12 Volt Televisions

[Little Dorrit]

I'm considering installing a small 16" - 20" tv in a boat.

I'm mainly interested in watching movies with very occasional BBC i Player watching.

Firstly are there any brands that would be worth looking at?

In addition:

What things do I need to consider for freeview?

Presumably power regulation is required as I've read that most batteries do not deliver a constant 12 Volts. Is this built into any sets? Since I have a Sterling Power Pro Charger is this still necessary?

I'm assuming I'll need an freeview receiver/aerial - can a good one of these these be installed at deck height or do they need to be higher up? I think most sets have an internal freeview tuner but I'm guessing the receiver is not built in?

USB is pretty standard but what else should I be insisting on as part of the technical spec?

Finally would anyone like to suggest the benefits of simply using a good quality laptop to watch tv instead of a dedicated tv? It's probably a more expensive option but could be worth considering.

Thanks in advance for any comments.

 

[ribrage]

We have a 22 inch tv fitted ,but run it from shore power or the inverter as its never on for long it doesn't consume huge amounts of power , a friend of mine sourced a standard TV that used 240 volt but the transformer on the back converted voltage back to 12 volt - he simply removed the transformer and connected directly to ships power (12 volt)

As for antennae ours is fitted to the top of the mast to clear harbor walls etc and works just fine with free view stations from UK to MED cant recall the make off hand , once outside the UK I think you will struggle with I player ?

For us at least using wifi from shore side even with a booster we would rarely watch TV on the internet as it just freezes up continually and then others cant use wifi for normal purposes if we eat all the band width which seems selfish so generally we don't bother, if its mainly for movies Id stick to using a laptop and put all your movies onto a hard drive to save space , I think we have 3 x 2TB drives now with movies and series on as all the Filipinos at work put them onto the ships servers generally before I've even seen the movie advertised !

Ian

 

[maxi77]

I'm considering installing a small 16" - 20" tv in a boat.

I'm mainly interested in watching movies with very occasional BBC i Player watching.

Firstly are there any brands that would be worth looking at?

In addition:

What things do I need to consider for freeview?

Presumably power regulation is required as I've read that most batteries do not deliver a constant 12 Volts. Is this built into any sets? Since I have a Sterling Power Pro Charger is this still necessary?

I'm assuming I'll need an freeview receiver/aerial - can a good one of these these be installed at deck height or do they need to be higher up? I think most sets have an internal freeview tuner but I'm guessing the receiver is not built in?

USB is pretty standard but what else should I be insisting on as part of the technical spec?

Finally would anyone like to suggest the benefits of simply using a good quality laptop to watch tv instead of a dedicated tv? It's probably a more expensive option but could be worth considering.

Thanks in advance for any comments.

I wwuld recommend Avtex, not the cheapest but the quality isworth the extra. They work straight from boat/vehicle 12v. Ours has usb, dvd, and satellite rx but there are other versions. They do supply a mains adapter but I have lost mine.

 

[rivonia]

I wwuld recommend Avtex, not the cheapest but the quality isworth the extra. They work straight from boat/vehicle 12v. Ours has usb, dvd, and satellite rx but there are other versions. They do supply a mains adapter but I have lost mine.

I have the above TV with carry case, manuel mains adapter.

It is for sale any offers . I am in Cyprus - paphos. best offer can have it . Full working order. Now we are land based so do not need it.

Will sell for £250.00 buyer pays for postage...DHL or similar.

 

[Little Dorrit]

I've sent you a PM

 

[ferroboat]

We have a Avtex W153D mounted on a swinging bracket at the chart table,where it can be swung out to be viewed anywhere in the saloon for watching tv (most countries) or dvds.
When snug against the chart table bulkhead it doubles up as the monitor for the Atom computer and as a repeater for the cockpit mounted chart plotter and radar.

https://moonshineofmersea.wordpress.com/

 

[Little Dorrit]

Sounds nice

 

[V1701]

I've had a couple of Cello 12v tvs which are fine and not too expensive. Tried lots of aerials until I found the small (passive) necvox aerials which work really well, mine just sits under the sprayhood...

 

[NornaBiron]

We have a LG M2252 240 volt tv, the transformer is accessible so we plug it into the 12 volt system via a multi voltage plug (it runs on 19 volts). All movies/tv series are on terrabyte drives which plug directly into the back of the tv and play with no problems.

 

[Little Dorrit]

From what I have heard there are many 240v TVs that can run on 12 Volts with a suitable transformer which begs the question why fork out extra for a 12v tv? Perhaps I need to do more of my own research.

 

[Richard10002]

I've got a Samsung 22" Smart TV in the bedroom which comes with a 240v adapter to run off 14V. I've got it plugged into a variable adapter which converts from the boat supply and regulates at 15V, and it works fine. It also worked fine for 12 months at 12V.

I also have an LG 24" Smart TV which runs off 19V, so I have a variable voltage adapter set at 19V... Works fine.

I've also seen some Sony 40" TVs which run off 19V.

 

[cmedsailor]

I have a Grundig Leemaxx 19 (19 inch) TV that runs on 12V. Just connect it to the battery and that's it. It plays USB, picture quality is very good, sound quality fine.

 

[yotter]

I have also had a couple of Cello (made in the UK) 12V TVs. I would recommend a stabilised 12V adapter since your battery charger may well output up to 15V which could damage the TV. Many also come with inbuilt DVD players.
Angus

 

[Davy_S]

https://www.kogan.com/au/shop/collection/12-volt-tv/

 

[Richard10002]

https://www.kogan.com/au/shop/collection/12-volt-tv/

A very easy solutiin and that's what I started with, but not very good quality and a poor EPG. Just as easy to buy a Samsung Smart TV and a 15V adapter.

 

[tri39]

Road pro give good advice and supply Avtex tv's. I have an old one but have only used it for DVD watching. So a laptop would work too.
https://www.roadpro.co.uk/retail/product_list.aspx?prod=Avtex+Televisions

 

[ctva]

A very easy solutiin and that's what I started with, but not very good quality and a poor EPG. Just as easy to buy a Samsung Smart TV and a 15V adapter.

We have a 22" Samsung that works off 15V mains adapter. Just get a Samsung plug and put it straight into the boats 12v supply and it works fine. The quality and features and price leave the Cello or Avtex standing.

 

[GrahamM376]

Finally would anyone like to suggest the benefits of simply using a good quality laptop to watch tv instead of a dedicated tv? It's probably a more expensive option but could be worth considering.

We used to use 17" laptops but found them power hungry and both packed up due to overheating. Now use a n Asus 11.6" netbook and a tablet which are miserly on power and the Asusu can connect to 19"HD lcd TV if we want to stream live TV or, we can transfer films (Torrents) onto usb stick and plug into telly. TV is mains voltage through 350w inverter which has other uses as well and only draws around 35W.

 

[Borden]

Paella
You ask for tips on the spec of your intended TV and I note you write about watching IPlayer. It was mentioned earlier that once out of the UK you won't be able to get IPlayer. In fact you can. I'm in Turkey and watch IPlayer daily through my lap top or alternatively push the signal from my lap top to my TV via a HDMI connection. So that's my first suggestion, make sure your TV and your lap top each has an HDMI port.
Second, to get IPlayer and other UK channels that offer an on line service you only need to be virtually in the UK not actually there. I installed Hotspot Shield elite on my lap top. This is a VPN which offers the user the option of a virtual presence in several countries. Check it out here http://m.hotspotshield.com
The subscription to upgrade to the Elite version is less than £20 per year and covers up to five devices. So provided you have access to a reasonably stable wifi connection with enough bandwidth you run your lap top, turn on Hotspot Shield, select your virtual location as the UK, plug your lap top into your TV via the HDMI connection and happy viewing.
Alternatively you can just view UK TV on one output using your lap top or tablet or even smart phone running Hotspot Shield. No I don't have shares in the software!
Best of luck

 

[Davy_S]

If you only want to watch live uk tv through your laptop, then use filmon.com and no vpn is needed, especialy if the wifi signal is iffy.