USING MY Portable DVD player (london)--CHANGE THIS TO ROME!!!

[icydog]

We are going on vacation on Monday to London. Do any of you folks know if I can use my Mintex portable DVD player on the TVs in London? Also how about the computer? I know the Dell can use US or British current. I use AOL.com as an ISP in the US. Will I need special cables or what. I am not that computer savy as you can tell.
Marylyn

 

[AlanUK]

Hi

I am not sure about your portable DVD player connecting up to the TV. Have you been able to do this in hotels in the US?? If so how do you connect it? If you can tell us this maybe we can start to point you in the right direction.

As far as your laptop goes most major hotels now provide some sort of broadband internet access. It may be wireless or it may not be, I have experienced both but it is worth checking with the hotel what facilities it provided in order to be sure. Either way you will connect to the internet through the hotels system and the hotels ISP. I am not familiar with the way AOL is set up but when I am away I can access my e-mail and any provider specific content through a web site, I would assume AOL is the same but hopefully someone with some first hand experience may be able to give you a better steer.

I hope I have been of some help

Alan.

 

[mark&sue]

According to DH if the TV has scart socket and your DVD can switch to PAL you should be ok.

We got our portable DVD players from e:bay and it played at the Grand Floridan in US and at Butlins (holiday camp) in UK.

The one good thing though is TV channels are in English if it doesn't work. We have just come back from Disneyland Paris and the only English Channels at the Disney Hotels are Children's Disney Channel (which repeats continually) and BBC World (which repeats continually!!!)

Have a great time and try and contact us while you are here to let us know how you are getting on.



Susan

 

[icydog]

According to DH if the TV has scart socket and your DVD can switch to PAL you should be ok.
Susan

Our DVD has RCA outlets on it. The red, blue and yellow type of hookups to the front or back of Televisons. I don't know what PAL is? Please ask your husband if there is any way to use a scart cable with our DVD player? The timeshare suggested we get a scart cable and we had to look it up on the internet to even find out what it was.

Also would you pls ask your husband if the DVDs I own (purchased in US) can be played on a British DVD player. The timeshare has a DVD player in the room but I am not sure whether to bring my own DVDs from home.

The one good thing though is TV channels are in English if it doesn't work. We have just come back from Disneyland Paris and the only English Channels at the Disney Hotels are Children's Disney Channel (which repeats continually) and BBC World (which repeats continually!!!)
Susan

I agree with you about DLP. I watched all the kid shows on the Disney Channel over and over. I also watched so much BBC news I thought I would croak. With the number of English speaking people who travel to Disneyland Paris, I think two miserable channels is an insult. But then again, they wouldn't care if we told them that. They do not treat Brits very well over there. We of course are Americans but they couldn't distinguish between our accents. That was fine with us as they didn't like Americans more than they didn't like Brits. I didn't get a warm feeling at the Newport Resort at DLP except from the Canadians and the Germans who were working there.Oherwise we were treated cordially but NEVER warmly or overly friendly by the French.

Last year we stayed in Paris and the whole feeling was different. They liked that we tried to speak a little pigeon French and they loved that we were Americans. Give me Paris any day! and no long RER train rides in the middle of the night.

 

[mark&sue]

We just came back from DLP during UK half term and at least 50% of the resort was English speaking. I heard Irish, American and Scottish accents as well as the usual english ones. As the parks were so busy I thought it would be nice to go to see a film at the Gaumount. There are 15 screens and not one of the screens had an (orginal language) English speaking film. I was told not one all week. This to me was their loss and I belive just one film showing would have been packed out as I saw (and heard) loads of English speaking wandering about looking for ways to spend money!!! Simons book states at 23% of the tourists at DLP are from UK so during the school holidays this would be higher and therefore it would make financial sense to show an english speaking film at least one of the screens. Sorry to go on but this is not business sense.

The scart-in adapter is like a black box type of plug with audio left, audio right and vidio in plugs to scart outlet. DH has handed me two and said I could take a photo (but I don't know how!!!)

The DVD player will only play both USA and UK if it is a multi region DVD player and should say on it "multi region"

PAL is the UK operating system that works on all our TVs, DVDs and Videos. Many newer UK DVD players are now multi region.

They are so cheap now over here that a multi region DVD player can be picked up for $40 to $50. You can get from large supermarket.

Good luck



Susan

 

[Goofyish]

I took my portable DVD player do to the Hilton in Swindon recently while on a week long training course. The TV in the room seemed to be specially designed for hotels and didn't have any SCART or AV (RCA) sockets on it.

 

[mark&sue]

Goofyish we have noticed this in many hotels too. It appears that the icy dog is at a time share so it could be more conventional possibly.

Icy-dog is this one of the DVC timeshares in London?



Susan

 

[Chester Copperpot]

Most UK tv's are now NTSC (USA standard) compatible, the older models used to only run NTSC signals via the RCA sockets which Is what you are going to use anyway so I would say that If the TV has a RCA socket you are good to go. You can also get a cheap SCART>RCA adaptor If there is no RCA socket.

Only thing worth double checking is the PSU on the portable DVD player to make sure It handles the UK 240V, If not a step-up convertor is required. Do not even think of bothering with one of these as I have them and they are the size and weight of a brick and quite expensive.

 

[icydog]

Most UK tv's are now NTSC (USA standard) compatible, the older models used to only run NTSC signals via the RCA sockets which Is what you are going to use anyway so I would say that If the TV has a RCA socket you are good to go. You can also get a cheap SCART>RCA adaptor If there is no RCA socket.

Where do I get one, SCART that is, in London near the Kennsington Hilton or 2 Hyde Park Square, near the timeshare? The guy at the timeshare says his new smaller apts have new everything so they should be compatible right and I won't need a scart? I have a black converter 2 inches, don't know how to convert to cm, by 2 inches. Is this what you mean I would need? I hope I don't have to get a SCART but the timeshare guy says I will need one. Could a DVD player have both a Scart and RCA jacks? I wish I knew more about this but I am lame, lame, lame when it comes to this stuff.

 

[icydog]

Goofyish we have noticed this in many hotels too. It appears that the icy dog is at a time share so it could be more conventional possibly.

Icy-dog is this one of the DVC timeshares in London?



Susan

Susan DVC won't ever build another timeshare outside of Disney World. The last timeshare Disney built off site was in Vero Beach and the one before that was Hilton Head, and they were completed in the early 90's before the Boardwalk Villas were even a dream. Now every new timeshare is at WDW and I am a little sick of going to Orlando all the time. What I have started to do is to rent my points out. I take the money I get and buy inexpensive, okay some are expensive, timeshares that allow me to go to other places. I also sold my Boardwalk points to give me some start up capital but I have used all that up so I am only buying very inexpensive timeshares now. Case in point I bought the timeshare I am using in London for $150 plus closing, maintenance and transfer fees = approx $850 on ebay. I am using my week to stay at 2 Hyde Park a condo hotel in London in a one bedroom apartment with a full kitchen. Can you imagine how much that would cost me if I had to pay rent for such a place in London? Anyway the maintenance fees are $685 a year and I think that is a wonderful price compared to Disney's outrageous maintenance charges.

Don't get me wrong I love my DVC but I would never ever trade or exchange with it. It just cost too much to buy into DVC and the maintenance fees are the highest in the industry. Take most Marriott timeshares-I own 4 now- their maintenance is around $500-$650 a year which is about 1/4 to 1/2 of what Disney's is for comparable and nicer suites. BUT MARRIOTT AND ALL THE REST IS NOT SITUATED ON DISNEY PROPERTY and that is the reason nobody will buy Disney in London or Istanbul or anywhere else. The value is only at WDW, period the end.

Sorry I went on so long but when we first bought into Disney's Timeshare concept there were going to be DVC timeshares all across the US and the world. So I am a little disappointed in that factor with Disney, but I did make a big profit when I sold my boardwalk points,and in timesharing, this is pretty much unheard of.

 

[mark&sue]

Thanks for the explanation.

I am using my DVC points to exchange in UK in february half term and have just come back from DLP using points. Currently the flights to Orlando during school holidays are just so expensive we can only really go once a year. As we have 520 points we had quite a bit spare this year. Next year we are taking two other families with us. I think perhaps we got too many points and am not looking forward to the annual dues bill!!!!

Hope you have a great time. Which airline are you flying with?



Susan

 

[disneyholic family]

i don't know if any of the other posters mentioned it, but the UK electrical outlet is totally bonkers looking...
but probably the hotel will have a plug you can use...
but your best bet is if you have a kit of all electrical plug adapters needed worldwide....it will include the very very very very very very strange looking UK plug....(this huge thing with a square prong in addition to the others....it really doesn't look real)...

 

[squitty]

Hi

We bought our portable dvd player from Walmart while on holiday in WDW. The dvd player is dual voltage and works fine both here in the UK and over in the USA. I would be careful if your dvd player is not dual voltage.
USA is region 1 dvd's and the UK are region 2. Unless the dvd player is a multi region player then you will not be able to play your dvd's on a uk dvd player.

 

[icydog]

Thanks for the explanation.

I am using my DVC points to exchange in UK in february half term and have just come back from DLP using points. Currently the flights to Orlando during school holidays are just so expensive we can only really go once a year. As we have 520 points we had quite a bit spare this year. Next year we are taking two other families with us. I think perhaps we got too many points and am not looking forward to the annual dues bill!!!!

Hope you have a great time. Which airline are you flying with?



Susan

We did the same thing for years, using pts for concierge collection, the cruises and for DLP, but I find that I can purchasse these places for much less money than Disney charges for them, if you figure a bottom renting price of $10 a point. But since you are using your points and they are taking you to places you wouldn't ordinarily go, you are way ahead of the game.

If you would like info on renting your pts let me know and I can help. I can ever sublet them and rent them myself.

We are flying to London from Newark on BA in their upgraded coach class. I have problems with my feet so I needed extra room and they accommodated me by putting me, not my dh though, in the bulk head. I just hope I am not sitting next to crying babies for the whole trip.

Marylyn

 

[icydog]

Hi

We bought our portable dvd player from Walmart while on holiday in WDW. The dvd player is dual voltage and works fine both here in the UK and over in the USA. I would be careful if your dvd player is not dual voltage.
USA is region 1 dvd's and the UK are region 2. Unless the dvd player is a multi region player then you will not be able to play your dvd's on a uk dvd player.

I am thinking seriously now about returning the one I own to Costco and buying a dual voltage one. I only have today to do so since we leave tomorrow. Perhaps I am making too big a deal about these DVD players since there will be TV and it will be in English.

 

[Goofyish]

Do you know whether the timeshare has cable or satelite TV, or just the standard terrestrial service?

With the standard analogue terrestrial service you will only have 5 TV channels to watch (BBC1, BBC2, ITV1, Channel 4 and Five)

If you have a digital 'free view' receiver you will get around 30 channels
Channel Details

If you have cable or satelite, then it really depends on what package has been subscribed to by the timeshare owners. Depending on the package there will be hundreds of channels to chose from including movies and sports.

 

[icydog]

Do you know whether the timeshare has cable or satelite TV, or just the standard terrestrial service?

With the standard analogue terrestrial service you will only have 5 TV channels to watch (BBC1, BBC2, ITV1, Channel 4 and Five)

If you have a digital 'free view' receiver you will get around 30 channels
Channel Details

If you have cable or satelite, then it really depends on what package has been subscribed to by the timeshare owners. Depending on the package there will be hundreds of channels to chose from including movies and sports.

I called the timeshare and they said they have about 40 channels. I'm leaving the DVD player at home. I did bring a few of my favorite CDs in hopes they might work in the suite's dvd player. That's all for me, I am off to Merry Old England in a few hours. No computer either so I will have to tell you all about my adventures when I return on the 9th of Nov.

 

[icydog]

I am resurrecting this thread. Why? Because I am going to Rome on Friday and have the same question about DVD players. What do I need to buy in order to use my DVD player on the TV set in Rome.

By the way I got to the apartment in London and it didn't have 40 channels as I was told. It had about 10 and mostly boring stations. I was sick one day and spent the time watching the Hallmark channel and reruns of OLD Law and Order episodes and other OLD American TV shows. British TV leaves a lot to be desired without all the cable channels I guess. I did enjoy the very sardonic satire of the government and the Queen and her family. At the time Prince Philip and Camilla were in the US and did they ever make fun of them. It just isn't done as much in the US and I found it both hysterical and irreverant.