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Lumatic · 09-08-2018, 04:05 PM

Looking for recommendations for 12 volt TVs. With a DVD player is a plus.

uncle_bob · 09-08-2018, 04:15 PM

Hi

Jensen seems to be about the only game in town for 12V TV's these days.

Bob

TG Twinkie · 09-08-2018, 04:51 PM

Why not just get a 400 watt inverter?
That's if you have a 12 volt outlet that will handle 400 watts.
When you look at 120 volt TV's check the wattage. Probably less than 200 watts. Unless you are looking at a 52" screen.
If it is say 150 watts. You could use a smaller inverter.
Size it at least 50% larger than the TV requirement.

uncle_bob · 09-08-2018, 05:09 PM

Hi

For the ambitious - a lot of smaller TV's run on DC delivered by an external power adapter. It's probably something like 18V. Rather than a 12V to 120V to 18V conversion process, people *do* sell devices that will go straight from 12 to 18V. The advantage is that it's way more efficient to do it that way.

Bob

glcmranger · 09-08-2018, 05:13 PM

I installed a Jensen in the bedroom. It paid BIG dividends when I dry camped in Alaska for 3 months. Install a cigarette lighter plug....

Lumatic · 09-08-2018, 06:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TG Twinkie

Why not just get a 400 watt inverter?
That's if you have a 12 volt outlet that will handle 400 watts.
When you look at 120 volt TV's check the wattage. Probably less than 200 watts. Unless you are looking at a 52" screen.
If it is say 150 watts. You could use a smaller inverter.
Size it at least 50% larger than the TV requirement.

I have an inverter and it cuts out if the battery voltage drops. 12 v would be more convenient. And I have a "cigarette lighter plug" 12v plugs were standard back in the day. Not so much any more. Also you loose power through an inverter as opposed to a direct connection.

AirstreamJim · 09-08-2018, 06:26 PM

Google found me this: https://www.usautoauthority.com/best-rv-tvs/

I wasn't impressed with the write-up, but it suggests 5 different 12 volt TVs to kick off your research.

We bought a couple of the Insignia 24" TVs at Best Buy 2 years ago. We swapped out the included AC power brick for a cigarette lighter adapter with various tips to fit different equipment (also sold at Best Buy), and plug both TVs into the Airstream's 12v cigarette lighter outlets.

I don't know if Best Buy still sells the same model. You could go to the store and look to see if the display models use an AC power brick or if they plug directly into the wall. If they use a brick, check the small print on the brick itself to see what the output voltage is.

Jim

TG Twinkie · 09-08-2018, 07:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lumatic

I have an inverter and it cuts out if the battery voltage drops. 12 v would be more convenient. And I have a "cigarette lighter plug" 12v plugs were standard back in the day. Not so much any more. Also you loose power through an inverter as opposed to a direct connection.

Must be watching a lot of TV to cause the voltage to drop that much.
We run a stick vac for cleaning carpet. Plus watching TV. Don't come anywhere close to draining s group 24 battery.

AtomicNo13 · 09-08-2018, 07:11 PM

Insignia via Best buy has several TV's that use a brick to convert 110 to 19 volts. Several if not many have simply omitted the brick and wired straight into the Airstream 12 volts bus with 100% success
I have 2 like this... Working great for 5 years or so.

polarlyse · 09-09-2018, 07:21 AM

We dry camp for extended periods and use a 400w inverter. It runs the TV plus a desktop fan on a warm evening and rarely takes the batteries below 93% and our solar takes that back up before noon on a sunny day. We've even run a crock pot all day on low power and only went down to around 80%. Works for me.

Lumatic · 09-09-2018, 08:11 AM

I want to add a reminder:

I started this thread because I want information on 12 volt televisions. I am not looking for information on inverters, but I hope other members find that information useful.

uncle_bob · 09-09-2018, 08:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lumatic

I want to add a reminder:

I started this thread because I want information on 12 volt televisions. I am not looking for information on inverters, but I hope other members find that information useful.

Hi

Ok, ..... but ....

If your inverter is an AS stock unit, it drops out somewhere below 11V. With a TV as a load the battery voltage and inverter input are virtually identical. If your battery is that far down, you are way past the "stop using" point. If the inverter dropping out at a significantly higher voltage, it may be defective.

Either way, some checks and possibly repairs sound like they are in order. Batteries that have been run down into the "sub 11V" range multiple times may be a bit tired ....

====

Ok, back to on topic:

Another whole approach is to run a computer monitor rather than a TV. Yes that sounds like it's off topic as well. Take a look and you can find some with TV tuners built in. They aren't in the TV section though. The advantage is that they are more likely to be "rv sized" than what you see in the TV section. Even without the tuner, feeding one with a disk via a computer works very well. A lot depends on just what you intend to do. The same tricks with power bricks apply ...

Bob

Lumatic · 09-09-2018, 09:07 AM

What I would really like to find, and I don't know if this is out there, is a 12 v television with DVD player with a larger than 22" screen.

glcmranger · 09-09-2018, 08:30 PM

Lunatic: Jenson has a 19” 12v TV with built in DVD player... search on Amazon.

uncle_bob · 09-10-2018, 08:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lumatic

What I would really like to find, and I don't know if this is out there, is a 12 v television with DVD player with a larger than 22" screen.

Hi

Not as far as I can see. It's a really small market .... DVD is dying out as at the distribution end of things. Who knows about built in BluRay's. They don't seem to be many of those out there ....

Bob

veg hed · 09-11-2018, 06:43 PM

I am searching for the same thing and it's frustrating...Not a lot of good info out there for 12v TVs unless you want something super basic (I don't care about a DVD player). I too am looking for a 12v TV and have settled on a Jensen. On top of that I plan to install a Roku streaming stick.

I don't want to highjack the post but I also have a lot of older movies on an external hard. Will these play on the Jensen 12v TV?

Is the Jensen 12v TV compatible with the Roku streaming stick?

AirstreamJim · 09-11-2018, 06:55 PM

If all you need is a basic TV and you don't need bigger than 24", then you're wasting money on those overpriced Jensen units. Go to Best Buy and figure out which of their Insignia brand TVs use the AC converter brick, and then get a cigarette lighter adapter to replace the AC cord with brick that comes with the TV. Picture quality is perfectly acceptable (you're camping, after all, not engaging your internal cinephile). And the price is much more attractive.

If you must have the integrated DVD player, then you're probably stuck paying Jensen's ransom. DVD is on the way out, and finding an integrated unit is going to be well nigh impossible.

Jim

64Lincoln · 09-12-2018, 07:33 PM

How about this one? I think I'm about to order it.

https://www.amazon.com/SuperSonic-Wi.../dp/B007GFD3EW

I've been seriously considering buying that 12v Supersonic TV with DVD and a real nice car stereo that has a rear auxillary input so I can have great sound for the TV. There are some cheap ones and then there's the Kenwood https://www.amazon.com/Kenwood-KDC-B...70_&dpSrc=srch
or the Alpine https://www.amazon.com/Alpine-CDE-HD...70_&dpSrc=srch

Lumatic · 09-12-2018, 08:23 PM

I ordered a Axess 24 widescreen with DVD. Has good ratings but what sold me was it has a built in sound bar. We have a hard time hearing our 19" Sharp over the AC. Best deal I found was Walmart online.

I thought about a Jensen, but will not be wall mounting this unit. It will be stowed so that it is more protected from road shock than a wall mounted unit. Do the same with my Sharp which is more than 5 years old and other than volume works fine. I had an Acer before the Sharp and it crashed on me. Get the extended warranty.

Foiled Again · 10-17-2018, 03:24 AM

Hear you about wanting 12 volt TV....

At 70, I remember picture tube TVs, and got into an online business in 1980 that stuck us with 2 dozen CRT (cathode ray tube) computers... that used so much electricity and produced enough heat that we didn't need the furnace if the outside temp was above 40° F. Flat screens appeared... and their 90% lower electricity cost made even a 14" screen at $650 a cost effective choice... and when the prices started dropping as they got bigger and better.. doh, no brainer. So when I got a 2012 Airstream with a crappy little factory inverter and a crappy little factory solar panel... well, I can boondock for 3 sunny days and use the inverter to watch Blue Bloods without giving it another thought. And if the inverter DID kick out before my batteries were ruined, that is what I would prefer!

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