DVD player from the UK

I am sure this topic will have been covered before but  I am hoping someone can just give me a quick response.We do not have a television set up in Spain and don't want a package as we are not there enough to warrant the cost. However we are thinking of buying a Spanish screen and bringing over a UK DVD player to watch films. Are the 2 things compatible ?

Thank you

Hi,

The problem with a UK DVD player is the electricity not the compatibility with a Spanish TV screen.  Electiricity in the UK is 240 Kw, while electricity in Spain is 220 Kw.  You can get a transformer, but it would be betterr to simply buy a DVD player in Spain which you can get for less that 50 euros.   I saw one in Carrefour this week for 39 Euros.

I doubt that a transformer would be much cheaper than that.

UH... no.  Your DVD player will work fine in Spain.  All voltage levels in Europe and UK have been changed to 230V so the UK 240 and the Continental 220 become compatible.  We took out our DVD player years ago and it is giving excellent service still.  We record hours of satellite TV in UK to give us so we have plenty to watch.  However, DVD players in Spain are very cheap so you might want to weigh up the cost the airlines charge for "unusual" luggage against buying one in Spain. 

Alternatively, depending on where you are, a TDT (same as our freeview digi boxes) are also very cheap in Spain at about 25 to 60 euros.  Channels will depend on where you are but we get about 30 channels of which 6 or 7 also transmit in English if the original language was English.  Sony TV started up a channel about a year ago and all their programmes are dual language (a button on the remote control allows you to switch between the two).  For example, on Wednesday evening we watched Will & Grace, Becker, The Guardian, Sea Quest, Flipper and another episode of Will & Grace before switching to Canal 9 for the film Sahara.  The only thing we miss are the news channels as the CNN is the Spanish one with no dual language.   Carrefour were selling a DVD player with built in TDT for 36 euros on special offer which might point you in the right direction.

Thank you for replying -  what would I do without this site, its been a god - send !

Hi Gilly,

Yes we bought one from Carrefour last time out and it was 29euros and works brilliantly.

Pat

Anyone watched Providence, with Mike Farrell from MASH in it, on the Sony channel on Spanish TdT ? I miss that when we come back to the UK. Mike Farrell plays a vet with his own practice. We (like Bob) also watch The Guardian, a drama about a law practice. We find plenty to watch on Spanish TdT but just annoyed that, until you actually put the film etc on, you don't know for certain if it's going to be in English. We've waited all week for one film expecting it to be in English & found it wasn't.

Hello i feel that these days there is not a problem, we have a TV from Germany, a sky box from the UK and a DVD player from the UK and they all work not a problem. 

For about 500 Euro's you can have a free view Sky installed with dish if you want to pay for that this will also allow you to upgrade if you want???

We have just had a Freeview compatible TV sent from the UK that we bought in Argos. Works fine and didn't cost too much to send. (TV cost £200, transport £70 for a 26" LCD. Compare the prices in Spain!!) We bought the DVD player in Asda last year which we initially plugged into the Spanish TV we bought and it worked fine. It also works fine in the new one. I have just bought over a Belkin router from the UK which is working fine in a 2 pin adaptor.

As Bob says, voltages were standardised about 10 years ago, UK supposedly down from 240v and Europe up from 220v. In relaity is doesn't really work that way, hence the reason they have to have a 10% discrepancy allowance. If you look on the label of any electrical appliance in the UK, it will be tagged as 220/ 240v.

HTH

Mark

Can anyone tell me what sort of aerial is required to receive TDT? Will one of the inside ones be sufficient?

Thanks

Jean

Just like UK, it depends on the area you are in.  In UK, some areas will give you a good reception with a normal outdoor aerial but in others you have to upgrade to a booster with back reflectors.  Exactly the same in Spain.  The indoor ones don't normally give you a good enough picture in UK or Spain but try the one you already have, if it is not sufficient you will need to fit a digital one.  AKI in Torrevieja were selling them for €59 and, I believe, Brico House were selling them for around the same price.  Of course, that doesn't include fitting.  Alternatively, if you get a bit of pixellation on the screen, try using an electronic booster.  They cost about 20 quid in both UK and Spain.

hi

        i have just taken a 19" lcd /dvd combi to spain his weekend by hand luggage ,tuned in straight away and plays great,im more than happy

                           regards dominick