Electrical appliances and grounding

[Guest guest]

Hi,

It's not difficult to notice that many electronics and electrical appliances

that are sold today come with 2-prong power cords (ungrounded) - as opposed to

the 3-pronged cords that have a prong that connects to " ground " . Even some

relatively-large, major electronics - like TVs, and VCR-DVD combo players - are

manufactured with 2-pronged cords. Why are so many electronics manufacturers

opting for the 2-pronged power cords over 3-pronged cords? Is it simply a

matter of cost-cutting?

Are there reasons other than cost-related ones why manufacturers would opt for

the 2-prong power cord? Are there actually any benefits to having a 2-prong

cord?

I recently bought this VCR-DVD-recorder combo that - unfortunately - I often

feel when it's in operation (or when it's simply powered on). Back in the " good

old days " - I would have 2 VCRs in my room at the same time (and one of those

VCRs was a dual-deck one) with no obvious problems - so I didn't really

anticipate that this VCR-DVD player would give me symptoms. And I noticed,

despite it being a relatively-large device (by today's standards) that I guess

uses a fair amount of power - it has a 2-pronged power cord. I'm wondering if

figuring out some way to " ground " this device would make a difference.

But I don't want to do anything to harm or shorten the lifespan of these

devices. Would " grounding " a device that isn't " supposed " to be grounded (that

wasn't manufactured with a grounded cord) be harmful?

Thanks,

~Svetaswan