I am currently living in Asia and am considering purchasing a Plasma
TV.  I would like to take the TV back to the US with me when I move
back in a year or so.  The TV that I am considering is rated for
220-240V, 50/60Hz.

I have been told that a simple step down power converter will be all
that I need when I return with the TV back to the US.  Is this
correct?  Will it harm my TV at all?  The deal on this TV is actually
very good and the other comperable TVs that are true 110-240V are
currently much more money.

Should I purchase this TV and what is the likleyhood of it blowing up
on me in the US?!

---

Clarification of Question by affman-ga on 26 Sep 2002 07:53 PDT

One other point: the power consumption on the TV is rated at 225W

---

Clarification of Question by affman-ga on 26 Sep 2002 08:02 PDT

The TV can handle PAL/SECAM/NTSC TV signals so I am not concerned with
that aspect of bringing it back to the US.

Go for it!

There's nothing particularly magical about electrical conversion.  It
is accomplished through a device known as a transformer, and
transformers exist in practically every sophisticated article of
consumer electronics.

The main thing you'll want to be sure of is that the power converter
you get can handle the amount of power of the device.  Thus if your TV
has a power need of 225 watts, you probably should get a converter
that handles at least 300 watts.  One with less power capability might
work for a while, but it would probably get very hot and probably trip
an internal fuse.  You also need one with the correct type of plugs,
of course.

Here's a link to a transformer that would meet your needs.  It's rated
for 500 watts.

500 Watts Step Up-Down Voltage Converter
"Ideal for both electric and electronic products like Computers,
Consumer Electronics, Appliances and Testing Equipments"
http://www.dvdoverseas.com/store/index.html?itemtc500.html

The main caveat is that while converters can be used to change the
voltage level, they can't change the number of cycles per second. 
Thus if the item needs 50 cycles per second (also called hertz), you
can't use it in the U.S., where 60 Hz is the norm.  That's not a
factor for most devices other than those that use the electricity
directly to turn speed-sensitive motors, since the electricity is
converted to direct current (zero cycles) internally anyway.

Here's an FAQ about transformers that should be reassuring:

FAQs: Foreign Electricity and Voltage Converters
"Electrical differences in the World are not so shocking! Electricity
in the world differs for each countries 110/120 volts or 220/240
volts. Plug shapes, Plug holes and Plug sizes are also different in
each country. Some countries like USA and Canada run on 120 Volts 60
Cycles (60HZ) and most of the world run on 220/240 Volts 50 Cycles
(50HZ). This differences in the electricity can be solved by using an
appropriate voltage converters."
http://www.dvdoverseas.com/voltage_converterfaq.htm

You can find other vendors of power converters using this Google
search term: power converters 120 220
://www.google.com/search?num=25&hl=es&ie=UTF-8&oe=utf-8&q=power+converters+110+220

If you want a technical explanation of considerations in choosing
transformers, be sure to read these:

International Power and Standards Conversion
http://www.repairfaq.org/sam/pwrfaq.htm

Solving the Riddle of International Electricity
http://www.walkabouttravelgear.com/wwelect.htm

Enjoy your television!

Sincerely,

mvguy

Good explaination - but did not directly say that I should not have a problem!
thanks!

Depending on where you will live, all you need is an electrician.  
Most homes, buildings and offices in the United States are 
wired to receive 220 volt electricity at the wall, but it is set to 
110 at the power panel.  

Plenty of appliances in the U.S. use 220v power.  It's not a 
big deal to get a line wired to support it.

Of course if you will be living in an apartment you may be at 
the mercy of a building owner who won't allow the necessary 
wiring to be done (or it may be prohibitively expensive).

If it was up to me, I'd look into having an electrician provide 
a 220v line before I went through the expense, aggrivation 
(and moderate risk) of using a transformer.

Just because a TV can decode PAL/NTSC/SECAM signals doesn't mean you
can receive *broadcast* signals. Plenty of TVs here in the UK can
decode NTSC signals, for use with an NTSC video player, but can only
be tuned to the British UHF broadcast TV channels. I doubt they could
be used in the US. You may wish to check you have a *true*
multi-standard broadcast television, or will be able to use it with an
appropriate cable/satellite decoder.

Finally, check the shipping and insurance costs to, and availability
of spare parts and warranty conditions in, the USA.

Owain