Q23: Using a Turkish TV in the UK
Q23: Does anyone know if a flat panel TV purchased in Turkey will work in UK with terrestial TV? I know the old style English TV's are not compatible with the Turkish TV signal but maybe things are different in the digital age?
A23: To answer this question in sound technical terms, I would need to know the exact technical specifications of your TV. If a flat screen TV (either LCD or plasma) purchased in Turkey would be used in the UK without a receiver (either cable or satellite) box, then, the following should be kept in mind: Both countries use the PAL (phase alternating line) color encoding system (625 lines and 25 frames per second) and the same voltage (220 volts 50Hz) and as Dave suggested, an adaptor will be needed for the plug itself ;however, similarities end there.The differences are in the frequency range of the analog VHF and UHF signals. The TV made in Turkey (I assume without seeing the specs) will have 5.0 MHz frequency band (as Turkey operates in the PAL B and G category), whereas the TV stations in the UK conform to the PAL I standard and broadcast in 5.5 MHz frequency band. Now, the puzzling question then is whether such a small difference would cause any problems. My guess is that it would and picture flicker may result. Moreover, if the audio carrier frequencies are different (although both use FM), then there will be "signal distortion" on the TV side, producing a very bad quality of sound. Even if the Turkish TV is used with a receiver box (commonly referred to as a "set-top box", the results would be disappointing because the box cannot provide all the decoding the TV might be missing. The handshake has to be complete between the source (the broadcaster), the service provider (here we have subscribed to Digiturk service and use their set-top box which decodes all incoming signals for the TV) and the TV itself. Besides, once we begin to talk about cable or satellite transmission, then we are in the "digital" world which has its own complexities as well. -- Muharrem Sev
A23: To answer this question in sound technical terms, I would need to know the exact technical specifications of your TV. If a flat screen TV (either LCD or plasma) purchased in Turkey would be used in the UK without a receiver (either cable or satellite) box, then, the following should be kept in mind: Both countries use the PAL (phase alternating line) color encoding system (625 lines and 25 frames per second) and the same voltage (220 volts 50Hz) and as Dave suggested, an adaptor will be needed for the plug itself ;however, similarities end there.The differences are in the frequency range of the analog VHF and UHF signals. The TV made in Turkey (I assume without seeing the specs) will have 5.0 MHz frequency band (as Turkey operates in the PAL B and G category), whereas the TV stations in the UK conform to the PAL I standard and broadcast in 5.5 MHz frequency band. Now, the puzzling question then is whether such a small difference would cause any problems. My guess is that it would and picture flicker may result. Moreover, if the audio carrier frequencies are different (although both use FM), then there will be "signal distortion" on the TV side, producing a very bad quality of sound. Even if the Turkish TV is used with a receiver box (commonly referred to as a "set-top box", the results would be disappointing because the box cannot provide all the decoding the TV might be missing. The handshake has to be complete between the source (the broadcaster), the service provider (here we have subscribed to Digiturk service and use their set-top box which decodes all incoming signals for the TV) and the TV itself. Besides, once we begin to talk about cable or satellite transmission, then we are in the "digital" world which has its own complexities as well. -- Muharrem Sev