TV Replacement/Power Set Up

[mmcguire2002]

I am replacing the TV/VCR that came standard on my boat with a 19" flat screen TV/DVD combo. I have pulled out the old tv and have 3 wires:

- Cable to Glomax
- 3 prong plug for AC power
- Small single plug for 12V

The old TV had an input for both plugs, so it could work on shore power/gen., as well as off the batteries. The new TV does not have an input for 12V. Question is...how do I set up the TV for both? An inverter? If so, what size and will I have to change the plug back and forth depending on which I want to use? :huh: All help is appreciated Thanks.

 

[Hampton]

No to changing wires back and forth. If you use an inverter, the DC will be converted (inverted) to AC and will feed the AC TV through that wire. I would consider getting a DC TV in place of the AC one. Inverters are inefficient. LCD TV screens actually use DC. The AC is converted in the power cord or inside the set.

The fact that your old TV was AC and DC is awesome. I would hate to lose that. Have you considered getting a HDTV box through the gov program and keeping the old TV?

 

[mmcguire2002]

The old tv is the box style, smaller screen and is an integrated VCR. The new TV was a reasonable price, has DVD integrated and is a much better picture.

From your post, are you saying it would use the inverter all the time...which means battery power all the time? My goal was to be able to use Shower Power/Gen. when available, but be able to us the batteries when on the hook. Does this make sense?

 

[Hampton]

It does make sense. The way I understand it, though I haven't wired an inverter, the AC outlet that you plug the TV into will be powered by the inverter. When shore power is on, your battery charger will charge the batteries which will be drained by the inverter which is powering the TV. You could leave the current AC outlet as is, and put another one next to it powered by the inverter, and move the TV plug over when on DC only. I don't know if there is an auto-switching system.

I will defer to the electrical experts - Frank?

 

[Hampton]

Now, if your TV were AC/DC, it might auto switch over. You can get AC/DC TVs with built in DVD players. I know you already have a new TV, but you may find it advantageous to return that one for a DC TV. We are looking seriously at the Jensen DC 19" HDTV due to the extremely good viewing angle, contrast, brightness, and the fact that it's designed for the marine environment (cockpit only) - no DVD built in.

There are a few TV's available that aren't quite as good, but have the DVD players built in and are AC/DC.

 

[mmcguire2002]

I looked at the Jensen as well, but really want the built in DVD player, so the Admiral can watch movies while on the hook without me having to run the genny all the time. I haven't been able to find any that offer both AC and DC with a DVD. There seem to be limited DC availble and they are all online. Are you aware of any major retailers that carry 19" DC or AC/DC TV's? Thanks for the help.

 

[tobnpr]

Mike-
Don't bother with another AC/DC television, they cost waay too much because they're just not made in volume...
There are very inexpensive inverters available at auto parts stores or K-Mart/Walmart that can be plugged into a cigarette lighter or hardwired. Since you're replacing with a flat screen you probably have plenty of room behind the tv to mount the inverter. We use one in the SUV for the kids to play XBox. Just check the wattage of the tv/dvd combo you have and purchase the appropriate size inverter. Simple to do...

Yes, you'll run it off the inverter at all times. Assuming you have an onboard charger (which would be on if you're hooked up to shorepower or the gen is running), the 12v draw from the inverter (as well as any other 12v lighting, etc. you have on) will be supplied by your battery charger. It is true that there is an efficiency loss with an inverter, but it's not much and not worth "switching" the plug back and forth between the inverter plug and the 120V plug.

What's the wattage of the television?- it'll be listed on the back.

 

[Hampton]

I looked at the Jensen as well, but really want the built in DVD player, so the Admiral can watch movies while on the hook without me having to run the genny all the time. I haven't been able to find any that offer both AC and DC with a DVD. There seem to be limited DC availble and they are all online. Are you aware of any major retailers that carry 19" DC or AC/DC TV's? Thanks for the help.

I have the list at home. I'll post it tomorrow AM. Skyworth makes a DC TV (AC/DC?), 19", HDTV tuner, DVD player, and it costs around $350. I think audiovox makes one. West Marine stocks a 15" one. Don't know if your store will have one.

The thing I really like about the Jensen is the viewing angle, contrast, brightness, speaker quality, and the circuit boards are coated to avoid corrosion damage. There are DC DVD players available too.

 

[Hampton]

Additionally, there is a thread from a couple of months back where experts go into the types of inverters required to operate a high-quality tv picture, and the power consumed in doing so. All I remember is that I decided to go DC. Tonight I read a thread on an RV forum (from a Google search) where one guy described the power consumption of an idle, powered converter. 25 amps or something.

Then, there are the heat issues.

 

[mmcguire2002]

Wow - now I have more to consider, but not quite sure what to do. My preference would be to find a DC 19" flat screen with integrated DVD player. AC/DC is nice, but cost seems high.

Going the inverter route is a possibility as well, but there are mixed reviews coming back from this post. Also, plugging into the cig. lighter is not an option for me (doesn't look good and is not a full time solution) and hard wiring may be beyond my skill set. I was proud to get the old set of it's mount and disconnect it. I have no idea how to trace the wiring back to its origin on the insides of the boat and then hardwire it. The old tv has a plug already exposed for DC current. I assume if I find a DC tv, this plug will fit fine and then I run it off the batteries and use the genset to charge them back up when needed?

Thanks for the all input. This site is invaluable for people that didn't grow up on boats, but love them and the lifestyle and are trying to learn as fast as possible.

 

[Sorrento 25]

I recommend finding an LCD TV with an external power supply. Mine is a 19" Dell widescreen and all I did was cut off the plug from the power supply and wired it to 12V. My DVD player is an Alpine auto deck mounted in a cabin wall with true 5.1 digital audio.

 

[gerryb]

Mike, I upgraded to a SHARP 19" widescreen LCD/DVD and am very pleased with the result and picture quality. I keep an inverter in the cabin. The AC/DC tv's are not worth the money IMHO and the inverter works fine (cost about $30). Get a good quality swivel mount with the savings. It has a din-8 output for audio and I connect that to a wireless FM transmitter when I want to get the audio on our speakers. The speakers on all these small LCD's are subpar.

 

[Alex F]

Gerry,
What inverter did you use? Is it permanently installed?

Thx,
Alex