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Topic: What LED LCD TV to get? (Read 777 times) previous topic - next topic

What LED LCD TV to get?

My '91 GV came with Panasonic 13" CRT TVs that ran on 12 volts.  I think I would like to continue with 12 volts powering the TV but the only 12 volt TVs I have been able to find are what I consider "no name" brands.  In going through the tech messages a number of people seem to have bought Samsung but I cannot seem to find a 12 volt version.  I guess I could get a full sine wave inverter but it would just increase the current draw.  I am looking for a TV in the 26" - 32" range.  Any suggestions?
John Cooper
'91 GV 36'
Oshkosh chassis
Cat 3208T 300HP

Re: What LED LCD TV to get?

Reply #1 –

here is a 24" 12 volt.
Amazon.com: SuperSonic 24-Inch 1080p LED Widescreen HDTV with HDMI AC/DC...

As an Amazon Associate Foretravel Owners' Forum earns from qualifying purchases.
1999 40 ft. U-320 wtfe build 5563 Chuck & Lynda's "Rollin' Inn"  2030 watts solar
prev. mh's 71 GMC 5 yrs. 73 Pace Setter 1 yr. 78 Vogue 5 yrs 81 FTX 40ft all electric 18 yrs. 1996 Monaco Signature 3 yrs.
2014 Grand Cherokee Overland
Dream as if you will live forever. Live as if you will die today.  James Dean

Re: What LED LCD TV to get?

Reply #2 –
You don't have to limit yourself to 12 volt models.  Our 39" LG LED LCD TV worked just fine using the (original) Taytronics I-1500 "Quasi-Sine Wave" inverter in our coach.  I've read that most TVs are pretty tolerant about the quality of power you feed them, because they have internal power regulators that step down the voltage.  When we later upgraded to a pure sine wave inverter (to run a residential fridge and microwave),      I didn't notice any difference in the performance of the TV.  Your results may vary...
1993 U280 SE 40' WTBI, Build: 4359
C8.3 300hp, 6-Speed, Exhaust Brake
960 watts on the roof (6 x 160)
Sorento (or BOLT) on a Kar Kaddy SS
"Nature abhors a vacuum"

Re: What LED LCD TV to get?

Reply #3 –
Of course you have to get a TV that fits where you want to put it, and a wall mount to hold it in place unless there is a place to store it.  In my case I rebuilt a cabinet so that the coach looked like it came from the factory that way.  Not really necessary of course, but think about other locations that could work.  The bedroom TV is now on the wall and the old TV cabinet is now storage with a door.  My biggest complaint about LED TV's is that most of them have poor sound quality; small speakers that face aft due to the thin design.    My LED TV's  work fine using the original non pure sine wave inverter that came on the coach.   
Jerry Whiteaker former owner 96 U270  36' #4831 Austin,TX-Owner Mods LCD TV w/front cabinet rebuild - LCD TV bedroom - Dual Central AC, either can cool coach w 30 amp - Skylights at roof AC openings - Drop ceiling for ducting of AC - Shower skylight white gelcoat/wood/epoxy frame - Air Springs/Shocks replaced - 2014 CRV - 8K Home Solar - Chevy Volt

Re: What LED LCD TV to get?

Reply #4 –
I would use a Chep and small sine wave inverter and greatly expand my tv choices.

When I replaced my original 26" Sony Trinitron in a box with a led lcd model two years ago, I went with a fairly large Samsung.  I had another brand in mind, but my installer, Temecula Valley RV recommended Samsung.  Samsung uses strong wall-mount attachment points to a metal frame rather than to a plastic housing.  They've seen failures with some other brands.
Tom Lang K6PG (originally  KC6UEC)
and Diane Lang
2003 38 U295 build 6209
2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit Ecodiesel
still have tow-ready 2006 Acura MDX 
Temple City, California
Motorcade 16681 California Chapter President
SKP 16663 member of SKP Park of the Sierra, Coarsegold California
FMCA F071251
Retired electrical and electronic engineer

Re: What LED LCD TV to get?

Reply #5 –
John,

Unless you want to watch TV while boondocking, just pull 120 VAC to the TV location and plug it in.
Brett Wolfe
EX: 1993 U240
Moderator, ForeForum 2001-
Moderator Diesel RV Club 2002-
Moderator, FMCA Forum 2009-2020
Chairman FMCA Technical Advisory Committee 2011-2020

Re: What LED LCD TV to get?

Reply #6 –
I have 2 Vizio's both work just fine on the old inverter.
Bruce, Linda, and Macy
Zoey RIP 1/20/19
1999 U295 40' build #5400
2017 silver Jeep Wrangler, 1260 watts of solar on top
Moving around the country

Re: What LED LCD TV to get?

Reply #7 –
I would get one that fits well where you want it to go. Our 39" Vizio is great except that it only has 2 HDMI ports, I would really like three or four and a USB3 port as well.  Wifi and a smart TV is fine if you are really going to watch streaming video. Otherwise extra cost and higher power consumption. Lots of other options for streaming video.

My current wish-for TV is a 40" Samsung 4K UHDTV.  Under $600! My coach PC has full 4K video Thunderbolt to HDMI output. Stunning.

Maybe something else next week. 
Roger Engdahl and Susan Green
2001 U320 3610 #5879 (Home2) - 2014 Jeep Cherokee or 2018 F150
Hastings, MN

Re: What LED LCD TV to get?

Reply #8 –
Quote from: Roger & Susan in Home2 –
I would get one that fits well where you want it to go. Our 39" Vizio is great except that it only has 2 HDMI ports, I would really like three or four and a USB3 port as well.  Wifi and a smart TV is fine if you are really going to watch streaming video. Otherwise extra cost and higher power consumption. Lots of other options for streaming video.

My current wish-for TV is a 40" Samsung 4K UHDTV.  Something else next week.

Have one of those in our home bedroom.  Amazing picture after readjusting for a brighter, more color picture.

Makes HD tv look much worse.  Lifelike....
"Riding and rejoicing"
Bob
1997 U320 40' Mid entry, build 5132,  wtbi ce27, 4th owner
2007 Solara convertible
2 prodeco tech outlaw ss electric bikes

1095 watts solar
08 Ls 460 and a sc430
2000 Ford F-250 superduty 4x4

Re: What LED LCD TV to get?

Reply #9 –
I found the LED Samsung 32" uses less current, runs much cooler and has better display than the Sony 26" I thought I liked.  Sony LCD runs much warmer, with less resolution.
Been my sperience.

Re: What LED LCD TV to get?

Reply #10 –
I like Visio for our conversions.  We love boondocking and because of the exceptionally low draw of LED units it was a natural choice.  We considered 12 v on a previous unit but were happier with a small inverter and an LED.  Turn them to the back and read the plate.  Usually around 45 watts.  I just replaced those in the 270 with Vizio.
George and Steph
1997 U270 36 Build 5081 "Honu"
1180w Solar 400A lithium all Victron house system
Motorcade 17670, SKP 128300, FMCA F459019
73 VW Camper, 79 VW Camper, 2363 Sunline, and an Arctic Fox 25P

Re: What LED LCD TV to get?

Reply #11 –
First, a comment about "no name" TV's - I have never heard of the 12 volt TV brands Super Sonic, Axess, Naxa, or Skyworth so I'll stay away from them.  Jensen I've heard of and did not have a good feeling about them which was reinforced by a trucker website that said they stopped carrying them because so many were returned.

Second, location.  This is a 1991 Grand Villa which does not have a lot of options for mounting.  My wife and I don't watch TV in our bedroom at home and are not planning on watching it in bed in the coach.  We discovered that the closet wall in the dining area is not big enough. That pretty much leaves mounting it in place of the front TV.  I have seen several posts where people have mounted the TV on hinges to swing out of the way when traveling.  Brett's is very nice but I have several questions concerning his implementation which I will ask him directly.

Third, power.  We have boondocked in the past, I'm not sure about the future.  The nearest AC outlet to my knowledge is behind the passenger seat near the swivel seat.  I have no idea how to get the power from there to the overhead area, so unless I drop a cord down to the floor it looks like I'll have to install a inverter in the overhead bin where the 12 volt power is located.  I will also need to have power while driving since I plan on hooking the Audit up to the TV.  I can live with the tank gauges being backward.

Forth.  TV size, etc.  We are older, our vision is not that good, nor is my hearing, so bigger is better but there is a trade off of weight, power consumption and clearance.  The newer TVs seem to be thicker.  Part of the thickness, I suspect, is to make room for all the connections the new TVs have.  The 32" Samsung is 3.1 inches thick.  I'm planning on making mock ups of several sizes and trying them out.  We will try the internal speakers of the TV but I suspect we will need something additional.  The speakers for the radio are already there, I don't know how good they are or if I can hook them up to the TV, maybe Bluetooth is an option.

Thanks for all your comments.
John Cooper
'91 GV 36'
Oshkosh chassis
Cat 3208T 300HP

Re: What LED LCD TV to get?

Reply #12 –
Our '89 GV came with a 15" LED tv poorly mounted on the front of the old overhead box the original 13" analog TV came in.
I took down the enclosure (really easy, just screws) and altered it so the bottom of the enclosure was flush with the overhead. Careful, saved the vinyl.
I then mounted a 2"x2" oak across so it reaches the wall on each compartment on each side up inside. I then cut a piece of oak large enough to cover the opening and glued and screwed oak pieces on the back so there was some "meat" for the lag screws I used--thru the 2" x 2" into the cover board backing. I routed the top back lip of the cover board so I had clearance between the cover board and the o'head at the top. I stained everthing and then faced it with a Packer Logo. When the 32" TV is hung up then I put an atomic clock up there.
The routing gave me clearance for the aluminum angle iron to slid into.
I mounted a 32" LED TV using two aluminum tubes (bent so the TV face is vertical (perpendicular to the floor), one piece of 1/8" x 1" x 1" x 8-1/2" long angle and two 7/16-14 x 1-1/2" long stainless bolts to hold the angle on the end of the tubes. I drilled and relieved the tubes where the tubes had to bolt onto the back of the TV.
When traveling the TV either is strapped to the couch or lays on our bed. Hanging it requires just lifting it high enough to let the angle slip over the top of the cover board and into the routed relief. about 10 seconds. I then open the passenger side compartment and pull out all the umbilical needed (previously bundled together)
The 120 power I ran from the outlet by the spoon chair over to the wall and then up into the side compartment, around to the front overhead and then put a multiple outlet on the end so I could plug in the DirecTV, the LED TV, and the Blueray.
Nitehawk,  Demolition Lady, & our NEW master, Zippy the speeding BB cat.
1989 Grand Villa 36' ORED
Oshkosh chassis, 8.2 DD V8
2006 Saturn Vue AWD