Originally Posted by
hserus
its not just voltage - power supplies etc for indian tvs are typically specced to handle dirtier power than in the USA (voltage fluctuations etc).
....
Far cheaper if you buy the damned thing in India - you also get local support.
OP may wish to consider a voltage stabilizer or a smart UPS. I have the latter on my home system and I have never lost a component due to a voltage spike. It also has the advantage of allowing you to continue watching TV when the power goes out, and avoiding the long boot-up delay on the satellite DVR when the backup generator kicks in.
hserus makes two excellent points. LG and Samsung have made huge inroads into the Indian white goods market by customizing their product for the local conditions, including dirty power. I doubt that you can walk into any middle or upper class home in India without finding at least one major appliance of Korean origin.
Second, while you may not find many electronic components that are cheaper in India, the price difference has narrowed so much in recent years that it is really not worth the hassle to bring stuff in (unless you get a really sweet deal like the OP has). When I go to my neighborhood TV-wallah, from whom I have bought lots of stuff over the years, I get a good price which includes an army of guys who come to my house, do the installation, and make sure that everything is working to my satisfaction. If I ever have a problem (which I haven't), the same army shows up to fix it or take it back for servicing.
The only electronic component that I have bought in the US in the past several years was a Vizio Blu-Ray DVD player. It was the first dual-voltage system I had seen in the US and was on sale for $129 back when Blu-Ray systems were $300 and up in the US (and more in India).