NTSC, PAL, and SECAM are television standards used in different parts of the world. For example, NTSC is the standard used in Japan and North America. NTSC television screens display up to 525 lines resolution. PAL is the standard used just about everywhere else. PAL-standard televisions display 625 lines resolution. SECAM is a rare television standard, found in Russia, Eastern Europe, Greece, and a few other places. Just as voltage converters are needed to use electrical appliances in other countries, televisions must have the right electronics inside to be usable in other countries.
What Systems Display What Information?
Televisions in countries that use the SECAM standard can display PAL information with no problem, but the reverse is not true. Televisions in countries that use PAL can display SECAM information as long as they are pure SECAM rather than a variation on SECAM called MESECAM. In general, however, televisions in countries that use one standard cannot display television information from countries that use another standard. Unless you buy a multisystem television, you can't assume that your television will work properly in a country with a different television standard.
How Do Multisystem LCD Plasma and LED TVs Help?
Multisystem televisions get around this problem by incorporating multiple input terminals. They can display NTSC, PAL, and SECAM video. Consumers who want to be able to take their television set with them when they move from a country with one standard to a country with another standard often choose multisystem LCD plasma or LED TVs.
What are Code-Free DVDs?
If you want to be able to play DVDs from a region with different standard, you might consider purchasing a code-free DVD player. These machines are able to play DVDs with different DVD codes anywhere in the world. To find the region code on a DVD, look on the back of the DVD package for a logo displaying a globe with a region number printed on top. Some DVDs may be labeled as "available worldwide," and these discs do not contain regional coding. That means that they?ll play on a DVD player in any country.
Before You Travel or Shop Overseas
Suppose you will be moving temporarily to the United States and want to purchase a television there to bring back to your home country when you leave the U.S. Buying a multi-system television will allow you to take the television back to your home country and continue using it as before without worrying about whether your country uses NTSC, PAL, or SECAM as its standard.
If you plan to travel abroad, or are spending time overseas and plan to buy electronics, it?s very important that you consider the type of mains voltage used in the country you visit and in your home country. If you purchase a device for one voltage system and want to use it in a country with a different voltage system, you'll need to look at voltage converters and select the proper one so that the device will be usable elsewhere. Step up and down voltage converter transformers can be very handy for people who take their electrical devices into other countries frequently.
Author Resource:
Chris Robertson is an author of Majon International, one of the world's MOST popular internet marketing companies on the web.
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