Questions for those of you living OVERSEAS

[Heather in Neverland]

So if I move to Malaysia I've been told my TV won't work there (something about different signals).

 

Is this true for you where you live?

 

What about dvd/vcr players? Aren't there different formats for that too?

 

We have tons of educational movies...will I need to buy a new dvd player when I get there and if so, will my movies from here play in the new player? Or will I need 2 different dvd players...one for movies purchased in the USA and one for those I purchase in Malaysia?

 

What about computers? Will my laptop work over there even with the difference in voltage (I think it is 240 there)? Or do I have to get a new laptop when I get there?

 

So much to think about......

[Snickerdoodle]

:)

Edited March 13, 2009 by Snickerdoodle

[Mabelen]

So if I move to Malaysia I've been told my TV won't work there (something about different signals).

 

Is this true for you where you live?

 

What about dvd/vcr players? Aren't there different formats for that too?

 

We have tons of educational movies...will I need to buy a new dvd player when I get there and if so, will my movies from here play in the new player? Or will I need 2 different dvd players...one for movies purchased in the USA and one for those I purchase in Malaysia?

 

What about computers? Will my laptop work over there even with the difference in voltage (I think it is 240 there)? Or do I have to get a new laptop when I get there?

 

So much to think about......

 

 

TVs won't work, they are different systems. We brought our TV set from the UK just so that we could still enjoy our VHS collection in the US.

 

Laptops as far as I know will work, but you might need to buy a different plug/adaptor thingy. Can you tell how knowledgeable I am about technical stuff ;) ?

[Country Girl]

So if I move to Malaysia I've been told my TV won't work there (something about different signals).

 

Is this true for you where you live?

 

What about dvd/vcr players? Aren't there different formats for that too?

 

We have tons of educational movies...will I need to buy a new dvd player when I get there and if so, will my movies from here play in the new player? Or will I need 2 different dvd players...one for movies purchased in the USA and one for those I purchase in Malaysia?

 

What about computers? Will my laptop work over there even with the difference in voltage (I think it is 240 there)? Or do I have to get a new laptop when I get there?

 

So much to think about......

 

I'll see if I can remember what we had to do when we lived oversees a few years ago (Finland).

 

Needed a different tv.

 

Needed a different vcr/dvd player for the movies that we rented there and played on the tv from there.

 

We got a voltage converter of some sort for our computer so we could use our computer. We used our computer to play DVD's that were US formatted. I don't think we could hook our computer up to our tv to watch the movies, I think we just watched them on the computer screen if I remember correctly.

 

HTH!

[Heather in Neverland]

OH wow...so a USA dvd player will not worked when hooked up to a TV bought in Malaysia???? We may need to bring a TV then. Man, I was hoping to avoid that.

[Snickerdoodle]

It's possible that you can buy a region free dvd player pretty cheap over there. I would ask.

[Kate in Arabia]

I would minimize as much as possible what electronics you bring. To me, it hasn't been worth it to bring them from the States, except for things that are just not available (which isn't much). I have found using transformers a hassle, and I've blown things more than once by plugging it in wrong (I can be a bit absent-minded-professor-ish at times). Also, things just never seem to work the same through a transformer, it hasn't been worth it to me except in very limited cases.

 

All of our dvds from the States have worked on dvd players we bought here.

 

For computers, a lot of them now have dual-voltage, you should be able to check the power cable for your laptop for that. It may mean you just need a different shaped plug adapter, not an actual converter.

 

Is your possible-employer giving you any funds for moving/setting up expenses?

[Sebastian (a lady)]

So if I move to Malaysia I've been told my TV won't work there (something about different signals).

 

Is this true for you where you live?

 

What about dvd/vcr players? Aren't there different formats for that too?

 

We have tons of educational movies...will I need to buy a new dvd player when I get there and if so, will my movies from here play in the new player? Or will I need 2 different dvd players...one for movies purchased in the USA and one for those I purchase in Malaysia?

 

What about computers? Will my laptop work over there even with the difference in voltage (I think it is 240 there)? Or do I have to get a new laptop when I get there?

 

So much to think about......

 

 

You have two different issues, electricity and media format.

 

US electrical is 120 v 60 Hz. Malaysia seems to be a 240-volt 50 Hz system. Some of your electrical stuff will be able to run by throwing a switch. We've had good luck with computers, some stereos, some vcrs and dvd players and some hairdryers. If there isn't a conversion switch or a definite note on the equipment that it is dual voltage, they you will want to use a transformer.

 

Transformers range from big humming boxes the size of a shoe box (we used one for our tv stuff and one for our computer stuff) down to little transformers that were incorporated with plug adapters for use on small bathroom stuff like electric razors. Don't use plug in appliances without a transformer (internal or external) or you will end up with a smoking piece of equipment (I blew out a set of hair clippers doing this). The little rule our family set was that if the equipment was designed to create heat (coffee maker, toaster, hair dryer) we bought one designed for that power supply just to be on the safe side (this is more costly, but also cuts down on the shipping weight). We were able to buy a lot from the folks we replaced. You should ask the principal you're relieving if any of the expats in the area are selling or if there are any expat email lists you should get on. But plan to get 1-2 transformers. You can always move the transformer around if you need to run a crock pot or something that you use infrequently.

 

As a side note. The cycles are how some electronics calculate time. We have one plug in alarm clock that won't work here in Japan. However, my coffee maker seems to keep time just fine. I had a bread machine that had a specific warning not to use it on a transformer. (I think most transformers only step voltage (either up or down) but don't change the cycles.)

 

Now on to format. The US uses a different format for VCRs and DVDs than the rest of the world. The US uses NTSC and Malasia seems to use PAL. When we lived in Germany, we had a multi system VCR. This VCR would take any input and convert it to any output. So we ran both the German cable and our dvd player through it and into our US (and very old, non-digital) TV. Worked like a charm and we were even able to record from the cable (thus creating a nice stash of German Sesame Street). This might be an option for you. The VCRs are a specialty item and would let you keep your TV if that is important. It also gives you the option of buying local video tapes and playing them, even if you return to the US.

 

DVD players are a little different. There are multiple regions. The film distribution folks are behind this one as an anti-piracy measure. The US is region 1. It looks here like Malaysia is Region 3. However, that is a relatively small region market wise. I would expect that you will run into a number of other regions for sale (legitimately or otherwise). It is possible to buy or make a dvd player a multi region player. We have hacked our dvd player to play region 1 and 2. In fact, before buying a player, we write down the brand and model and check if it can be hacked. This will invalidate the warranty. (We first looked into actually buying a multi region player but could only find players for sale that some one else - an electronics dealer - had bought and hacked themselves.) The other route is to buy to dvd players. Players seem to come with no region setting and are actually set buy playing the dvds. Players are relatively inexpensive now and that might be an option. (The only problem would be if you did run into one that was preset. Or the possible problem of working with more than just two regions.) One more possibility is to use a dvd player for one region and a computer for another region. We did this for some time, using a laptop to play some dvds. You might run into a problem if you try to switch the format on the computer back and forth. The older Microsoft we were running had a finite number of times you could switch before it froze in one setting. I don't know if Vista has the same limit.

 

I hope that this helps you think through the options. I guess it partly depends on how old your tv is, if you have a lot of video tapes that you would want to bring and play and if you planned on buying dvds locally. (We did buy a lot of dvds in Europe because they came with both the dubbed German track and the original English if they were a Hollywood release. So we got the English movie and German practice for the price of one.)

 

One other thing that you didn't ask about. I'm finding here in Japan that my radios are not useful because the frequency spectrum is shifted from what is common in the US (and from what I found in Europe). I literally can't tune in many radio stations. You might want to check into this. I am working on trying to find BBC World Service on shortwave to play on a small world band radio that I have as an emergency radio.

 

I think that you'll gave quite an adventure. Check out the book Third Culture Kids, it may be very useful for you in working out how your students tick. I also like the Culture Shock series for a quick overview of a country and what will seem strange.

[Ann]

My laptop works with an adaptor but you need to read your power supply- it will tell you if it can run with 220V. The TV signals are different- we brought our flat screen with us and use it with just the Xbox. The videos are different also- different regions. You can buy dvd players which are not region specific though. We also hooked our laptops up to the TV and were able to run show our movies that way.

[Heather in Neverland]

You have two different issues, electricity and media format.

 

US electrical is 120 v 60 Hz. Malaysia seems to be a 240-volt 50 Hz system. Some of your electrical stuff will be able to run by throwing a switch. We've had good luck with computers, some stereos, some vcrs and dvd players and some hairdryers. If there isn't a conversion switch or a definite note on the equipment that it is dual voltage, they you will want to use a transformer.

 

Transformers range from big humming boxes the size of a shoe box (we used one for our tv stuff and one for our computer stuff) down to little transformers that were incorporated with plug adapters for use on small bathroom stuff like electric razors. Don't use plug in appliances without a transformer (internal or external) or you will end up with a smoking piece of equipment (I blew out a set of hair clippers doing this). The little rule our family set was that if the equipment was designed to create heat (coffee maker, toaster, hair dryer) we bought one designed for that power supply just to be on the safe side (this is more costly, but also cuts down on the shipping weight). We were able to buy a lot from the folks we replaced. You should ask the principal you're relieving if any of the expats in the area are selling or if there are any expat email lists you should get on. But plan to get 1-2 transformers. You can always move the transformer around if you need to run a crock pot or something that you use infrequently.

 

As a side note. The cycles are how some electronics calculate time. We have one plug in alarm clock that won't work here in Japan. However, my coffee maker seems to keep time just fine. I had a bread machine that had a specific warning not to use it on a transformer. (I think most transformers only step voltage (either up or down) but don't change the cycles.)

 

Now on to format. The US uses a different format for VCRs and DVDs than the rest of the world. The US uses NTSC and Malasia seems to use PAL. When we lived in Germany, we had a multi system VCR. This VCR would take any input and convert it to any output. So we ran both the German cable and our dvd player through it and into our US (and very old, non-digital) TV. Worked like a charm and we were even able to record from the cable (thus creating a nice stash of German Sesame Street). This might be an option for you. The VCRs are a specialty item and would let you keep your TV if that is important. It also gives you the option of buying local video tapes and playing them, even if you return to the US.

 

DVD players are a little different. There are multiple regions. The film distribution folks are behind this one as an anti-piracy measure. The US is region 1. It looks here like Malaysia is Region 3. However, that is a relatively small region market wise. I would expect that you will run into a number of other regions for sale (legitimately or otherwise). It is possible to buy or make a dvd player a multi region player. We have hacked our dvd player to play region 1 and 2. In fact, before buying a player, we write down the brand and model and check if it can be hacked. This will invalidate the warranty. (We first looked into actually buying a multi region player but could only find players for sale that some one else - an electronics dealer - had bought and hacked themselves.) The other route is to buy to dvd players. Players seem to come with no region setting and are actually set buy playing the dvds. Players are relatively inexpensive now and that might be an option. (The only problem would be if you did run into one that was preset. Or the possible problem of working with more than just two regions.) One more possibility is to use a dvd player for one region and a computer for another region. We did this for some time, using a laptop to play some dvds. You might run into a problem if you try to switch the format on the computer back and forth. The older Microsoft we were running had a finite number of times you could switch before it froze in one setting. I don't know if Vista has the same limit.

 

I hope that this helps you think through the options. I guess it partly depends on how old your tv is, if you have a lot of video tapes that you would want to bring and play and if you planned on buying dvds locally. (We did buy a lot of dvds in Europe because they came with both the dubbed German track and the original English if they were a Hollywood release. So we got the English movie and German practice for the price of one.)

 

One other thing that you didn't ask about. I'm finding here in Japan that my radios are not useful because the frequency spectrum is shifted from what is common in the US (and from what I found in Europe). I literally can't tune in many radio stations. You might want to check into this. I am working on trying to find BBC World Service on shortwave to play on a small world band radio that I have as an emergency radio.

 

I think that you'll gave quite an adventure. Check out the book Third Culture Kids, it may be very useful for you in working out how your students tick. I also like the Culture Shock series for a quick overview of a country and what will seem strange.

 

 

Ummmm....wow....you know A LOT about electronics. This is great info that I will pass on to my dh who will probably understand more of what you are talking about. I had no idea it was that complicated! :D

 

Thanks for the book suggestions!!!

[Country Girl]

 

For computers, a lot of them now have dual-voltage, you should be able to check the power cable for your laptop for that. It may mean you just need a different shaped plug adapter, not an actual converter.

 

 

 

Oh, what Kate said here actually sounds familiar. I was thinking we purchased a converter but I could be wrong. I do remember that we had to get something to adapt it but it was no big deal.

[Amira]

I agree with Kate. When we've lived overseas, we've always found it easier not to deal with electronics from the US, except our dual-voltage laptop. Anything else we brought turned out to be more of a hassle than it was worth.

[ElizabethB]

That applies to lamps, too, although I think some of ours worked in Germany (same electricity as where you're going.)

 

You definitely can't use your fridge or washer/dryer.

 

I agree that you want to dump any heat making electronics and buy new there. You could run hundreds of computers on the transformer it would take to run an iron or a coffee maker. And, I wouldn't bother bringing a vacuum, either, they need a huge transformer, we bought a European vacuum so we wouldn't have to lug a 20 pound transformer around the house and up the stairs to vacuum.

 

They may also have different sized paper, they print OK in inkjets but will not work in laser printers. The standard European size was A4.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

Ummmm....wow....you know A LOT about electronics. This is great info that I will pass on to my dh who will probably understand more of what you are talking about. I had no idea it was that complicated! :D

 

Thanks for the book suggestions!!!

 

It's not really that complicated. I don't know that much, we've just moved a lot in the last few years. If you've got a teen age son, you might consider turning it over to him for research :tongue_smilie:

 

Start with deciding if it's worth taking/keeping your tv. Then work from there. We gave away our tv and bought a new one when we moved to Japan. But that included issues of a very old tv that weighed a ton and was relatively small and wasn't digital. Plus we knew that there would be a military exchange waiting for us, just loaded down with consumer electronics.

 

I agree with the idea of not taking lots of electrical stuff. Although you will have to balance that with how hard/expensive it will be to replace it. And you may be able to create entire categories to shed (video tapes, cassette tapes?). I'm sort of wishing that I'd stored all our cds. I got them all onto our iTunes library and right now they are just stacked up in corners taking up space. It would have been nice to leave them one way or another.

 

There are some catalogs for expats that have multi region and dual voltage stuff. Have you found lists or boards for expats yet? Those can be helpful (although they also tend to attract folks who want to complain). Is there an email list for families associated with the school?

[Anne Rittenhouse]

I'd agree with Sebastian. Don't bring your US electronics....it's not worth the hassle. Sell or put your stuff in storage and begin again. Our laptops worked and that was it. We bought a new TV, computer printer, washer, dryer, two new radio alarm clocks, a hairdryer, hairclippers, iron, and vacuum and two voltage transformers. (one for the kitchen - used once and one for the sewing room.) The TV/internet/cable/phone company we subscribe to has an online movie subscription service that we can use like Netflix. We don't use it. We just don't have the time.

 

Buy your voltage transformers in the US before you go, they are MUCH, MUCH cheaper than abroad. Over buy the rating on the transformer also. If the higest wattage appliance you plan to plug into the transformer is 125W, then buy a 200W or 300W transformer. The transformer, your house wiring, and your US appliance will thank you for it. Don't leave your transformers plugged in all the time overseas, use them for short terms only, such as a kitchen mixer or a sewing machine. Don't use them for things like clocks and TV's. Read the terms of your lease and renter's insurance. Using transformer actually invalidates our rental insurance policy. Thus we only use them for very specific appliances and then they are boxed away out of sight.

 

Lighting may have to be rewired. Check the lamp sockets before you go. Make sure they are all rated for 220-240V. Buy new lamp sockets in the US before you leave for any lamps you plan on taking. We rewired the lamps once we got here with new cords and plugs, but a couple of lamps didn't have correctly rated sockets and need non-metric threads to attach to our "older" lamps. We had to wait until we returned to the US to get the right part. Ditch all light bulbs before you move. Budget also for some new extension cords and power strips. The wall outlets never seem to be in the right place for us.

 

In the kitchen I ditched my food processor, crock pot, microwave, blender, coffee pot, spice grinder and bread machine. I kept my kitchen aid mixer, which I have used twice this year. I replaced all that with a mandolin, a microplane grater, a box grater, a food mill and a granite mortar and pestle, before I left. I spent about $100USD. I don't miss the electrical appliances. Your eating and cooking habits will change with the new culture. You'll be surprised what you can live without.

 

Also be aware, that in many places electricity is significantly more expensive than in the US. You don't want the new and higher bills. Look at this as an opportunity to simplify. Good Luck.

[mazakaal]

You've gotten lots of great advice here. I just wanted to reiterate that it's probably best to buy all your electronics in Malaysia except your computers. I also brought my sewing machine with me because I knew I'd never justify buying a new one over here.

 

Just a note on playing dvds in computers. Each computer (at least ours) is set for a specific region code. That region code can be changed, but only a limited number of times. So we have dh's laptop set to the American region code in case we want to play dvds on it and my laptop is let to the British region code to play British dvds.

[Laura Corin]

It's possible that you can buy a region free dvd player pretty cheap over there. I would ask.

 

It plays Asian, UK and US DVDs with no problem.

 

Laura

[Heather in Neverland]

We are trying to travel as light as possible. They give us a shipping allowance but I am not sure yet how much it will cover. So I'd rather use it on really important things and get as many electronics/appliances there as I can. This is all such great info!!!!!!!!

[readwithem]

Our little electric clocks didn't even work - they ran too fast!

 

Heather, you can get transformers for your electric stuff, but they tend to be very heavy. I imagine the school has people coming and going all the time so you could probably buy electronic and electric items used from a student's family who is moving out the same time you are moving in. Most communities have American women's clubs which would be a great place to ask about this.

[Deb in NZ]

multi-zone VCR to play both NTSC & PAL videos. Our dvd player we bought here & use it to play NZ dvds. We play US dvds on the computer. My dc know never to play a NZ dvd on the computer as they risk locking it to the NZ region & not getting to play their US dvds again.

 

We have chosen to use a transformer, but have over the years collected the small appliances I use most. You will find that your cooking style does change. Plan to hit garage sales of expats leaving for good deals on local small appliances.

 

JMHO,

[JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst]

I'll try to give you the short version since Sebastian gave you a much fuller version.

 

If you have a recently purchased computer it should be multi-voltage. The issue with computers is that some only come with cords that technically support US voltage only. I have a desktop that I run off a converter and a laptop that I run off a surge suppressor only. No issues thus far with either.

 

When worrying about DVDs remember that your computer may play them if it has a DVD drive.

 

Many of the new digital TVs are multi-system. They support PAL, NTSC and other formats. You can probably buy one when you arrive. Multi-voltage may be more difficult so you can potentially resell when you leave. A region free DVD player is more difficult and you may need to enquire locally about that. Or just bring a US player and buy a 2nd if you need it there. Keep in mind there is a different HD standard for US and other systems. The tuners might not be compatible-meaning you will need a satellite or cable box in one or both countries.

 

Appliances with internal timers (ie Microwaves and toasters) aren't worth bringing. They tend to have issues.

 

Be sure to check on reliability of power supply, power brown outs cause more computer problems than anything else. Ask where to get the appropriate equipment from someone local to you.

[Dayle in Guatemala]

We bought a DVD player to use here. Most of the movies we've bought here work in our DVD player and most of our DVDs from the US work in it as well. We've only found a few exceptions. I would bring one from the US for your US ones and buy one there for use with movies from their zone. There are DVD players you can buy that are multi-zone. I'm not sure what they cost, though.

 

Our appliances work just fine here, but, I think Malaysia would be different.

[Anne in S'pore]

Most, if not all, DVD players available in Malaysia and Singapore will be region-free but you can check with the salesperson just to make sure when you buy. Electronics are not expensive either, relatively speaking.

 

I agree with the posters who recommended buying new appliances as fiddling with transformers is just not worth the trouble. None of the people I know who have moved to the US from this part of the world have taken any appliances over.

 

Anne

[Anne in S'pore]

Oops, forgot to add that your laptop should be alright since the power cable should be dual voltage, but you'll need a plug adapter (Malaysia uses British plugs).

 

Anne