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Buying a telly for the van
- Thread starter trevor123
- Start date
Hi Trevor.
Year before last we bought an "Orion" 19", built in freeview tv and it has a built in dvd player too.
I honestly cant remember how much it was,but the dvd player has certainly come in usefull at times.
Adrian
Year before last we bought an "Orion" 19", built in freeview tv and it has a built in dvd player too.
I honestly cant remember how much it was,but the dvd player has certainly come in usefull at times.
Adrian
There are a couple of things to be aware of when choosing a TV for a caravan.
For a start where will it be situated and where will you be when watching it? Most of the cheaper small TVs (15" and 19") go very bright if viewed from above the horizontal centre line and very dark - even negative - from below the centre line. Go into Curry's, grab hold of a TV that is on, and lean it over backwards (effectively the same as crouching down in front of it) and see what happens. I got a Sharp L19D1EBK - sadly now obsolete - and it can be laid almost on its back with the picture still plainly visible. Some of the Philips units are the same, but you will find most of the others irrespective of brand are not.
You cannot (usually) fit a wall bracket in a 'van, so make sure that the TV stand has the ability to lean forward if the TV will ever be higher than your viewing point.
In respect of location, does you aerial cable reach? Do you have a Status 315 - if so you will need to replace it or use satellite (which many will tell you is the better option.) It does tend to follow that the cheaper the set the less sensitive the tuner.
Avoid buying own-brand - with a couple of exceptions. The spares - those that are available - are usually extortionately priced. The own brands are:-
Currys Logik, Matsui, Essentials, Digitrex
Comet Ferguson, Kenmark
Argos Bush, Wharfedale
Many of these makes are also sold as Goodmans, Alba, Hinari, etc. and made by about three companies.
The exceptions are M&S and John Lewis who both have good reputations in this field.
Don't get a set with a shiny front screen - to be found on the small own-brand sets in M&S which are otherwise very good. You will have great difficulty seeing the screen, day or night, because of reflections.
Finally, whatever you do make sure you also get a 5-year guarantee. TV's these days are nothing like as reliable as the old CRT's and would normally be expected to last not much more than 5-7 years. Go for somewhere like Sony Centres or John Lewis' where a 5-year guarantee comes built-in, or go to Richer Sounds where you will not only get a good price but the guarantee costs 10% of purchase price, and it is no quibble. You might find some - M&S and Sony at the moment - offering trade-in discounts of £50 if you take any TV of any shape or size, working or not.
Good hunting.
For a start where will it be situated and where will you be when watching it? Most of the cheaper small TVs (15" and 19") go very bright if viewed from above the horizontal centre line and very dark - even negative - from below the centre line. Go into Curry's, grab hold of a TV that is on, and lean it over backwards (effectively the same as crouching down in front of it) and see what happens. I got a Sharp L19D1EBK - sadly now obsolete - and it can be laid almost on its back with the picture still plainly visible. Some of the Philips units are the same, but you will find most of the others irrespective of brand are not.
You cannot (usually) fit a wall bracket in a 'van, so make sure that the TV stand has the ability to lean forward if the TV will ever be higher than your viewing point.
In respect of location, does you aerial cable reach? Do you have a Status 315 - if so you will need to replace it or use satellite (which many will tell you is the better option.) It does tend to follow that the cheaper the set the less sensitive the tuner.
Avoid buying own-brand - with a couple of exceptions. The spares - those that are available - are usually extortionately priced. The own brands are:-
Currys Logik, Matsui, Essentials, Digitrex
Comet Ferguson, Kenmark
Argos Bush, Wharfedale
Many of these makes are also sold as Goodmans, Alba, Hinari, etc. and made by about three companies.
The exceptions are M&S and John Lewis who both have good reputations in this field.
Don't get a set with a shiny front screen - to be found on the small own-brand sets in M&S which are otherwise very good. You will have great difficulty seeing the screen, day or night, because of reflections.
Finally, whatever you do make sure you also get a 5-year guarantee. TV's these days are nothing like as reliable as the old CRT's and would normally be expected to last not much more than 5-7 years. Go for somewhere like Sony Centres or John Lewis' where a 5-year guarantee comes built-in, or go to Richer Sounds where you will not only get a good price but the guarantee costs 10% of purchase price, and it is no quibble. You might find some - M&S and Sony at the moment - offering trade-in discounts of £50 if you take any TV of any shape or size, working or not.
Good hunting.
i have a loverly little digitrex 19" widescreen 720p hd, built in freeview and dvd, usb , sdcard and pc input for £120. its wall mounted off the wadrobe side with a very nice removable dovetaile tilt and swivel mount. http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/LCD-TV-Wall-Mount-Bracket-Tilt-Swivel-17-19-20-22-L12-/390146685140?pt=UK_Home_Garden_LivingRoom_TV_Furniture&hash=item5ad68df8d4
This mount has a dovetail fitting that means the wall mount is fitted permanently to the van and the bit on the tv slides in out. You need to reinforce the wardrobe side but that quite a simple task, the tv comes off for travelling and when we are on site it does not take up any worktop space.
Great viewing angle even from below and the picture is very , very clear.
I use it with the status ariel in the van and also have a small , Bush HD FreeSat rx for the tims i cant get a digital or analogue signal.
As for spares, if you tv breaks down with 5 years then take it back you can get a repair as tv's are expected to last at least 7 years. I can honestly say that in my experience TVs are a lot more relaible than old CRT units and certainly more reliable than old valve driven crt units.
Extended warranties are a money making scam on the whole and most CABs and other "watchdog" typ progs rarely recommend them and certtainly not for the forst 12 months as its garunteed anyway.
happy hunting and have fun, you dont need to spend hundreds of pounds for little telly for your tourer.
This mount has a dovetail fitting that means the wall mount is fitted permanently to the van and the bit on the tv slides in out. You need to reinforce the wardrobe side but that quite a simple task, the tv comes off for travelling and when we are on site it does not take up any worktop space.
Great viewing angle even from below and the picture is very , very clear.
I use it with the status ariel in the van and also have a small , Bush HD FreeSat rx for the tims i cant get a digital or analogue signal.
As for spares, if you tv breaks down with 5 years then take it back you can get a repair as tv's are expected to last at least 7 years. I can honestly say that in my experience TVs are a lot more relaible than old CRT units and certainly more reliable than old valve driven crt units.
Extended warranties are a money making scam on the whole and most CABs and other "watchdog" typ progs rarely recommend them and certtainly not for the forst 12 months as its garunteed anyway.
happy hunting and have fun, you dont need to spend hundreds of pounds for little telly for your tourer.
What nobody has mentioned is-- does he want a 240v or 12v or both which is a different minefield altogether.
I agree the warranties are a scam the sale of Goods Act has been tried and tested if you expect a tv to last 5 or 6 years then the act will back you up at worst it £50 to take the retailer to the small claims court. One of the eu laws actually states that all items should have a two year warranty, the problem is trying to get the retailer to acknowlage that.Philspadders said:
Check out some of the consumer sites , I got a three year old fridge freezer repaired free of charge after doing some research.
Hi Trevor, We have just got a Tesco 19" Technika :- Ref 19-208W.HD Ready & Built-in Freeview,DVD slot and a lot of additional ports. Ours is the white one,not the black one. It is a regular 240v product. Tuning was a doddle,picture image is very good and all in all a very good buy at £130.00.
Hello Trevor,
I purchased, back in May, an Hitachi L19DP040 from Argos who had it on offer at £159. It has Freeview and a DVD player and I have been very happy with it, well worth checking the Argos site to see if there are any good offers available. It is a 240volt TV and gives a good picture from any angle you are likely to look at it from. I cannot see the advantage of a 12volt, unless you intend to only use sites without electric hook up.
Good luck with your eventual choice.
Best regards,
George
I purchased, back in May, an Hitachi L19DP040 from Argos who had it on offer at £159. It has Freeview and a DVD player and I have been very happy with it, well worth checking the Argos site to see if there are any good offers available. It is a 240volt TV and gives a good picture from any angle you are likely to look at it from. I cannot see the advantage of a 12volt, unless you intend to only use sites without electric hook up.
Good luck with your eventual choice.
Best regards,
George
I got a 19 inch LG TV and got a wall bracket as well from Dixons, great picture, on second outing the screen went green, well there was no red.
I have returned it to Currys as told by the insurance on it, if they cannot repair in 28 days I get a new one.
Next time I will take it off the wall mounting before leaving home.
Why did I not listen to Pat in the first place.
Reg
I have returned it to Currys as told by the insurance on it, if they cannot repair in 28 days I get a new one.
Next time I will take it off the wall mounting before leaving home.
Why did I not listen to Pat in the first place.
Reg
There are only so many electronic and lcd screen makers in the world so own brands will most likely have the same internals so not really an issue.
I remember buying a Bush 15 inch a few a years ago for around £79 ,they offered a 5 year warranty for £160 and remember you have the back up of life expectancy of goods ie you would expect a tv to last more than a year.
I remember buying a Bush 15 inch a few a years ago for around £79 ,they offered a 5 year warranty for £160 and remember you have the back up of life expectancy of goods ie you would expect a tv to last more than a year.
you dont need to pay for these extra warranties. the SoGa steops in to help. They are simply of a way of getting the gullible to part with more cash.
I used to work in electrical retail and know that there are only about 2 companies in the work who actually make the LCD screens. Samsung is one and i'm not sure who the other is, but depending where you go depends on what to buy as many are built to a price but doesnt mean they wont last as long. For example a few years ago i bought a Mikomi from Argos. Nice unit but the exact same set (in every detail down to the remote control) was branded as JVC for £70 more.
I bought a 19" Toshiba from Sainsburys in January for £179 and included freeview and built in DVD. We only went in for a new can opener. Hehehe
I bought a 19" Toshiba from Sainsburys in January for £179 and included freeview and built in DVD. We only went in for a new can opener. Hehehe
the other one is LG in Korea.
if you own an Iphone or Ipod..... LG
just about any lcd monitor.... LG
the list is endless.
if you own an Iphone or Ipod..... LG
just about any lcd monitor.... LG
the list is endless.
I thought it was LG. I just wasnt sure. Thanks
We have used 2 tvs over the last two years, one a 15.6" Grundig with freeview & DVD from John Lewis (a bit annoyed that it is the exact unit as a Goodmans on sale in Currys, even the remote control). In the caravan the signal reception was poor and the viewing angle limited.
Eventually we splashed out on an Avtex combi unit, granted it was £80 more expensive than the Grundig, but it is streets better, far better tuner and a much wider viewing angle. It can also run on 12V if you don't have an EHU. The latest ones allow you to record programs to a USB stick like a basic Sky + too.
The Grundig is now in the kitchen at home.
Eventually we splashed out on an Avtex combi unit, granted it was £80 more expensive than the Grundig, but it is streets better, far better tuner and a much wider viewing angle. It can also run on 12V if you don't have an EHU. The latest ones allow you to record programs to a USB stick like a basic Sky + too.
The Grundig is now in the kitchen at home.
We bought a 19"(well 18.5")Avtex from the Malvern show with DVD the picture is excellent,3 year guarantee,theypick up from your home same day if you ring before 11.00 a.m.and repair or exchange in 2days and returned to you(according to salesman).Its very light,12v or 240 and an Avtex carry case for it
I am looking into putting all my DVDs onto a harddrive and using the USB port to watch them.My SiL has some experience and says I can get a 1terrabyte hard drive powered from the USB which will hold around 250 films,shouldn't have to talk to the wife for a long time.If it works then why did I buy one with a DVD? doh
I am looking into putting all my DVDs onto a harddrive and using the USB port to watch them.My SiL has some experience and says I can get a 1terrabyte hard drive powered from the USB which will hold around 250 films,shouldn't have to talk to the wife for a long time.If it works then why did I buy one with a DVD? doh
if you have a laptop you could buy a tv tuner for it i have one for my laptop and you get freeveiw
