270 TV install and stereo upgrade

[Loneranger]

http://www.jensenrvdirect.com/jense...-wallmount-stereo-with-hdmi-video-output.html

I just came across this unit. Jensen does not seem to have a great reputation but the price is right. It does anything I could want it to do INCLUDING HDMI OUTPUT. I have a few questions I have posed to Jensen that I am waiting to hear back on first.

1) Is it compatible with my iphone 3gs? I think the answer is yes.

2) It looks like it is only compatible with the MWR 75 remote which does not have LCD and the RF remote MRF27. I was hoping for a remote with LCD screen like the JWR200. Although a RF would be cool.

3) Can I play different sources in different zones at the same time? I do not think you can. You can easily defeat sound to different zones from the faceplate so if you watch a movie in the cabin the sound is not blaring in the cockpit. On other units I have looked at you would need to install an inline switch to kill certain speakers or retain use of a fader function.

4) One problem is there are no preamp out puts. I would have to use speaker level outputs to go to an amplifier so this will limit my amplifier choices.

Has anyone had any experience with this unit specifically or with Jenson as a whole? Compared to a Clarion CMV1 (which was my first choice) it is half the price with more features.

My other thought is to split into a stereo headunit for audio (ipod, am, fm, satellite) and use a seperate DVD player for the TV and cabin speakers. The cost is about the same it would just be more parts.

Any ideas?

John

The answers from Jenson were:

1) Yes it will work with the iphone 3gs

2) The only wired remote is the MWR75 which has no LCD. Bummer...

3) It is not dual zone. This has me hung up more than any other decision. Keep it simple with one headunit or put in separate DVD player and stereo headunit.

4) If I go this route (with the Jenson) I will probably use a JL Audio XD700/5 as it will accept speaker level inputs. Then if I bail on the Jenson I will still have a very good amp to work with.


Sony and Audiovox are putting out 12v mobile bluray players this year. I might make this a separate audio/DVD system so I can easily add bluray soon.

 

[Loneranger]

http://www.vizio.com/m261vp.html

I have bought the above TV which fills the mirror area. It is DC powered but on 19v. I am currently looking for a 12 v step up converter but no one has really had any opinions on one so I will have to do my own research. Darn. I have found someone that will make the converter for me to my specifications with an aluminum heat sink and epoxy filled to minimize vibration damage, should be around $30.

John

I now have a variable volt input to stable 19v output converter originally designed for ASUS laptops that has the same connector to the TV as the factory AC-DC convertor so all I have to do is connect up my power wire. Instead of a dedicated TV mount I plan on just bolting through the bulkhead directly into the back of the TV. Place a rubber pad of some type between the TV and the mirror and be done with it.

John

Hopefully by Christmas I will have all my parts picked out and a plan in place and will take plenty of pictures during the installation.

 

[Loneranger]

A few more items I have decided on.

I am going to use a JL Audio XD700/5 to power the 4 cockpit speakers and the sub. I have chosen a JL Audio M10IB5-SG-WH as the subwoofer. I was planning on using an Image Dynamics IDQ 10D4v3 but the outside diameter is over 11 inches. The space I have under the captains chair only has a space of 10.5 inches. Even with the JL sub I am going to have to cut a mounting bracket to mate to a curve sculpted into the base of the captains chair.

I believe I am going to wait until the fusion MS-AV700 is available. It is really a step forward in marine radio technology. It is not just a car stereo with coated PCB and some stainless steel. The prerelease info is really cool. Still does not have HDMI out though.

http://www.fusion-press.info/700/DAME-2.html

 

[Loneranger]

You can see I now have the TV mounted. I have not wired it yet. I decided to Velcro it with "Industrial Strength" velcro. The weight limit is fine according to the velcro package. It is very secure. If this ends up failing I can always through bolt it.

I drilled this hole through the mirror and bulkhead to run power and input/output and antenna to the TV. It opens into the anchor locker where the factory wiring harness moves from port to starboard so the wiring could not be simpler. It may be overkill but I am going to coat the interior of the hole with epoxy since it does open into a quasi wet space.

 

[MonacoMike]

You can see I now have the TV mounted. I have not wired it yet. I decided to Velcro it with "Industrial Strength" velcro. The weight limit is fine according to the velcro package. It is very secure. If this ends up failing I can always through bolt it.

John, I would be concerned for my boating to go the velcro route. The weight limit is not the TV weight but rather the G-force of TV weight propelled by the bow crashing through the waves. I added a second strap to my bow mirror to secure it in rough water, (I broke one first) as it takes a lot of hits. Just a thought. MM

 

[Loneranger]

John, I would be concerned for my boating to go the velcro route. The weight limit is not the TV weight but rather the G-force of TV weight propelled by the bow crashing through the waves. I added a second strap to my bow mirror to secure it in rough water, (I broke one first) as it takes a lot of hits. Just a thought. MM

It is mounted with 72 square inches of velcro. I worry more about the adhesive to attach the velcro to the mirror than the velcro itself. As I said I can always through bolt it.

I am not sure I understand what you added a strap to. The mirror? Or do you have TV mounted there also? You broke the bow mirror?

 

[MonacoMike]

I am not sure I understand what you added a strap to. The mirror? Or do you have TV mounted there also? You broke the bow mirror?

My bow mirror is attatched by a piano hinge at the top and secured on the bottom by two pinch latches in the frame. I added a strap and snap like on our canvas. The pic shows the mirrior set-up I have. Disclaimer: THIS IS NOT MY BOAT.

 

[Loneranger]

My bow mirror is attatched by a piano hinge at the top and secured on the bottom by two pinch latches in the frame. I added a strap and snap like on our canvas. The pic shows the mirrior set-up I have. Disclaimer: THIS IS NOT MY BOAT.

Now it makes sense. My mirror is glued directly to the bulkhead so it is fixed. I guess yours has a storage cavity behind it. The bulkhead surprised me as it is about 2 inches thick as you can sort of see via the hole I drilled through it.

 

[MonacoMike]

Now it makes sense. My mirror is glued directly to the bulkhead so it is fixed. I guess yours has a storage cavity behind it. The bulkhead surprised me as it is about 2 inches thick as you can sort of see via the hole I drilled through it.

My bulkhead was solid until I cut it out for access to the anchor locker after I sealed the deck hatch closed when I installed the windlass. It was about an inch plus thick. The mirror was screwed to the bulkhead before I opened it up though it had the top hinge already. MM

 

[Loneranger]

Update: I have had this TV velcroed for a year now and it has worked out well. I am not on the ocean taking a pounding often although I do take an occasional pounding while crossing the wake of other boats, etc.

I did end up with a crack in the mirror that occurred last winter but it is hidden behind the TV so I am the only one aware of it. The crack started at the edge of the drilled hole and appeared while the boat was lifted and motionless so movement of the TV did not cause it.

John