Information, costs and advice on importing a 4k tv from the USA

Firstly before I start I realise if I wait, I will be able to get a 4k tv in this country at a not so wallet busting price. But I don't like to wait :)

Right, I'm contemplating getting a vizio p series 4k tv based on the rapturous reviews it's had CES, and more importantly the price.

Not sure what size I want yet, but toying with the 60" which will come in at just south of £1100.

Looking on the internet points to import duty being approx 15% then vat at 20%. Anybody know the definitive answer here?

Also any ideas on shipping cost? I got a rough cost based on the 50" via the fedex website which worked out at around £600!! Which doesn't sound right! I've got friend in Florida that is going to get proper pricing, but just interested to know what others had paid.

Thanks in advance for info and advice.

Nev
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Comments

  • Doghouse RileyDoghouse Riley Posts: 32,491
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    Two ancillary questions.

    Will the mains voltage be a problem?
    USA are on 120v 60 cycles.
    The only electrical stuff I've bought from the USA is a jukebox wall box adapter for an iPod.
    This had supplied, a multi-volt mains adapter, 110/240v to 9v, but the adapter itself I had to programme for 50 cycles.

    Also how would you stand with the warranty?
  • walterwhitewalterwhite Posts: 56,451
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    Is there any use for a 4k tv in this country? Genuine question.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 437
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    Most consumer electronics these days have a switch mode psu, if not I have a step down transformer. The power hz affecting the refresh rate of the tv is a thing of the CRT past as far as I'm aware.

    Warranty wise. I'd have to send the unit back to the us for warranty work, or attempt to take it to a 3rd party warranty company if it were to go kerput.. Neither are ideal obviously.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 437
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    The tv contains a hevc decoder and is preloaded with netflix. So should be good to go from day one for 4k content over ip. The bitrate is approx 15mbps via hevc.

    I'm also sure sky won't take too long to bring out a satelite based 4k service.

    Then there's future console video 4k services and pc and mac use.
  • mac2708mac2708 Posts: 3,349
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    You can calculate the import duty and VAT here
    http://www.dutycalculator.com/new-import-duty-and-tax-calculation/

    Based on he figures you gave and allowing $600 for shipping/insurance the total payable in import duty/VAT (excluding collection charges for same)would be approx. £530
  • meltcitymeltcity Posts: 2,261
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    As per Winston_1's post, American TVs do not generally accept 50Hz video signals.

    That's fine if you only ever intend to watch Blu-ray movies, but if you have any plans to watch broadcast TV on it you are in for some disappointment.
  • grahamlthompsongrahamlthompson Posts: 18,486
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    meltcity wrote: »
    As per Winston_1's post, American TVs do not generally accept 50Hz video signals.

    That's fine if you only ever intend to watch Blu-ray movies, but if you have any plans to watch broadcast TV on it you are in for some disappointment.

    That restriction disappeared long ago with the demise of PAL/NTSC analogue TV signals and the introduction of HDMI HDCP universal digital interconnections. This is not to be confused with totally artificial regional restrictions imposed on some Blu-ray discs (which are normally 23.97/24 fps).

    HDMI is a worldwide standard (about time), and 4/8K surely will be the same.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 437
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    I'm not worried about not having usable tuners. As I only ever use stb's.

    Thanks for the duty calculator very handy! It does add a fair amount, but it helps if you're vat registered ;-) you're correct about the 6.5% sales tax I can't get out of though.

    The tv has hdmi 2.0 so according to the specs will do full 3840 x 2160 at between 24-120fps so I'm presuming most the standard refresh rates inbetween (25,30,48,50,60&100).

    Thanks for everyone's input, it's much appreciated and gives me something to think about. Admittedly the warranty situation gives me cause for concern. But I do like to be an early adopter to satisfy my inner geek.

    Nev
  • meltcitymeltcity Posts: 2,261
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    That restriction disappeared long ago with the demise of PAL/NTSC analogue TV signals and the introduction of HDMI HDCP universal digital interconnections. This is not to be confused with totally artificial regional restrictions imposed on some Blu-ray discs (which are normally 23.97/24 fps).

    HDMI is a worldwide standard (about time), and 4/8K surely will be the same.

    HDMI is an interface, not a standard, and how it's implemented varies between countries.

    In Europe all HD Ready TVs must accept and display 50Hz and 60Hz video signals. In North America 50Hz is optional, and in practice rarely supported, because it prevents Europeans from importing them and undercutting local prices.

    The closest you can get to 50Hz support is 4k @25p, which is supported by the latest American UHDTVs, but which is no help to any European who plans to watch Sky HD or Freeview HD through one.

    Take a look at the specifications section for the Sony XBR-55X900A for example:
    Video Signal : 3840x2160/24p ; 3840x2160/25p ; 3840x2160/30p ; 4096x2160/24p ; 1080/24p (HDMI only) ; 1080/60i ; 1080/60p(HDMI / Component) ; 480/60i ; 480/60p ; 720/60p ; 1080/30p (HDMI only) ; 720/30p (HDMI only) ; 720/24p (HDMI only)

    Or look at the manual for the Samsung UN55F9000AFXZA.
  • OrbitalzoneOrbitalzone Posts: 12,627
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    I haven't read all this post but if it's one of those Seiki 4K TV's from Amazon USA for about $600 then you might want to wait as it looks like Bush, yes that top line brand, will be rebadging this TV for sale in Argos sometime soon (?)
    http://www.whathifi.com/news/bush-4k-tv-on-sale-in-argos-for-%C2%A3500

    It may be much less troublesome than shipping a TV from the US.
  • Doghouse RileyDoghouse Riley Posts: 32,491
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    I wouldn't trust anything with the name "Bush" on it. Once a well respected British brand. Sad story really.
  • trayhop123trayhop123 Posts: 886
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    if it is the seiko rebadged as bush and your not bothered about smart functions ,,,,,,,,, then it could be better than you think
  • Nigel GoodwinNigel Goodwin Posts: 58,270
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    trayhop123 wrote: »
    if it is the seiko rebadged as bush and your not bothered about smart functions ,,,,,,,,, then it could be better than you think

    And could be far worse :D

    It's highly unlikely that the Bush name is going to appear on anything decent - Argos buy the cheapest crap they can for the Bush brand.
  • trayhop123trayhop123 Posts: 886
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    yes i agree they do nigel ,,,,,,and im sure your right , it will be a far cry from the likes of panasonic etc,, but for those on a budget that want to dip their toes into 4k , it may be a reasonable option .

    we haven't all got thousands to spend
  • Nigel GoodwinNigel Goodwin Posts: 58,270
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    trayhop123 wrote: »
    yes i agree they do nigel ,,,,,,and im sure your right , it will be a far cry from the likes of panasonic etc,, but for those on a budget that want to dip their toes into 4k , it may be a reasonable option .

    we haven't all got thousands to spend

    No, but it's no reason to suggest that the Bush set might be "better than you think" as you did :p

    But if you're spending silly money on a 4K set (and even that 'cheap' set will still be silly money), you're probably better off spending less money on a decent quality higher quality set.
  • White-KnightWhite-Knight Posts: 2,508
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    The biggest problem with 4K is surely likely to be the colour space or frame rate.

    The European Union broadcasters including Sky haven't yet agreed a standard for the 4K colour space / frame rate.

    In practice that means any current 4K TV may not be able to reproduce the colour or contrast or frame rate that makes 4K a wonderful picture, so from that POV you may lose out.

    The other issue is when a 4K colour space is agreed and broadcasting starts, there's a risk you may find an imported 4K tv won't decode the signal as the decoder won't be able to recognise the colour space.

    A set top box may get around this but it won't get around the loss of colour / contrast if the tv is unable to display the colour space the UK broadcasters are using. So you may get 4K via a set top box but not really good 4K.

    This is one of the reasons why I've been pushing on here for the European Broadcasters to get their fingers out as irrespective of personal imports, there's going to be a big push this year from Chinese manufacturers of 4K and there's a risk as a result that a lot of 4K tv's will be bought in the UK that won't display UK 4K broadcast, at least not as intended.
  • 2Bdecided2Bdecided Posts: 4,416
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    avit_now wrote: »
    The tv has hdmi 2.0 so according to the specs will do full 3840 x 2160 at between 24-120fps
    It won't do 120fps. Not that this will be much of a restriction for the next four years.

    Cheers,
    David.
  • Philip WalesPhilip Wales Posts: 6,373
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    Is it worth it? by the time you've factored in VAT, Importing etc your looking at 2k plus, 4k TV's are now down to below £3,000 now in the Uk, and with the extra hassle of warranties etc.

    Not sure your VAT man will allow that as a VAT deductible expense, unless of course your using it in line with your work.
  • LumstormLumstorm Posts: 447
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    It really isn't worth it you have the costs of importing, Then there's no guarantee that your STB will display a picture if it outputs 50Hz you could add a converter as Winston_1 suggested but this is another expense and would likely degrade the picture quality.
  • OrbitalzoneOrbitalzone Posts: 12,627
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    I wouldn't trust anything with the name "Bush" on it. Once a well respected British brand. Sad story really.
    That wasn't the point of my comment, the point was that this Seiki TV will be sold in the UK via Argos using the Bush brand so rather than risk importing a Seiki from the US you could get the same TV from a UK retailer and have better consumer protection when it inevitably fails.

    I also would not trust anything with the Bush brand on it just like I wouldn't trust Seiki brand.

    I'd also agree with Nigel that it may be better to buy a decent TV rather than a bargain basement 4K TV that may not even adhere to the 4K standard when it's finanlised in the UK.
  • trayhop123trayhop123 Posts: 886
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    I'd also agree with Nigel that it may be better to buy a decent TV rather than a bargain basement 4K TV that may not even adhere to the 4K standard when it's finanlised in the UK.

    i could be wrong here , but wouldn't anything that carries the 4k badge have to meet a certain minimum spec criteria ? ,,,,,, even the cheap brands


    i think asda do a very cheap 16inch set for about 80quid , that carries a ''hd ready'' badge , even that has to meet a certain spec etc . to be sold legally on these shores spouting its hd credentials .
  • technologisttechnologist Posts: 13,312
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    trayhop123 wrote: »
    i could be wrong here , but wouldn't anything that carries the 4k badge have to meet a certain minimum spec criteria ? ,,,,,, even the cheap brands


    i think asda do a very cheap 16inch set for about 80quid , that carries a ''hd ready'' badge , even that has to meet a certain spec etc . to be sold legally on these shores spouting its hd credentials .

    Not at the moment .. And organisation like digital Europe propose minimal standards which are not much better than HD ..
    And in any case there us a need to say what a label like HD ready actually means ...
    As most people were confused by this ... And how little it actually meant,
  • Nigel GoodwinNigel Goodwin Posts: 58,270
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    trayhop123 wrote: »
    i could be wrong here , but wouldn't anything that carries the 4k badge have to meet a certain minimum spec criteria ? ,,,,,, even the cheap brands

    There is no 4K spec yet, and meeting a certain minimum spec doesn't make a crap set in to a good one, it's simply a crap set meeting a certain minimum spec (just like current cheap crap sets).
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