I just bought the Vizio E291i-A1 model last week and it fit great over the hole where I removed the old behemoth. It was $258. This one is essentially the same model without the internet wifi connection and it is refurbished. $149.99 (today only, if you are not familiar with Woot.com).
VIZIO 29" 720p LED HDTV (http://www.woot.com/offers/vizio-29-720p-led-hdtv-8?utm_source=Daily+Digest&utm_campaign=6367ef7f2d-Daily+Digest+-+20130706+-+Woot&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c5ca76da11-6367ef7f2d-283701022#tracked)
Any pictures of the install? Sounds interesting for the price.
Mark
I only have completed pictures.
All I did was take off the trim square, removed the old heavy TV, then unscrewed all the old interior trim pieces, including the floor piece and two side pieces of plywood.
At that point, I installed approximately a 12 by 20 piece of 3/4" plywood behind the face of the cabinet. I did that by installing corner brackets (1" by 1") at each corner. After finding the right height by trial and error, I also screwed it into the frame from the back. Those 6 mounting points would let me do chin-ups!
Then I used an inexpensive, non adjustible flat mount Amazon.com : Designer Habitat Basics - Ultra Slim TV Wall Mount for 15-42" LCD (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004RB7ATC/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) for $9.99. This mount keeps the TV VERY close to the frame. After I put the trim square back on, then I set the TV onto the frame. The locking screws require a minimum of a 6" shank screwdriver and some patience to get the screws tightened into place from the bottom. I finally stuck some foam weatherstripping (from the rear TV that I also changed) into the tiny gaps.
The 29" size seemed perfect for the existing box. 32" seemed too large. Here is the one I bought, with internet, Amazon.com: VIZIO E291i-A1 29-Inch 720p 60Hz Smart Slim LED HDTV: Electronics (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BKWSSO2/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) The wi-fi was only $20 more...but I would have sacrificed it for a $110 savings!
Pictures are hard to make out well as the light is poor inside the garage. It is way too hot to be outside!
Nice job Brad. Thanks for the pictures. I think that looks like a great size to fit in mine also. I will look into it.
Mark
The old one was 20" in my 2002, if that helps.
I got a Vizio E390-A1 39" LED TV from Amazon for $358. The original TV was replaced with a 32" Philips LCD TV by the first owner. The cabinet was also removed. The LCD TV was a power hog and generated lots of heat. So I found the 39" TV, 3/4" taller and not as wide as the Philips. I bolted a TV mount to the aluminum vertical frame members in the cab over area and attached the TV to it. I can pull the TV out about 16", move it left and right about 6" and rotate it left and right and tilt it forward and back. Normally it works fine in its retracted position. I covered up all of the ceiling holes and old cabinet mounting holes with a thin panel covered in vinyl. I had to use something more like the camel colored vinyl already in use. I am still looking for a good match to the ceiling liner.
Those are the barn doors in the windshield.
Roger
Impressive! Very nice looking installation.
Thanks for sharing,
Trent
I just got the bad news that my one year old Vizeo(just out of warranty) isn't repairable. Buy an extended warranty if you can. I thought I had double the factory warranty through my credit card, but it only applies to US made products. Where do you find those?
Buy your TV's at Costco if you are a member. COstco doubles the one year warranty to two years as a general policy. They also have a very low cost add on 3 year warranty (sliding price based on price of the TV bought) that extends warranty to a total of five years.
I had a claim on a 2.5 year old Samsung and it was replaced after a little diagnostics on the phone with a service person, no hassle, no charge.
Even Consumer Reports who hates extended warranties as much as I do suggests buying from Costco and getting their extended warranty (actually insurance policy, but it is called warranty)
I bought a Four Square four year extended warranty from Amazon for under $50. I figured the coach would likely be a more challenging environment for the living room. Tv prices have come down so much so fast that they are not so painful to just replace but 15% for 3 years more coverage is OK. I bought a very heavy duty TV mount for TVs well over 100 lbs even though the Vizio weighs less than 2o lbs without the stand. It hardly jiggles at all on the road and doesn't move from its parked position. I think some sort of safety strap for use while driving might be a good thing whose solution just hasn't come to me yet.
We like the colors (after a bit of adjusting to our taste) and the brightness. If we watch TV it is usually in the evening so there is less exterior light. We have a Blu-Ray player to take advantage of the full HD resolution. At 39" the picture is spectacular in HD. We always have a collection of discs to watch. Over the air TV is good. In the barn with the antenna down the Vizio found 45 TV stations. Lots of duplicate network and PBS channels and a bunch we would never watch but all of the major local channels.
Amazon's price on this when i bought it was less than Costco. No tax yet and with my Prime membership, free second day delivery on everything.
Roger