Getting a US bought TV to work in the UK

[Laura2021]

Hi all,

Please bear with me, I have a pretty basic understanding of this stuff.

I recently moved back to the UK from the US and I brought my American TV back with me.

I understand that US appliances normally run on 110/120v whereas in the UK we use 220v. I also understand that my initial plan to simply replace the original power cord of the TV with a cord designed for use with British TVs was a bad idea. I did this, plugged the TV in, switched it on and it worked fine, but I’ve since unplugged it since a friend told me to do so. I was advised (briefly) to get a step-down converter.

Is this the best option to make my TV work in the UK? Am I better off just getting rid of the TV and buying a British one?

Also if it makes a difference, the TV is an LG 49LJ550M

 

[Geoff1946]

I think you may be in luck. Scanning the specification for the model number you quoted it will work on 100 -  240 volts. Look for a "rating plate" on the back of the TV which should confirm this.

What I'm less sure about are any broadcast standard differences. Europe/UK use a colour system called PAL, USA use NTSC, but as these don't seem to appear in the TV specification it can possibly cope with either.

https://www.lg.com/us/support/products/documents/LJ550M-Series-Spec-Sheet.pdf

If it  was mine I would e-mail or phone LG technical help to check. 

ps. Mainland Europe uses 220 volts, (but call it 230),  in UK we call ours 230 volts for commonality with Europe but actually it was historically 240 and very often still is in practice.

 

[ProDave]

Analogue tv is no more, but I doubt a US tv would work with our version of freeview, at least not properly.

But if all you want it for is a display, to be used with hdmi inputs from satellite receivers, pvr's, firesticks etc it would probably work fine.

 

[Laura2021]

I think you may be in luck. Scanning the specification for the model number you quoted it will work on 100 -  240 volts. Look for a "rating plate" on the back of the TV which should confirm this.

What I'm less sure about are any broadcast standard differences. Europe/UK use a colour system called PAL, USA use NTSC, but as these don't seem to appear in the TV specification it can possibly cope with either.

https://www.lg.com/us/support/products/documents/LJ550M-Series-Spec-Sheet.pdf

If it  was mine I would e-mail or phone LG technical help to check. 

ps. Mainland Europe uses 220 volts, (but call it 230),  in UK we call ours 230 volts for commonality with Europe but actually it was historically 240 and very often still is in practice.

Thanks so much for your help! I’m not sure why it didn’t dawn on me to check the product spec more thoroughly. When I get the chance, I’ll look for the rating plate to confirm. Phew! I’m in touch with LG now about the PAL/NTSC issue.

Thanks again!

Analogue tv is no more, but I doubt a US tv would work with our version of freeview, at least not properly.

But if all you want it for is a display, to be used with hdmi inputs from satellite receivers, pvr's, firesticks etc it would probably work fine.

Yes, if nothing else we’ll use it with firestick or chrome cast. Thanks for your help

 

[BorisJ]

It certainly won't work with Freeview. Freeview uses DVB-T, the US uses ATSC.

I note the spec says refresh rate 60Hz. Refresh rates in Europe are 50Hz. But many TVs will actually do both so you maybe in luck.

Basically you won't be able to receive broadcasts without a Freeview or satellite box. HDMI, component, or composite in should work if it accepts 50Hz refresh rate.

 

[Laura2021]

I think you may be in luck. Scanning the specification for the model number you quoted it will work on 100 -  240 volts. Look for a "rating plate" on the back of the TV which should confirm this.

What I'm less sure about are any broadcast standard differences. Europe/UK use a colour system called PAL, USA use NTSC, but as these don't seem to appear in the TV specification it can possibly cope with either.

https://www.lg.com/us/support/products/documents/LJ550M-Series-Spec-Sheet.pdf

If it  was mine I would e-mail or phone LG technical help to check. 

ps. Mainland Europe uses 220 volts, (but call it 230),  in UK we call ours 230 volts for commonality with Europe but actually it was historically 240 and very often still is in practice.

Hi again, I have another silly question. The original American power lead supplied with the TV says 7A 125v on the plug. I’m assuming this refers to the fuse? The replacement lead says 3A 250v on the plug. Do I need to be concerned about this?

 

[BorisJ]

US plugs don't have fuses. 7A is the maximum rating of the lead. On 240v the TV will take less current, so nothing to worry about.

Should the 3a fuse fail on switch on surge often you can replace it with a 5 amp one.

 

[Laura2021]

US plugs don't have fuses. 7A is the maximum rating of the lead. On 240v the TV will take less current, so nothing to worry about.

Should the 3a fuse fail on switch on surge often you can replace it with a 5 amp one.

Thanks very much!

 

[OnOff]

It would appear some LG TVs work worldwide in multiple systems.

https://www.worldwidevoltage.com/lg-55uf680.html

 

[BorisJ]

Don"t know where you got that from. PAL, Secam, NTSC is analogue, long since switched off in Europe and the the USA. Note the specs say:

This model does not have a digital tuner for the US which is known as a ATSC tuner. 55" LED TV with 4 HDMI inputs.

No digital tuner means it won't work off air in Europe or the USA.

 

[revjames]

If you do intend just using freeview, you can get a tuner with a hard drive which will just plug in to HDMI and you can pause, record etc live TV or get sky or cable which just uses HDMI port. TBH not that many people use the TV's freeview digital tuners these days.

 

[BorisJ]

 TBH not that many people use the TV's freeview digital tuners these days.

I disagree. Many use them, especially for second sets.