This is a subject that I know a lot about, having moved from the US to the UK nearly 4 years ago!
First of all, the voltage is different in Europe - usually 220 volts, vs. 110 for North America. The hertz are also different. This means that unless they are dual voltage (computers usually are - you can check by looking for a 110/220 V rating on the appliance where the electrical info is displayed) your appliances will need both transformers (to convert the voltage and hertz) and adapters (for plug conformations.) If they are dual voltage, then you will only need plug adapters. Most computers and computing type equipment are now dual voltage. Most other appliances are not dual voltage. Don't try to use just a plug adapter to plug a 110V appliance into a 220V socket - the appliance will blow up! A friend of mine learnt this the hard way.
Transformers are very expensive, especially for larger appliances, and tend to burn out appliances much, much sooner than they would otherwise wear out. I've had electricians tell me that transformers are a waste of money when bringing US appliances to Europe. They are not cost-effective! They are also pretty hard to find - you can't just walk into an electronics shop and get them - you have to go to specialty retailers or order online. I know it seems like an overwhelming cost, but you really will be better off in the long run either selling your US appliances, or putting them in storage. Buy European appliances as needed. You'd be surprised at what you don't need right away.
Televisions - you're nearly right - a US tv won't work in Europe, even if you have an electrical transformer. US tvs use NTSC format, European use PAL. A US tv won't be able to receive European signals, in any format (terrestrial, digital or satellite.)
A US tv would work with a US dvd player (both on transformers) to play-back dvds. BUT, you can buy multi-regions DVD players pretty inexpensively now in Europe, which will play DVDs from any world region. For videos, just look for a video-player marked 'NTSC playback' which is also pretty common (if you can find a video player anymore, LOL!) I've not had any problems playing US DVDs or videos here, using these kind of players. If you do bring a US DVD player over and buy a transformer for it it will only play US dvds (unless it is already a multi-region player.) I'm not sure if it will work with a European TV or not.
I know it seems overwhelming right now! E-mail me if you have any questions
[email protected] .
I'm in the same boat now, but in reverse - we are going to have to sell all our UK electronics, because to have them work in the US would be a waste of money and time! C'est la vie - a small price to pay for the experience of living abroad. Good luck and have fun!
