Recommend me a TV/DVD for a boat...

You're not really comparing like with like unless you have a 24" laptop. :) The OP wanted a tv for family viewing.

Does the TV-MAN device have an mpeg4 decoder to tune to HD channels?
 
For a slightly different perspective -- I have found that the special 12v TV's to be worse quality for more money, and decided to just bite the bullet and run the TV from the inverter. We rarely watch any kind of TV but a movie after dinner is a joy in bad weather, and we sail year round. The inefficiency of running from the inverter is very slight, and in exchange you get to buy any normal domestic screen you like. I like Samsung, but YMMV.

A built in DVD player likewise limits your choice to more overpriced and underspecified units. We have a library of DVDs on board, but rarely play them -- most everything now is ripped to a portable hard drive, or maybe streamed if there is good internet. Modern simple non-smart TVs nowadays have media players built in so you can just plug the portable hard drive into a USB slot and away you go. If you do occasionally want to play a DVD, as we do, you can buy extremely compact and extremely cheap separate DVD players which are easy to set up occasionally for the odd DVD, or if you have a laptop with an optical drive, you can use that.

You can also connect to your TV wirelessly via MiraCast (and similar), which if it's not built in, can be achieved with a cheap dongle. So you can use even a smartphone or tablet as a media player if you like.

Using the inverter is easy for us as we have a "whole boat" Victron inverter. So YMMV. But even if you don't have a built-in inverter, it is very simple to wire up a small one to serve the AV equipment.

Another variant is to find a TV with an external power supply, which you can substitute with a cheap (like DROK) DC-DC converter set at the appropriate DC voltage. I run a lot of electronic equipment on board that way and it works great (computer monitor, router, ship's computer, etc. etc. etc.)
 
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Jen1986 said:
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I've recently been on a boat with an Avtex so now have first hand experience. With all due respect to Friendship and to Jen, I can't agree that "you get what you pay for" in this case. I do agree that some 12v TVs have a poor range of viewing angles and poor sound quality. Linsar, see post number 5, is at least comparable to the Avtex and is approx. half the price.
 
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After a quick search in actual stores and shops PC World/ Argos et al virtually no easily available small TVs now use a 240v 12v adaptor, most use 240v cord directly inside TV esp. the good stuff ie. LG, Samsung etc etc.
Cello, Polaroid and other supermarket clones etc etc get a real pasting in "WHICH" for quality and reliability and getting repaired.
Search online for unhappy Polaroid owners :(
 
Has anybody got the Avtex sound bar. Runs off 12v which could be quite convenient, if the sound is as good as some reviews suggest. I use a Bose Soundlink Mini II, Which is good, but needs recharging quite regularly.
 
We just have a regular Samsung smart TV . If we want to watch DVD we plug in a small player bought from Richer sounds but more simply can plug in the iPad to play downloaded films if needed. In terms of sound it's rigged up to Fusion player so plenty of noise for the TV if needed but I am sure same idea would work with other makes of music players on board . Never tried using a portable Bose with a telly though but good idea. Works well to provide sound for iPad etc though for films
 
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