Neat all-in-one TV/DVD/PC monitor

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BlueSkyNick

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Just found THIS on ebay.

Main attraction is a VGA input to take the charts from the laptop, which can then be shut away in the chart table. 2.5 - 3 hour of rechargeable battery. 12v input, less than 15W, ie 1.2Amps so no need to run an invertor.

Built in Freeview - not that I want to start watching TV on board.

Does this seem like a reasonable package ?
 
I went through 6 cheap players before I gave up and paid brand price for one that worked. Audio sync problems and claims that the units will play divx where the main issue, ho hum.

There appear to be 2 companies building the computers for all the generic multi-format players, just from seeing the menu pages I can tell you the problems you will encounter with each. I will lay money that this system has one of those two.

Why? Because it is cheap cheap cheap for what it claims, you can spend more on a good deep-fat-fryer that is essentially a bowl with a heater. Ok, I will be flamed now, on here cheap is good, cheap is great, but if cheap means useless, then cheap is expensive, no?

Seriously, 6 players before the one I have now, JVC if you are interested, more expensive than I wanted to pay, in fact, 3 times more than I felt happy with when I started. I am only trying to help, these things are fickle.

I happened to be looking at a cheap larger screen on a market stall a few weeks back, I was impressed with the price, I paid double that for a screen far smaller was my first thought, then I started counting dead pixels... it was meant to be new!?

I guess the old adage, you get what you pay for, I got a headache and 5* embarrassing returns trying to convince people that a) the unit is rubbish and b) there is such a thing as Sale of Goods Act 1979.

Good Luck!

<span class="small">*5 as in, I threw one (literally) over the side, it was cheap, from ebay and just painful to try to watch everything like a badly dubbed Bruce Lee film!</span>
 
Much depends on whether you want a TV/DVD, or just a monitor. Small 12V monitors, with touchscreen capabilities can be found for a bit less than this unit, and may provide you with what you want.

I am in the process of setting up one of these connected to a small computer which is tucked away on a docking station. I use the touchscreen, backed up with a wireless mouse to run SOB, and a few other apps. I may add a keyboard, either wireless or one of these.

One issue you may find is the screen resolution - which is only 800x600 for most of these small screens. Your laptop is probably running at 1024x768, and depending on how it handles the external screen you may find changing resolution frustrating, particularly with a touch screen which may then need to be re-calibrated. In the end I bought an old Panasonic Toughbook (the small M34 model) which has an 800x600 screen. Running Windows 2000, the 700Mhz processor is more than adequate for on-board use. However, some programmes and web sites do not like the smaller screen size.

Regading power consumption, the Lilliput 8" screen draws 0.7A when active, reducing to 0.3A when in standby mode.

John
 
Brilliant!

DogClutch has made me remember why I didnt want to watch TV on the boat anyway, and I can always run DVD's on the laptop. (Confession time: I have never watched a DVD from start to finish at home, let alone on the boat).

The Lilliput box looks like a better option, particularly as I will have to fit it into a fairly small area on a bulkhead.

Thanks guys.
 
I agree with dogwatch here. As a young lad of 25, it's not long since I was messing about with car stereos. Now when I say messing about, I mean, I really knew what I was doing with them.

I've bought cheap amps, cheap speakers, cheap head units, and likewise, I've bought the same again in expensive format.

Between that and being in an IT job for the last 8 years, it's safe to say I've seen a shed load of technology pass me by.

My advice is never buy the cheapest option. It will be dire.

Still, like my dad, I know most of you won't listen to that advice. He recently went and bought a laptop from PC world. For business. I told him not to, but he did anyway. In a few months, he will understand why I told him not to, but until then, he thinks he's proved me wrong and got a good deal.

Buy cheap. Buy twice.
 
Thanks Nathan for the benefit of your experience.

There is a counter argument to Buy Cheap - Buy Twice. Sometimes twice the price of a cheap item is still less than an expensive one, and also the expensive one has to be affordable. Otherwise we would all be driving around in brand new high class cars for example.

For things on the boat which are mission critical, I definitely do not buy cheap. Similarly, my business PC. But ancilliary stuff like a DVD and PC monitor, which are 'chuck aways' these days, it is not such a factor. Sometimes its better to try cheap until you are satisfied that its the best solution, then upgrade later.
 
Trouble is I was one of the buy brand names until hubby had opportunity to show the inside of a replacement machine he bought and the now faulty brand one I bought. The same. Even down to chips and boards, same names, same numbers. Only difference was the case and logo on it.
Yes there are real cheap rubbish of everything, but if you can buy 3 or 4 cheap's for price of so called good brand-name ? And anyone quoting PC internals - considering that despite thousands of different names on cases, there are actually only a limited number of component factorys, and a lot are now contracted into China.
To the guy who's father bought from PC World, cheap ? There are many other dealers cheaper and better than PC World. So he may think it's a bargain, but in reality PCW is not cheap.
 
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