Televisions

[Steve Dunkel]

I went shopping for a television this afternoon and came back empty handed because no one had one powered by DC. Seems that they were plentiful a few years ago but everyone is now only stocking AC powered models. So, do I continue to search for something that operates off of DC or go with what's available and buy an inverter to power it in those situations where shore power is not available? We are thinking of getting something in the 19" size.

[Alf S.]

Hi: Steve Dunkle... I just got a 19" flat screen Toshiba but I went with AC. only. If we arn't near a currant bush then we will be watching fire flys. I think Camping World listed some DC tv's but in smaller sizes. 19" is fast becoming the smallest size Flat Sc. made. I think ours uses 60 watts of power!!!
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

[Bill F.]

I went shopping for a television this afternoon and came back empty handed because no one had one powered by DC. Seems that they were plentiful a few years ago but everyone is now only stocking AC powered models. So, do I continue to search for something that operates off of DC or go with what's available and buy an inverter to power it in those situations where shore power is not available? We are thinking of getting something in the 19" size.

Hi Steve,
If you're buying a tv now you should also make sure you get a digital tuner(ATSC) not an analog(NTSC) so you'll be ready to receive digital signals in June if they finally make the switch. We bought a 15" flat screen with built in DVD player($267) in Feb while in Texas. It has 120v with a converter to 12v in the power cord, which means I have to use an inverter or take a chance and make up a special 12v cord and plug in to a 12v source in the trailer( the tv actually operates on 12v). I did see one 19" without DVD and it had the same 120v to 12v setup. A web site catering to long haul truckers was advertising 15" ATSC in Jan for $400. We spent a long time looking before we found one with all the features we wanted at a reasonable price.
Bill

[Tom U]

I went shopping for a television this afternoon and came back empty handed because no one had one powered by DC.

Steve,

Camping world had a 20" with a built in DVD for between $300-400. Google "12 v lcd tv" and much comes up. I know there are several labels in the 19 - 22 inch range, some with DVD built in, in this price range.

We are looking into a digital tuner for the laptop and an external 22 inch monitor (already own). Anybody have any experience with these?

[CD Smith]

Digital tuners? I have hasd two different models from Hauppague. They both work well. I use one to watch the History and Discovery channels on my desktop PC while I work.

They just plug into a USB port.

[Tom U]

Digital tuners? I have hasd two different models from Hauppague. They both work well. I use one to watch the History and Discovery channels on my desktop PC while I work.

They just plug into a USB port.

Charlie and Joyce - Thanks for the info and site. Do you need an antenna?

Steve - A possibility for you?

[Gina D.]

I just purchased this one

The consumer reviews on it are good and it is reasonably priced.

According to UPS.. it's currently in route from Phoenix to here.. should have it on monday!

[peterh]

<chuckle>

Lynne told me about this topic minutes after I locked the trailer up after installing a TV in our trailer. So I scooted back into our trailer, took a couple pictures, then sat down to write this post.

What I wanted was an all-in-one, under-cabinet TV/Radio/DVD player like those that you can install under your kitchen cabinets, one that has a TV screen that folds up and out of the way when you're not using it.

What I found was this Coby multifunction under-cabinet unit, and (as I said) installed it in our trailer today. Its TV is a small 10.2" screen, but it's nice and clear, runs on 12 volts, has audio and video inputs for an MP3 player (or video game, if you have kids or are otherwise inclined) and fits in perfectly under our Scamp's kitchen cabinets.





Another good thing is it has a very light touch on our batteries. With the DVD player running it consumes 0.8 amps (about 10 watts, half of what an 1156 incandescent light bulb draws), 0.2 amps (2 watts) when the radio is running, and has a parasitic power draw (the power the unit draws when it's turned off) of under .1 amps (about one watt), so it's a good choice for a couple like us who depend on our solar panels when we go dry-camping. (We'll probably unplug it when we're running on solar and aren't using it.)

Now the down side: Coby is not known for quality products, and while many of the reviews I read on the Amazon site had only good things to say about this unit, there are a lot of people who returned their sets (sometimes multiple sets) because their unit arrived DOA or had other shortcomings.

I have two more things I need to do to complete my TV install: run the TV antenna cable and add a nylon strap to keep the TV screen in its closed position while we're towing. I'll post installation details and talk more about this set after these things are done and I've had a chance to use the set a few times.

[Wes Abundis]

Steve, I just bought two of these for both my trailers..They are up to date with everything you need and a great deal..

http://www.jujudeals.com/22-widescreen-12-...tuner-p-97.html

[Wes Abundis]

Steve,

Camping world had a 20" with a built in DVD for between $300-400. Google "12 v lcd tv" and much comes up. I know there are several labels in the 19 - 22 inch range, some with DVD built in, in this price range.

We are looking into a digital tuner for the laptop and an external 22 inch monitor (already own). Anybody have any experience with these?

You can buy a "slingtv" set up at most electronics stores for your laptop. It carry's the signal from your home tv to anywhere in the world. The last price I saw was about $200.

[Steve Dunkel]

Costco has this one currently on sale for $249. The one at Costco is black with a white back. It only operates off of AC so I would have to get an inverter to run on DC. We really don't need one with a DVD because our stereo already has that capability and the wiring is already setup for it.

[Steve Dunkel]

Well, we just came back from Best Buy with a cheap Dynex 19" TV and a plug-in inverter. But I don't think we got an appropriate inverter for the TV because it doesn't appear to be one of those sine wave or modified sine wave types. So, what type of inverter is really needed for a small LCD TV? I also read somewhere that we have to be careful about limiting the size of the inverter if it's plugged into the trailer's 12VDC connector. I believe the size of the wiring is the issue.

[genebland]

http://www.target.com/Skyworth-19-AC-LCD-S...;rh=&page=1

I found this one at Target. I got it for my parents for Christmas.

[Pamela H]

I just purchased this one

The consumer reviews on it are good and it is reasonably priced.

According to UPS.. it's currently in route from Phoenix to here.. should have it on monday!

You always find the coolest things! I just bought a 19" emerson from walmart, $168. Our local store is redoing their video section, so had to go to the next closest walmart to find it. Its cool, HD, 720, 2 HDMI ports.

[Gina D.]

its in Show Low! Out for delivery!

Just in time for my first REAL camping trip this season. (I am going to Christopher Creek here in the White Mountains... leaving this afternoon... LOVE having midweek off!)

I will not have TV reception, but I will report on the picture w/dvd.. and audio quality.

[Time K]

Steve, I see that you found a solution. That's what I was going to suggest as well as checking out COSTCO. They sold a Magnavox 15 inch LCD with a built in DVD that was AC/DC...they may still stock those..

[Steve Dunkel]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions and advice. After coming back empty handed during my first attempt to find an AC/DC TV I lost interest in further shopping and bought the first low cost LCD set that I could find. So far I'm impressed with the relatively cheap Dynex 19". I just purchased another inverter today at Home Depot after returning the one originally purchased at Best Buy, which was not at all up to the task of powering a TV. The Home Depot purchase is a Black & Decker 400W modified sine wave inverter that can either be hooked up direct to a battery (battery clamps) or a 12VDC socket. I'm anxious to see how it works on battery power.

[Bill K]

Check your inverter manual, my 300w is only good for 180w plugged into a 12VDC socket and 300w direct to the battery. My laptop pull's 204w

Bill K

Thanks everyone for the suggestions and advice. After coming back empty handed during my first attempt to find an AC/DC TV I lost interest in further shopping and bought the first low cost LCD set that I could find. So far I'm impressed with the relatively cheap Dynex 19". I just purchased another inverter today at Home Depot after returning the one originally purchased at Best Buy, which was not at all up to the task of powering a TV. The Home Depot purchase is a Black & Decker 400W modified sine wave inverter that can either be hooked up direct to a battery (battery clamps) or a 12VDC socket. I'm anxious to see how it works on battery power.

[shane n]

I did not want to use a inverter and wanted 12 volt operation and built in DVD with a digital tuner and bought mine from bundlecity.com Target has them online also.Skyworth TV/DVD combo 12 volt

[Wes Abundis]

Here's another good TV deal with built in DVD

http://www.jujudeals.com/15”-widescreen-h...-volt-p-94.html