110220Volts.com Makes Traveling Overseas with Electronics a Breeze

GLENDALE HEIGHTS, IL - FEBRUARY 27, 2011 - Although the economic downturn caused more U.S. travelers to stay at home, causing the number of overseas trips to plummet by three percent in 2009 when compared with 2008, the numbers were still stunning. Even with a lower percentage of overseas travels, there were still more than 61 million overseas travelers seeking to save money and reduce hassles during their trip. A company called 110220Volts.com eliminates one worry for those visiting a foreign land - the issue of electronic compatibility.

Those visiting another country usually face compatibility issues with small electronic products, such as their electric shaver, DVD player, certain medical devices, etc.

"Electronic devices that work in the U.S. won't necessarily work in other countries. Why? Because the standard voltage in electrical outlets often varies from one country to the next. If your appliance requires a 110v outlet and the country you're visiting uses 220v as a standard, then your electronic device won't work," states Manoj Tantuwaya of 110220Volts.com.

To solve this problem, 110220Volts.com offers voltage converters and travel plug adapters that enable the use of various electronics overseas. These converters help to resolve the voltage issues with standard outlets that are different than those found in the U.S. The adapters are much cheaper than having to buy the actual electronics overseas, and they can be used for every trip!

Another area of concern is being able to watch one's favorite movies while traveling abroad. Most DVD players are set for a certain region, containing a specific code for the North American region or other parts of the world. 110220Volts.com solves this problem for travelers by offering multisystem LCD plasma and LED TVs, and region code free DVD players.

The multisystem LCD TVs will play any signal PAL and NTSC video, and can be used with both 110V and 220v outlets. The region code free DVD players come with converters to switch over from PAL to NTSC (or from NTSC to PAL), so travelers can play DVDs from any country or region (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6).

For those who need to watch old videos from overseas while in the U.S., the site also has video system converters from PAL format to NTSC. A U.S. TV can be taken overseas and be used with a PAL system.

Tantuwaya states, "One thing that is unique about our company is that by answering four simple questions, our customers can find out which converters will work for their equipment, simply, quickly, and online."

About the Company

110220Volts.com was opened in 2001 as a strictly online business. In 2002, the company opened its first retail storefront in Skokie, IL, which after two years was closed down to expand to a larger location in Glendale Heights, IL. In 2006, the Canadian location was opened to ship products to that market.

The company now has two offices, one in the U.S. and one in Canada. The U.S. office is located at 172 N Brandon Dr., Glendale Heights, IL, 60139. The Canada office is located at Vancouver, BC, V63 2P4.

The company provides customer assistance for travelers seeking voltage converters, voltage transformers, step up and down voltage converter transformers, etc.

Details about products for 110v to 220v consumer electronics are available at the Web address below:

http://www.110220volts.com/vt/question.volts

For an interview or more information, please contact Manoj Tantuwaya by phone at (630) 893-5036 ext 102 or by email: manoj@110220volts.com
Date: February 27, 2011
Locations: Glendale Heights, IL
Contact: Manoj Tantuwaya
Phone: (630) 893-5036 ext 102
E-Mail: manoj@110220volts.com
Web Address: http://www.110220volts.com

Voltage Converters for Your Personal Electronics

If your Blackberry is your lifeline and you’re planning a trip overseas, you’ll need to invest in a voltage converter to keep it properly charged. Choosing the right voltage converter can mean the difference between keeping in touch with the office back home and spending half of your vacation out of touch while you shop for a replacement.

The Scoop on Traveling with Electronics

The U.S., Europe, Asia and other parts of the world have different standards for delivering electricity. In the U.S., most household electricity comes through a 110 V outlet—that’s your standard wall outlet with two slots and, often, a third round hole. European outlets deliver electricity at higher voltage, averaging between 210 and 220 V, and the outlet receptacles vary from country to country. Your phone charger won’t plug into a European wall outlet, and even if it could, the high voltage would fry the delicate electronics when you plug your phone into it.

The solution is to plug your charger into a device that will reduce the voltage coming from the wall outlet to a level that your phone charger can handle. That device is variously called a voltage converter or a voltage regulator.  You’ll find many types of voltage regulators on sale, many of them at very reasonable prices. Choosing the right one can be confusing, though, and if you’re not careful, you could still end up damaging your phone or other device.

Don’t Take Chances with Your Voltage Converters

When you buy a voltage converter, you have to know whether it needs to step up the voltage or step it down, and you need to know how many amps of electricity your device is rated for. If the voltage converter doesn’t deliver electricity at high enough amperage, your device won’t work. If it delivers too much, it can blow the circuits and burn out your device. If you travel with more than one device –like your coffee maker and your Blackberry—you may need two different voltage converters because the same one won’t be appropriate for powering both.

The solution is to buy a deluxe automatic voltage converter. These top of the line electrical devices are switchable—they can convert the voltage from a 110 V outlet and step it up to use with an appliance rated for 220 Vs, and vice versa. They’ll also automatically detect the appropriate amperage for the device you’re plugging into it, and deliver the amount of amperage needed to power your device without frying it. If you’re buying a voltage converter for travel, it only makes sense to by the one that can handle it all.

Advantages of Code Free DVD Players

Code free DVD players, also known as region code free DVD players, allow you to watch DVDs that were released in any region across the world. Region codes were an effort by the major movie studios to cut down on piracy while allowing studios to release movies to different markets at different times. The DVDs are recorded with specific coding that will only play on a DVD player that has the same coding. For the consumer, especially the consumer who travels, that means that the DVD purchased on a visit to Japan will be useless when returning home because the DVD player would be unable to play it back.

The solution to the problem is a region free or code free DVD player – one that is not locked to playing only DVDs produced for release in the same region as the player. Region free DVD players were once extremely expensive, but in the past few years, prices have dropped considerably. You can now buy a code free DVD player that is no more expensive than a traditional region-locked DVD player.

DVD Region Codes

DVD coding divides the world into six regions:

-          Region 1: North America

-          Region 2: Western Europe and Japan

-          Region 3: Southeast Asia, including Hong Kong

-          Region 4: Australia and South America

-          Region 5: Russia and India

-          Region 6: Mainland China

Discs recorded for each region include software encoding, called Region Code Enhancement, or RCE. When you put a disc in the DVD player, the RCE on the disc checks the region on the player. If it doesn’t match, the disc won’t play. So, the disc you purchased online from a Japanese distributor has a good chance of not working in your U.S. made DVD.

Format

In addition to the region coding on DVDs and DVD players, different regions of the world also use different encoding formats when recording movies. DVDs recorded in North America, Japan and Hong Kong use the NTSC format. Europe, Russia and China use PAL coding. A disc recorded in one format won’t play on a DVD that plays the other format. To make things even more complicated, the television playing your DVD must also match the format, or you won’t get any picture. Again, there’s a solution—many region code free DVD players have a built-in converter that converts from one format to the other. If you’re purchasing a code free DVD player for use with a North American TV, be sure that the player includes a PAL to NTSC converter so that you’ll have access to all the features on the DVD.

Voltage Converters and Safe Use of Electrical Equipment when Traveling Overseas

People often wonder if there is a difference between voltage converters and voltage regulators.  A regulator acts as both a converter and a voltage stabilizer.  A converter ensures that the power supply delivered to an electrical item is the correct voltage and a stabilizer provides protection against a fluctuating power supply

Importance of Choosing the Correct Converter

People often wonder if their electrical items will work overseas, and in most cases, choosing the correct transformer or converter (depending on the electrical item involved) will enable most devices to work correctly.  The USA and a number of countries in South America and the Caribbean use a power supply that is 110 volts and 60 Hz.  The rest of the world use a supply that 220 volts and 50 Hz.    Voltage converters cause power to step up (110 to 220 volts) or step down (220 to 110V) 

Power Plugs and Converters

People who travel overseas usually need to take a converter and often an international adaptor plug that enables the device to be plugged into a power outlet, regardless of shape and angle of the plug.   It is important to remember that a plug is not a converter or a transformer and you will need to purchase them separately from the adaptor plug.  

Safe Use of Converters

As a guide, you must know the watts your device requires to work correctly.  You can find this information either on the device itself or in the owner’s instruction manual.   It is useful to buy a converter that is at least 50% higher than your appliance needs.    Operating a device on a converter that is higher than your device requires it should not damage the device; however operating a device with a converter that is less than required may cause your device not to work.  Most modern equipment won’t be affected by the difference in electricity generation at 50v or 60v.

Many online stores carry a great amount of stock and can assist you in choosing good quality voltage converters that will ensure that your appliances function wherever you travel.  For less expensive appliances, it may be worth buying a cheap device in the country you are visiting, but remember that purchasing and taking a converter will provide you with peace of mind that equipment you need to take with you will continue to function correctly. 

Region and Code Free DVD Players Explained

Have you ever popped a new DVD into you player and gotten nothing but a message over the TV that read “Region Error?”  Believe it or not there is a simple explanation and no it isn’t you nor is anything wrong with the disk. Actually, a TV from one country and a DVD player from yet another will not always communicate due to pre-set regional codes. Whether you just moved countries, travel constantly for business or an avid traveler, region code free DVD players can make watching any disc from anywhere possible.

Regional Code
Regional codes were created in the USA to control the release of movies all over the world through a locking and number system. The DVD region locking system is what decides which DVDs can be played on which regional DVD players. The regions are:

·         Region one: United States and Canada

·         Region Two: Europe, Japan, Egypt, Greenland, South Africa and the Middle East

·         Region Three: Korea, Hong Kong, Philippines, Taiwan, and Indonesia.

·         Region Four: Australia, New Zealand, Central and South America, Mexico, Pacific Islands, and the Caribbean.

·         Zone Five: Eastern Europe, India, North Korea, Major part of Africa, Mongolia, and Russia

·         Zone six: China.

Regional Differences

Different regions in the world use different standards for both DVD players and TVs. North American countries usually use NTSC, while European and Asian countries prefer the standards of PAL while France uses the older SECAM standards. All this put together can become quite complicated for the viewer, since the right compatibility of local standards with a different instrument is required in each region.

Region-Free DVD Player
A region free DVD player is able to read and play any DVD regardless of the region code standards pre-set by the DVD disc by manufactures. A region free DVD player makes it possible to have any combination of standards work together. If you can’t find a code free player that is made in your country, purchase whichever one you can and then buy foreign plug adapters to fit your home.
Going to the movie theater can be expensive if you go often. If you’re a movie lover, there’s probably nothing that you love more than watching movies in the comfort of your own home. Don’t risk getting the popcorn made just to get an error message when you could just buy a region code free DVD player and never have to worry.

Use Power Converters When Travelling

There are two electrical transmission systems used in the world. Both are based on different transmission mechanisms which are based on different voltages. The system used in the USA is based on a voltage supply of 110V, as opposed to 220V which is used in Europe and the eastern countries. The electric appliances which are made for use in one particular system cannot work in the other system. For example, if a TV is bought in the USA, that means that it cannot be used in Europe with the local power supply.

Foreign Plug Adapters

The world has now become a global village, which means that faster methods of transportation have made it possible for people to travel the length of the world in just a few hours. This has resulted in people travelling to far off countries as a normal way of life.  In such cases, it is important to have some sort of convertor to change the voltage of one system to the other, so that the device will function and won’t be damaged. This feat is accomplished by foreign plug adapters. They are handy to use when on the go during a foreign travelling trip.

Deluxe Automatic Voltage Regulator

When the power adapters started to appear in the market, they featured manual operation. This means that the voltage needed to be selected manually. However, with advances in technology, the deluxe automatic voltage regulator was introduced, which automatically detected the input voltage and made the appropriate conversion required for the operation of the appliance. This made it easy to use without any risk of wrong manual selection, which could possibly lead to the damage of the appliance.

International Adapter Plugs

The recent advances in e-commerce have made it possible for people to order consumer products, especially the electric appliances, anywhere in the world. For example, when importing a device to Europe from the USA, the difference of power transmission systems needs to be kept in mind. In such a case, international adapter plugs are used as convertors of the voltage. The plugs are used with the sockets providing the voltage of the host system, and then they convert it into the native voltage that’s needed for the operation of the appliance.

Many of the electric appliances that we’ve come to rely on in our lives aren’t inexpensive.  That’s why it’s important when travelling to make use of the power convertors are so that the appliance can be used in a different system without any risk of damage. Such power converters are easily available in the market and are quite affordable.

What To Consider When Buying A Multi System TV

A Multisystem TV is a television capable of receiving and displaying different video systems like PAL, SECAM and NTSC. They will operate in 99% of the world because they have a dual power supply (the exceptions being France, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay) and do not require a voltage convertor.

What Are The Advantages Of A Multi System TV?

The picture quality of a Multi System TV is vastly superior to that of a conventional television, and this quality may be even further enhanced depending on whether you choose LCD or plasma. 

Technology has tackled the problem of scan lines that can be visible in conventional units. These lines are created by the electronic beam used to scan the picture tube from top to bottom regularly and repeatedly. Multi Systems include built-in line doubling, and that makes the scan lines disappear. There are few drawbacks of a Multi System TV compared to a conventional TV. Multi System TVs also have a perfect, flat viewing area with no curvature hampering the picture and causing distortion around the screen edges.

Which Is Better: LCD or Plasma?

If you are going to invest in a multisystem TV then you should take full advantage of modern technology and look at LCD and Plasma units. LCD/LED televisions fit well in rooms saturated with natural light, but don’t do well in rooms that rely mainly on artificially controlled lighting.  With a LCD TV, you’ll see sharp vivid colours, and because of this watching sports and movies will take on a whole new intensity.  Keep in mind that LCDs are thinner than other types of televisions but this thinness is merely aesthetic and adds no enhancement to performance.

Plasma televisions are bigger than most other televisions with sizes starting at 42” so if you can’t fit a unit of this size in your room, you’ll be better off with a LCD.  Plasma televisions are good in normally lit rooms and offer viewers more natural looking images in movies, nature programs and live action sports.  But they don’t perform as well in rooms that are flooded with natural light as this impairs the bright eye popping colour.

Before making a decision about whether you’ll buy an LCD or a Plasma TV, try both types in a room with natural lighting. This is important because fluorescent lit showrooms will simply not give you the best idea of how these televisions will perform in your house.