Computers

[skunkgirl]

When we get to NZ our computer is going to be our life-line back to the UK especially for the kids and nannie and grandad!

It is worth us shipping our computer out - will it work ? If not are computers a reasonable price if you shop around? Any info greatly received.

Cheers

[boorer]

Yes it will work!! We have used laptops on last 2 trips out, and inspected everything!
Looked when we were over last time in July, and computers seemed to be a comparable price (laptop we saw was $1200 for a good spec, you could possibly buy cheaper) as in UK. That does mean that on NZ lower wages it is relatively MORE expensive. Similar for peripherals, printers etc. If you have a good one, I'd advise taking it - what do others think?

Husband is electrically minded, and is planning lots of extension cables etc with NZ plugs on socket end, and UK sockets on distribution end so we don't have to change all the plugs immediately.

On a similar note, the price of "white goods" seemed astronomical!!! We are taking everything including kitchen sink (oh, OK, at least the waste disposal unit!). Figure once you've got a container load you might as well shoehorn things in!

Computers will work fine here, but dont bring your monitor (unless it's an LCD screen) as the picture will be affected. We've got 2 UK computers here working fine, we just bought new monitors for them ($170 each for 17").

[selchie]

Computers will work fine here, but dont bring your monitor (unless it's an LCD screen) as the picture will be affected.

I've heard something about televisions being affected as well. I'm thinking this is a problem with CRTs?

Sure is, something to do with the magnetic fields on the tube, and needing to be set differently for use in the southern hemisphere.

[boorer]

Have been reading (on mighty internet) about magnetic fields and computers, TV's etc (monitor wise) and it seems a minefield..... Sad bunnies that we are, we have a house full of the bl***y things. Some sites claim NONONO you can't use them, some say YES, some say sometimes etc (especially interested in site that said you had to get your monitors to face east - like MECCA?????). I think a lot depends on age of TV/monitor, EXACT model, efficiency of degaussing program/button on same etc. I would be interested in "real" experiences so we can see what DOES work. I wonder if anyone in NZ has tried a commercial degauss on their set (magnetic field realignment). It can work - we had to do it in UK after No. 1 son held powerful "seasearch" magnet close to TV years ago (ah, bless..... waiting until he thinks he owes us no more money to give him the bill). Must say I'm not convinced of practicality of one set of advice given to "take your Cathode ray tube out and invert it" (yes, I do that every day for fun....). I think we may just try an experiment. Given that we will get Bl***y all for our old TV's and monitors we will take them out and test to destruction!!!!! YAY!!!! (all donations..)

[selchie]

take your Cathode ray tube out and invert it"

Um... wouldn't that make the screen face the wall? :D

[boorer]

I think they meant upside down so the guns on the top were on the bottom, but maybe not - maybe since the screen wouldn't work it might as well be facing the wall - sent to the corner like a naughty child!!!

Did anyone give/get a definitive answer to this..?

Do northern hemisphere tv's just simply not work or is it that you have a naff picture?

we've decided the whole kit and kaboodle is coming with us.
Just wondering about the tv's and the telly for the computer..

I have been informed by someone not unknown to us all, that LCD and plasma TVs should be OK, but there may be problems with the CRT TVs, which could develop purple splodges. I was querying it as hubster recently won a 29" flat screen TV but, seeing as we haven't got room for it here (couldn't be bothered to make room for it, more likely), we decided to sell it on (someone got a great bargain as he knew how we'd come by it) and invest in something more portable and NZ friendly when the time comes that we find we need a TV.