[jka]

My wife and I are moving to HK in August and are wondering approx how much we will have to spend to set up our sure to be small apt with all the tech bells and whistles.

Where do we buy quality electronics such as HDTV and stereo equipment?

What brands of HDTV are good?

Should I buy an xbox 360 in the US first or wait to buy in HK?

What is cable/satellite tv like in HK? Will we be able to keep up on US programming or is it limited?

How much should we expect to pay per month for internet and cable TV?

Hope I didn't ask too many questions.

Thanks.

[CarterTG]

I posted some of my HDTV findings in another thread:

http://www.geoexpat.com/forum/hdtv-c...424#post152424

To touch on some of the other questions...

HDTV
The two major franchise electronic stores in HK are Fortress and Broadway. It felt like nearly every district in Hong Kong had one or both of these shops. You'll find most of the brands you're familiar with.

When it comes to direct-view flatpanel HDTVs, bear in mind that Sony & Samsung share a joint factory manufacturing LCD HDTV panels. Both are highly regarded. If you chose to use your set for gaming, I'd recommend LCD over Plasma. Majority of plasma sets are only 720p and the glossy glass panel will cause significant reflections in a bright windowed room.

XBox
If your move is more permanent than temporary, I think it'd make more sense to purchase an XBox in HK. Most electronics purchased in HK through legit vendors carry an "international" warranty. US-bought goods only carry a "US warranty" which might be rendered useless in HK. Accessories and features also might be localized. A HK XBox is likely to come with a power supply for HK outlet plugs.

While the US uses NTSC for it's video signal, HK uses PAL like parts of Europe. You'll need to research whether an XBox 360 has a video-out that can switch between the two. Golden Computer Centre in Sham Sui Po district is packed with gaming vendors.

TV Programming
In the years I've made repeated trips to HK, their English Channel's prime-time broadcast consisted of Alias and "24" but 2-3 seasons behind. I haven't watched any cable there, but a service like iCable offers television and broadband for around $150hk. If I had to stay in HK long-term, I'd rather wait for the DVD collection after the show's season or setup a SlingBox stateside to stream video via broadband.


CTG

[discobay]

TV Programming
It's not that bad - but it is sometime dire. Top Gear from the UK was up to 2004 until recently!
By the way the 6th season of 24 started here last night.
Broadband tv is available from PCCW branded as NOW Broadband tv. That and CableTV are the only options over the four (free) terrestrial stations.