What 12vdc TV set in the 22" would you recomend?

[Swiss sailor]

Hi to all!
We plan on installing a tv on our sailboat. We do have a digital tv antenna with a signal booster. Now we have to pick a tv-set.
Here is our wish list:
- 12 vdc and 110 vac
- 22" size
- HD resolution
- HDMI, USB and maybe Scart connection
- built in tuner for the US
- stand and wall mount

There are several brands, which I don't know at all.
Any recommendations? Where would you buy in Florida / online?

Thank you!

Marco

[cabo_sailor]

I don't see why you need to restrict yourself to 12v TV's. The new flat screens don't need that much power. We simply bought a 400 watt inverter, or something like that, at the local hardware store. Hooked it up to a battery bank and the TV ran just fine. I think I paid about $40 usd for the inverter. It was designed to run small power tools. I think I've been seeing TV's of the size you want for less than $200 usd. The swivel mount cost almost as much as the TV!!


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[motion30]

I have a larger size jensen 12 volt tv. Could not be happier, been watching it for 5 years

[colemj]

As Cabo said, just get a small inverter and wire it between the TV and battery.

The quality difference between what is left of the 12V TV market and what you can pick up in common 120V anywhere is huge now. The 12V ones are crap in comparison. The price difference is also huge now - approaching twice the price for a 12V version.

Everything you want is available for <$200 at any box store. The power difference in using a small inverter is so miniscule I doubt you will be able to measure it in practice. Particularly since you probably are not watching TV 24hrs/day.

As an example, we have two TV's on board - a 12V 19" that draws 1.5A and a 120V 24" run through a small inverter that draws 2A (including the inverter). That extra 0.5A is due to the size difference, not the inverter.

Mark

[a64pilot]

My about that size TV I paid less than $100 at Tiger Direct, it was a refurb. It's 1080i which is uncommon for that size. Must wall mount it for room and it won't stay put if you don't. I run mine off an inverter also. If you must have a 12V go to a big truck stop, they used to sell them there.


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[Tientos]

Most TVs are able to be run on 12v; just check the back. We buy ours off the shelf at electronic stores and connect straight to 12v. Sits on its own shelf and is bolted through the stand when cruising offshore.

[rbjenterprises]

Samsung makes about a 22" one with a power block like a computer. It says it needs 16v but I have been using it for the past year at 12v. It is on the boat now so I don't have the model number.

[Matt Johnson]

I've been trying to find a quality 22" that will run video off a usb drive. Seems all the good brands produce nothing but 24" or larger for the US market...except LG, but theirs only does photos with usb. I ended-up purchasing a 2013 model Samsung from ebay.

Matt

[newhaul]

Why a 22 inch TV ? We have an insignia mounted on the bulkhead it is 12volt with a laptop type of power supply for 110 v a/c was under 200 USD.

[MarkSF]

I'm using an Emerson from Walmart, 19". It cost me all of $99. The picture is good, but the sound is very tinny, which is not a great issue as I connect it to the boat's stereo system. I've had it 4 years now, really never expected it to last this long!

[colemj]

Insignia is a brand of TV, not a type, and they make all sizes. They make exactly one model less than 24", and they are currently blowing that out of stock (you can get the 19" for ~$60 right now). After it is gone, the 24" will be the smallest.

The reality, as Funjohnson is discovering, is that "small" TV's just don't exist anymore - except for poor performing, limited function ones. 24" is pretty much the minimum now, and they will become rarer in the future.

I don't understand the rationale behind questioning someone's choice in size here. No more than questioning why they want a particular size boat, etc.

We also found that TV's powered by an external brick (which has the possibility of modifying to DC) are becoming much more rare. Almost all of them contain their inversion internally now.

Besides, the combination of a small inverter and a new TV will have minuscule power draw difference than a direct DC connection. The new TV's alone draw so much less power than they did in the past. We recently swapped a 2007 24" with a 2015 24" and the power usage dropped from 8A to 2A. And the new TV is lighter, better resolution and plays movies directly from a hard drive.

Mark

[TheOffice]

check truck stops

[a64pilot]

Our main TV is a cheap Insignia I got at best buy, only one I could find with a DVD player built in and I was trying to save space, it has a "brick" that converts 120 VAC to 12 VDC, but I was under the impression that it would not tolerate the variable voltages in a boat, that if I were to try to run it off of my battery bank, I would need a converter to keep a stable 12 VDC, not 12 to 14.3 DC?

[Swiss sailor]

Thank you all for your input! Lots of good thoughts here!

What I thake from the discussion is, that I'll bite the bullet and install an inverter, allowing me to select from a broader range of standard tvs, at a lower cost and better performance / quality.
Cheers
Marco

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by colemj

Insignia is a brand of TV, not a type, and they make all sizes. They make exactly one model less than 24", and they are currently blowing that out of stock (you can get the 19" for ~$60 right now). After it is gone, the 24" will be the smallest.
now.
don't understand the rationale behind questioning someone's choice in size here. No more than questioning why they want a particular size boat, etc.

Mark

Actually mark the question of size is a valid question for the TV. If they are limited by space then the choices are fairly limited. However if they can fit a larger unit in the space then the choices become more varied . I don't understand why you think that the TVs with external power supplies are a thing of the past. I can go to best buy today and find at least 4 models that have that feature from 19 inch to the 32 that we have . The cost difference is minimal most are under 200 USD . Also as the TV gets larger the sound quality seems to improve as well.