cable box into the slingbox then through your computer it will convert the signal and you can watch it on your US TV (eg you are watching it on your computer with your US TV as the monitor).
> 
> Granted it is not a simple solution, it really depends on how much you have invested in your US TV ($$$).


i had bought two PAL/NTSC video converters in the States before I left "just in case" but those aren't working as well. off to dubizzle to flog two sets to US expats heading home this summer! thanks for the response.


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## john0869

Ridge said:


> i had bought two PAL/NTSC video converters in the States before I left "just in case" but those aren't working as well. off to dubizzle to flog two sets to US expats heading home this summer! thanks for the response.


No problem, if I find a better solution I will let you know.


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## jillod

maybe slightly off the point- but about electronics working in dubai also- will any standard English/Irish three pin plug product work or is voltage between the countries different. I plan on bringing my radio/ipod speakers/laptop/hair-dryer/GHD. Will they all work and charge??
cheers all!


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## Elphaba

jillod said:


> maybe slightly off the point- but about electronics working in dubai also- will any standard English/Irish three pin plug product work or is voltage between the countries different. I plan on bringing my radio/ipod speakers/laptop/hair-dryer/GHD. Will they all work and charge??
> cheers all!


Voltage and sockets in the UAE are the same as in the UK.

-


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## jillod

Elphaba said:


> Voltage and sockets in the UAE are the same as in the UK.
> 
> -


Cheers Elphaba!! Your info is invaluable!! If I ever bump into you over in Dubai drinks are on me!


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## john0869

jillod said:


> maybe slightly off the point- but about electronics working in dubai also- will any standard English/Irish three pin plug product work or is voltage between the countries different. I plan on bringing my radio/ipod speakers/laptop/hair-dryer/GHD. Will they all work and charge??
> cheers all!


Jilod - the voltage in the UAE is 220v....same as Ireland/UK....so no need to purchase a step down converter. However, the plug configuration in the UAE is different than Ireland....you will need to purchase plug adaptors....this is not a big deal. Go to any harward store in Dubai and these adaptors are readily available and very ceap.


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## Mileage

john0869 said:


> Jilod - the voltage in the UAE is 220v....same as Ireland/UK....so no need to purchase a step down converter. However, the plug configuration in the UAE is different than Ireland....you will need to purchase plug adaptors....this is not a big deal. Go to any harward store in Dubai and these adaptors are readily available and very ceap.


Frankly, TVs don't travel well in my opinion. Even if you buy a good transformer, you have to consider other things like tv system (NTSC, Pal) etc. This may be less of an issue if using tv as a monitor, but in any case... I wish I had just sold my plasma and bought something new here. There's also always the worry that the thing fails and your tv is toast.

If you are coming from the US , I recommend buying a good transformer there where they are quite cheap and just ship it with your belonging (there are plenty available on-line).

Also check the wattage of your TV, which is probably in excess of 300W, as you will need a transformer well in excess of the rating on the tv.

I had trouble finding transformers in excess of 300W in Dubai and they were also more expensive. I ended having to ship one from the US (1500W) and these things are quite heavy so it cost me more in shipping than the device itself.


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