In my previous post, I talked about why I had to look for an PAL to NTSC converter in India. This post is a summary of my shopping experience at SP Road, Bangalore, looking for a good PAL to NTSC converter.
After I realized my Tata Sky Satellite TV connection will not work with my TV, I drove to SP Road, Bangalore. In the Google maps, you may want to look for "SJP Road, Bangalore", which is near SP Road. The full name for SP Road is "Sadar Patrappa Rd" and some of the GPS systems may show only this name.
SP Road was about 12km from my home, but took about an hour to reach in the traffic. Finding a place to park was a bigger challenge. SP Road is a pretty narrow place and driving a car there is almost like walking along a thin wire. Also, you should be prepared to get scratches on either side of the car. After driving around the area for almost 30 minutes looking for a safe parking place and avoiding the narrow roads, I found a shopping complex to park the car. SP Road was about 5 minutes from the place.
I was surprised to see the huge number of electronic shops in SP Road and I had no doubt I can find an PAL to NTSC converter in SP Road. I walked in to the first shop and asked for a converter. Most shops had young people, mostly children below 15 years. I was really amazed to see their knowledge on electronic products. I saw they answering all queries from customers showing their practical knowledge on electronics. I am sure an Engineering graduate with only college education cannot explain the functions of various electronics equipments.
This is a picture of an Atlona PAL to NTSC converter I was looking for, which I could never find in any shops in India
Buy PAL to NTSC converter from Pankaj Electronics, SP Road, Bangalore
Let us come back to the topic. Each of the electronic shop I went said they don't carry it even though they all understood what I was asking for. Some of the shops suggested go to a shop called "Pankaj Electronics". I found that particular shop and they showed me an PAL to NTSC converter. The item they showed me had no brand name on it. It was either a local product or came from China but had no information about the manufacturer. However, they said it will work perfectly well.
Another drawback of that converter was, it did not have an HDMI input or output. It had just one composite video input/output. The converter will not support 1020p High Definition. This means by 55 inch 3D LED TV will work like old standard definition TV. All the money I invested for an LED HD Tv will go useless.
Considering it has no HD support, no brand name and the unprofessional look of it, I decided not to buy it. I wanted to go and look in more shops hoping I can find a better one.
If you like to go and buy one, here is the details:
Shop Name: Pankaj Electronics
Location: SP Road, Bangalore
Directions: This is a small shop on the ground floor and is located on 3rd building on the left side when you enter the SP road.
Price: Rs 7,500
NOTE: There is no HDMI input/output and you cannot enjoy HD quality.
PAL to NTSC converter with HDMI
After spending about 2 hours and covering almost 30 shops, I found one more shop in SP Road where they said they can get me one. This shop did not have one in stock, but assured me they can go get one if I pay an advance and wait for 30 minutes to 1 hour. According to them, this item has HDMI and USB options. The price was Rs 12,500. Since they did not have one in stock and was not willing to bring and show me one without paying in advance, I decided not to buy.
This shop is located on the right side just on the entrance of the SP Road.
Phone (Vaisal): 080 22220697
You cannot get a good PAL to NTSC converter in SP Road
I spent almost the full day looking for a converter and came back home with empty hands. I found the converters in 2 shops but did not buy due to the poor quality, lack of HDMI support, high price and unreliable manufacturers. I decided to buy one in USA and get it to India through someone travelling, even though I will have to wait couple of weeks.
|