Creature Comforts - TV's

[Shack]

Does anyone have recommendations on flat panel TV screens suitable for Marine use? I'm not sure if anyone makes a 12v TV, although I have seen 12v reception systems.

[TrueBlue]

I bought a Toshiba SD-P5000, portable TV/DVD player a few years ago for the last boat. It was a bit pricey back then, but is incredible. Runs on AC, battery pack or 12vDC - using the accessory plug. Has surround sound and can be permanently mounted with a fold-down feature, left portable and moved anywhere on the boat - even the cockpit.

Toshiba SD-P5000

[sailingdog]

Shack-

There's a 15" LCD tv at Best Buy that has both NTSC and ATSC tuners built in. About $350 or so IIRC and runs off of a 12VDC transformer... so should be able to be adapted to a boat relatively easily.

[SanderO]

Interesting that you bring this up. Years ago I got a digital 19" monitor for my pc which also can receive video and TV. Can't recall the brand. We use a cheap combi DVD cassette player and the inverter, of course. Seems to work fine. We have to take out the gear and set it up and stow it away. All this is a minor inconvenience.

Recently we got a 40" HDTV for our home but it might one day have to go on the boat if we move aboard. It seems immense, as it would take up the entire bulkhead behind the settee and would have to be fixed mounted.

By the time we move aboard the technology may have advanced quite a lot. So this may be a dumb issue.

Has anyone mounted these immense LCDs in boats with any "success"?

jef
sv shiva

[TrueBlue]

Somehow I can't picture my home tv room's 50" plasma screen on the boat.

Who knows what will become available in a few years . . . perhaps 3D holographic projection will become mainstream?

[camaraderie]

Shack...there is nothing that needs marinizing on a typical TV and a small inverter can let you run off 12Volts. What you should be concerned about is that the TV you buy is HDTV capable because in about 18 months, all regular broadcast signals will cease and "normal" older TV's will need a converter to tune in the new HD channels. There are lots of NON HD bargans out there still but as of 3/1 this year, all new TV's had to have built in HD tuners. Nothing wrong with getting a "bargain brand" LCD set but make sure it has an industry standard plate mounting pattern so that whatever you buy to mount it (we used a swing arm) will fit.
Finally...look for HDMI connections (at least two) as this will simplify hookups on the boat and is the future of connectivity with other devices like Amplifiers, DVDS etc.
You don't say what size you are looking for so it is hard to b specific with recommendations. Also...will you be hooking into an audio system (surround sound) or just using the TV's speakers?

Sander...as long as you have a good bulkhead there is no problem. Many boats and motor homes are mounting this size set today. In most boats you will need a tilt mount to tilt the screen down a bit for proper viewing. I would through bolt with backing plate since you are dealing with about 50 pounds. Check out this article for an example:
http://videomountstore.com/sanus/SanusVMPLReview.pdf

Note that such size sets typically use about 250 watts or 20AMP/hours per hour of viewing so you may need more than a mount to run one!

[TrueBlue]

Cam - I've got that same Sanus mount, simple to install and very HD - useful for hanging a 110 lb point load with vertical shear. After doing an internet search, I paid much less than their $249. listed price.

[SanderO]

Call me stupid... but a 110v ac device rated at 200 watts is not drawing anything like 20amps per hour. It would be more like 2 amps...No?

amps = watts / volts

What am I missing?

jef
sv shiva

[bottleinamessage]

20" Sharp Aquas. Love it.

[SVDistantStar]

Ive got a little 9'' CRT TV/DVD combo that i found at Wal-Mart last year. It runs on DC or AC. It seems to be holding up pretty good and really doesnt take up much space. I'll get a picture of it next time im on the boat.