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British TV work in Spain?

A family member is moving to the Costa Blanca in Spain shortly,and wonders how much (of his living room only)electrical stuff,will work over there.

He has heard conflicting reports,particularly regarding plasma tv.

Any help would be welcomed.

Comments

  • The electric supply is the same but you will need plug adapters.

    if the tv has scart or dvi and audio inputs and whatever you are connecting it to has those outputs it should work wherever you are.
    Their terrestrial tv is pal but may be on vhf not uhf , not sure.
    Sky have their own sales out there & supply boxes.
    Nudge nudge, Wink wink, Say No More!
  • wakandem wrote: »
    The electric supply is the same but you will need plug adapters.

    if the tv has scart or dvi and audio inputs and whatever you are connecting it to has those outputs it should work wherever you are.
    Their terrestrial tv is pal but may be on vhf not uhf , not sure.
    Sky have their own sales out there & supply boxes.


    Thank you for the help there wakandem.
  • BexTech
    BexTech Posts: 4,772 Forumite
    You should have no problems

    Most TVs accept the UK version of PAL (PAL I) and other versions such as PAL B / PAL G and usually accept signals on UHF and VHF. This only being important for the terrestrial TV channels where if the TV was PAL I only you'd get no sound when in Spain.

    Sky don't sell or supply outside the UK and Ireland. There will be places who will sort you out, but if Sky are told you are not in the UK then they will turn off your subscription. It is best to keep the subscription running when they leave - that is keep it on the UK account and to them at the same address or another family members address. It's not illegal to view Sky outside the UK and Ireland, just against the terms of your contract.
    It's PAC not PAC Code, it's MAC not MAC Code, it's PIN not PIN Number, it's ATM not ATM Machine, it's LCD not LCD Display, it's DVD not DVD disc... It's no one not noone, It's a lot not alot, It's got not gotten... Panini is the plural of panino - there is no S!!
    (OK my English isn't great, the sciences, maths & IT are my strong points!)
  • my tv from the UK works fine over here in Spain. just remember to get the plug adaptors before you leave.
  • virgo17
    virgo17 Posts: 966 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 500 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    BexTech wrote: »
    if the TV was PAL I only you'd get no sound when in Spain.

    Sky don't sell or supply outside the UK and Ireland. There will be places who will sort you out, but if Sky are told you are not in the UK then they will turn off your subscription. It is best to keep the subscription running when they leave - that is keep it on the UK account and to them at the same address or another family members address. It's not illegal to view Sky outside the UK and Ireland, just against the terms of your contract.
    As BexTech has said, the PAL transmission system in Spain is different to the UK. The main difference is the sound to vision spacing on the transmitted signal. Some UK TV's will cope with this, some don't and you can get a picture but no sound. In any event the material being served up on local Spanish TV may not be to the taste of many UK ex-pats. A UK TV equipped with a digital Freeview tuner will generally be OK as the Spanish also have a similar digital system to the UK in the same state of infancy. This means that in some areas there is no coverage.

    On the Costa Blanca you need a *very* big dish to receive a decent Sky signal. This is because the footprint from the satellites that carry Sky have a big bit missing which excludes that part of Spain which includes the Costa Blanca. Even with a large ugly dish it is normal for some stations to drop out in the evening time. This makes all the effort of bringing a UK registered Sky box and card to the Coata Blanca a bit of a waste of time. Ironically, these boxes work fine with smaller dishes in southern Spain on the Costa del Sol, although it is further from GB.

    On the Costa Blanca there are a number of firms who have set themselves up to offer what is basically an illegal UK TV service. They pipe in the original TV signals using powerful receiving equipment and then rebroadcast them from local high points all over the Costa Blanca. You pay them an installation fee and a yearly subscription. In return you are supplied with a set top box, smart card and wire mesh aerial that they fit to your roof. This allows you to view a large number of UK channels. In my opinion the picture quality is not as good as Sky or viewing in the UK. However, lots of people subscribe and although the service is basically illegal and in contravention of copyright, the Spanish authorities have so far done nothing about it.

    Ironically, the Germans and Dutch living here are able to pick up their national TV broadcasts via satellite. In fact most of them are unencrypted and easy to view, unlike the $ky offerings.

    Hope this gives you an insight.

    Written from the sunny Costa Blanca :cool:
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