View Full Version : Stupid PAL question ~ Will it work with US outlets?


Anthony Vincent
June 8th, 2009, 08:04 AM
I know this might be a dumb question but I'm looking at buying a HVX200 PAL cam and a filmmaker friend brought up the fact that in parts of Europe they have different wall plugs.

So if I buy a HVX200 pal camera, will it plug into U.S. wall plugs..the charger plug, etc.?

Chris Hurd
June 8th, 2009, 08:17 AM
Moved from Open DV to P2HD.

Daniel Weber
June 8th, 2009, 08:58 AM
I know this might be a dumb question but I'm looking at buying a HVX200 PAL cam and a filmmaker friend brought up the fact that in parts of Europe they have different wall plugs.

So if I buy a HVX200 pal camera, will it plug into U.S. wall plugs..the charger plug, etc.?

It should work fine. You will need a plug adaptor. Time to visit Radio Shack.

Anthony Vincent
June 8th, 2009, 11:57 AM
thank you!

Noah Kadner
June 8th, 2009, 04:40 PM
Plug adaptor- keep in mind you'll get flickering lights though due to 60hz electricity vs. the 50hz of your PAL model.

Noah

David Heath
June 8th, 2009, 05:01 PM
So if I buy a HVX200 pal camera, will it plug into U.S. wall plugs..the charger plug, etc.?
Bear in mind that the difference is not just the style of socket, and even the mains frequency, but most importantly the voltage. All of Europe is 220 volts, the US is 110 volts.

That said, many devices such as chargers adapt automatically to input voltage, others may need a dial to be manually altered.

As a further complication, there are different power connectors in use throughout Europe, UK ones are totally different to those that are most common throughout most of mainland Europe, and other countries (eg Switzerland) also have their own variants. At least they are all 220 volt and 50Hz!

Noah Kadner
June 8th, 2009, 07:32 PM
Just about every camcorder charger is variable- from 100-240 volts so you shouldn't have a problem with the electricity itself. Really most modern electronics have universal power adapters these days. It's only high wattage items like hair dryers that are typically one or the other. All you need to get is the proper plug adapter:

AC power plugs and sockets - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domestic_AC_power_plugs_and_sockets)

-Noah