My next project is replacement of the analog TV's with flat screens. I have read all the posts on this job but I have questions about mounts.
From what I read these flat screens have mounting holes built into them. I ASSUME that a mount will have corresponding holes. What I am unsure about is what kind of mount I should look for, I see them priced from a few bucks to hundreds and since I have no experience with them I am unsure what to get .
Would appreciate comments.
Gary B
The TVs have holes spaced at standard spacings depending on the size of the television. The ones with four holes have sizes can range from 75 mm, 100 mm in square patterns. The 200 mm and possibly up usually have six or possibly eight holes in a rectangular or pattern. Many of the smaller mounts will have both of the 100 mm and 75 mm pattern. Some of the mounts have adjustable pieces that will accommodate a wide range of sizes... But if not well-designed will have parts that will loosen up over time. I would make sure that the weight rating of the mount is over size as compared to the television's weight, especially in a coach. There are many schemes for how the amounts attached to a wall from a very low-profile standard square pattern, to the kind that extend from the wall. In my opinion in a coach, the less moving parts the better and the simpler the better.
Don
Gary,
How about an idea where each of the TVs will mount and well as the size you anticipate? Yes, they will have corresponding holes. For the rear, I used an articulating mount. Our main salon has a big wall so used a flat mount. Others will not have the flat wall so will have to use a different type of mount. No need to spend hundreds as there are excellent mounts at reasonable prices available now. Glad to post photos for each type of installation.
Recommend LED/LCD TVs if in the budget otherwise LCD TVs. Plasmas have a great home picture but don't do well at high altitude, use a lot more juice and are more easily damaged by shocks.
Pierce
I bought an articulated mount and 42" TV from Amazon. The articulated mount had the "standard" mount patterns, but none that matched the TV. I bought another, heavier duty, articulated mount with hardware that would mate with the TV. Lesson: Yup, there are standard sizes and spacings, but they don't always match up. I was not able to return the unusable mount, but was able to sell it via Amazon for most of what I paid for it.
I would be inclined to use a mount that is not articulated in the motorhome. I would expect them to be more subject to damage from the stresses of travel. Folk with experience can report with the authority I have not earned.
What I have in mind for TV's is a 19 inch in the Bedroom mounted OVER the existing box where the old TV is. May rebuild box to use as storage.
In front will probably mount a 32 inch on face of existing box where TV is now. I don't really have the skills or tools to do fancy cabinet rebuilds.
Gary B
I will be listing our 32" Sharp LCD TV on the Classified section shortly, in case anyone is headed this way and has an interest.
David Flannagan had the mount for our 46" TV made "down the hill". We wanted it slightly tilted for easier viewing. Don't have exact cost but around $80. And it sure ain't going anywhere. Made from heavy steel.
We took the bedroom tv and vcr out and will have that space turned into a cabinet and a drawer. The front tv is out, too. The original idea was to have that cabinet remade into one with a tv on a lift in back and dvd storage in front. Now that we have the coach I can see that that idea won't work. We're working on Plan B now. One idea is to get a flat screen that will fit here at home and then take it with us when we move into the coach. Another thought is to get one slightly larger than what will fit here at home and just set it on the lift-up table when we want to watch tv and store it somewhere else when traveling.
Gary,
Here are a few shots of our TV installations. The bedroom TV is 22" and mounted on an inexpensive articulating mount. The wall installation is good for 46" or so without any modifications to curtains, etc. We have a 42" LED mounted there now. The table mount is a nice but fairly expensive office monitor mount. I found it on Craigslist for $30 so it was a great deal.
If you want HDTV, you can't use the existing cable. You will need to run a HDMI cable or a wireless system to get high definition.
This is the type of mount I used mounting the 22 inch in the bedroom: Swivel Articulating Tilt LCD LED TV Wall Mount 20 26 30 32 36 37 Free 10' HDMI | (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Swivel-ARTICULATING-TILT-LCD-LED-TV-WALL-MOUNT-20-26-30-32-36-37-FREE-10-HDMI-/360629819010?pt=US_TV_Mounts_Brackets&hash=item53f7365682)
Pierce
I put a 26" on the front face of the tv cabinet over driver but too cabinet off and removed 4" of the box then re glued it etc. I made my own mount for tv out of plywood and 2"x2" and after figuring out exactly were it would fit screwed in down with TV already fastened to frame by reaching into the cab" from the smaller one over drivers window. Once in place I them shaped a peice of the old material I cut off and placed it under the TV to support it. I them made a simple aluminum brkt to go around the edge of tv and cabinet to hold it tight against. I placed foam tape between all faces of wood/ TV for friction stop. It has not moved (and cannot) and even Barry and Cindy think it looks fine. I actually think if you do what I did with the little side clamps and at bottom you can most probably get away without a rear bracket. I put a 19" in the bedroom on the face of cabinet and now use that old tv cabinet to store our vacumm cleaner and access from the closet.
John H
MOT city's down thew cabinet, screws plywood to the inside of the front face, drills the plywood to fit holes in back of tv, and Donny done done, inexpensive, solid and no mount
Tim, That sounds more like what I have in mind. From Don H's comments I will be limited to a smaller TV in front so that We can get around it to the front seats.
Looks like I can build a wall will holes drilled to fit back of TV, place wall in box and screw it down from the sides.
Gary B
Gary, here is a picture that I saved from some where, That I think would work on coaches like ours. The hinge would allow you to have storage behind the tv.
Jimmy, I like that idea, that is what I was trying to come up with. Now I will have to measure width to see how big A TV I can put upfront. Thanks for doing my work for me.
Gary B
While DW was shopping at J C Penney I stepped into the returned and overstock area and guess what I found ?
A 13 Inch LED HDTV flat screen. I believe it will fit into the rear cabinet with no modifications so its over to storage t'morrow to see for sure. The Even better news is that it was on sale for 59.99.
Gary B
Gary B,
Great price! What brand is it? I was also looking at one on Ebay for about $100 bucks more. It is LED/LCD, HDMI, has a built in DVD player, and runs on 12vdc also.13" LCD HDTV Digital Tuner LED HD TV Television DVD Player AC DC 12V RV HDMI New (http://www.ebay.com/itm/13-LCD-HDTV-DIGITAL-TUNER-LED-HD-TV-TELEVISION-DVD-PLAYER-AC-DC-12V-RV-HDMI-NEW-/261181527488?pt=Televisions&hash=item3ccfa1d5c0)
Jerry
We had to go to a relatively small TV in front (I think it's 19") but got a 23" for the bedroom. The bedroom is also 1080P (front is 720P like most of the smaller LCD tv sets). DW does not like a tv in the bedroom but it's handy when grandkids are watching up front.
By the way, with BluRay players down to about $50 I'm abandoning my idea of running HDMI cables back from the player in front and just going to buy another player for the bedroom. They're small, and cheap.
Also... I have not found an LCD tv set that will not run on a cigarette-lighter-plug inverter (not pure-sine-wave). But I also found a pure-sine 175-watt inverter that runs off a lighter-plug for about $70 at Amazon.
Craig
Jerry, Brand on 13 inch TV is SUPERSONIC, of course made in china. Penney's original price was 129.99. No DVD player in it but all kinds of other hookups, it is 12 volt.
Gary B
I just installed a 32" Samsung Smart TV in front and a 22" Samsung in the bedroom. Both TV's are 1080 LED/LCD and fit great. Really makes a difference.....will send pics of install in a week or so after my trip to the Texas Hill County. Both TV's remove with a turn of a "L" bracket and is a simple install with a DVD player mounted below the TV's in both locations.