Which US electronics/appliances will work in Europe?

Factual Questions
1

I’m moving to Germany, and I’m not sure how much of my stuff I’m going to have to replace. Which of the following will I be able to use with adaptors and which will I have to leave behind:

  • TV (Can I get a satellite dish that supports NTSC and gets US programs?)
  • Computer (Can I swap out the power supply? Are there other issues besides power?)
  • Xbox (Can an Xbox be flashed to work on a PAL tv, or do I need a specifically PAL compliant Xbox?)
  • Stereo
  • DVD player
  • Cell Phone (Can I keep a US phone number and get international service?)
  • Kitchen appliances (Blender/electric mixer/etc)

Any info and advice appreciated.

2

Previous thread on that topic. Some answers there.

3

TV - no and it’s unlikely you’ll get US channels, although US programmes are shown on European channels
Computer - usually have a switch on the powersupply to switch from 110v to 220/240V, you’ll need a new power lead though (available very cheaply)
Xbox - probably not, but not sure (actually an NTSC xbox will work with a modern Euro TV, they will accept an NTSC signal… the problem is games from Europe won’t work on it)
Stereo - with a transformer
Cell phone - no, unless you want to pay horrendous international roaming charges
kitchen appliances - with transformers, not really worth shipping them as they’ll probably be available quite cheaply

4

Re cell phone: If it’s a GSM phone which can use one or both of the 900 MHz/1800 MHz bands (US GSM is 1900 MHz IIRRC), and if it’s unlocked, you can use it by changing the SIM card to one by a German cellphone company. As Szlater said it’s much too expensive to continue using your US account (this this applies to calls to the US, calls from the US as well as calls within Germany)

5

- TV (Can I get a satellite dish that supports NTSC and gets US programs?)
Nope. The satellites carrying US programming are on the wrong side of the planet.

- Computer (Can I swap out the power supply? Are there other issues besides power?)
As mentioned above, just get a new power cord and flip the 110/220 switch, if there is one, next to the power cord socket. Some PC power supplies are auto-sensing and will happily run on whatever they’re plugged into with no changes needed.

Stuff like your network router may or may not have an auto-sensing power supply, so you may need to buy a European power supply (assuming it has an external supply). Ethernet is a global standard, so if you need to buy a new router, there shouldn’t be much trouble. Strangely, it may be cheaper, or at least not cost-effective, to buy a new router entirely, rather than hunt for a European power supply.

If your router has a DSL or cable ‘modem’ built in, you may as well dump it before moving. I’m pretty sure American DSL and cable broadband are different than waht’s used in other countries.

Printers and monitors may or may not be auto-sensing for power. Both of my newish LCD monitors show “100-240 volts, 50-60 Hz” near the socket for the power cord, as an example of what to look for.

You will need a new DVD drive, or do some googling to see if it is possible to change the drive’s region code. Right now, your drive is going to be set for Region 1, so European DVDs won’t be playable.

- Stereo
Newer ones can probably be re-programmed for the European station frequencies and station spacings. You’ll need a power transformer with enough capacity to run the amplifier. (A small kitchen radio probably only needs 50 watts, but a big home theater rig will need a lot more.)

- DVD player
These have gotten cheap enough to be not even worth moving across town, much less across the planet. Give it to a friend or have a yard sale. As with the DVD drive mentioned above, you’ll also have region code problems if you buy or rent DVDs in Europe. Happily, a lot of European DVD players don’t care what region a disc is from, so you should be able to play your existing collection.

**- Kitchen appliances (Blender/electric mixer/etc) **
The hassles of needing power and plug adapters, plus the bulk and weight of the appliances makes it more sensible to buy new appliances after you move.

6

Wait. But wouldn’t Region 1 DVD drive be needed to play US DVDs? Which means, that Dumbguy will need TWO DVD drives (if he have ollection of US DVDs, that is): one Region 1 for his old stuff, and second - Region 2 - for European DVDs?

The same goes for DVD player.

Man, that region coding is stupidest idea ever.

7

Why wouldn’t any/all of those things just work with a transformer?

8

As mentioned above, many DVD players over here are able to play DVDs from any region.

You just have to buy a “multi-region” player. You can get them as cheaply as £20 here.

9

It’s more than an electric power issue - there are signals to be received in the case of a TV, radio or broadband device, and different continents have different standards.

Cost-effectiveness is also an issue - some devices, such as a big home theater amplifier, draw so much power that a bulky, heavy and expensive high-capacity transformer is needed. It may be less expensive to buy new equipment built to handle 240-volt power, rather than buying a transformer after paying the freight to pack and ship the amplifier.

10

Dumbguy,
Are you coming to Germany for the US military? Things may be a little different for you if you are.

11

Great question. All your supplied housing will have 220 and 110 outlets. Shipping is free, so cost to benefit analysis is irrelevant.

12

Likewise, you’ll be able to subscribe to AFN’s satellite service for TV. While the content is somewhat current (due to time zone differences a lot of things are a day or two behind), there are no paid commercials. That sounds good until you see what they’re replaced with.