Is it worth having a 12 volt tv, when we are not planning to be on a site without electric, and do you use that facility. Can we just buy a normal tv ? is it worth the extra cost of being a 12/24 volt ?
Tv 12v question
- Thread starter Jueal15
- Start date
- Mar 8, 2009
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You don't need the 12v option. when would you use it. If you think you have a need of an alternative feed then it's your choice, Ps some of the 'not so big' tvs run on a 12 v transformer any way so if you get one of these you still have the 12v option.
- Nov 16, 2015
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We have a 240 v tv with built in DVD player I think its about 19/ 21 inch. Bought from Tesco about 5 years ago , much cheaper than a 12v /240 model. When we go over to France we take the Digi box with hours of films on it , just in case of bad weather. Don't bother with sattelite. Not that much of a tv person.
- May 24, 2014
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We have an Avtex with built in DVD player. Had it for some years now and at the time they had a free five year warranty. I dont know how true this is, but I feel that TVs like the Avtex and its rivals are built with the idea of being totally mobile and I would think therefore they cope with the rigours of caravanning better than a domestic TV. Also, TVs of this type come with both the 12v and 240v option.
Thingy said:
No, it is just another excuse to charge exorbitent prices for a TV that is no better than any other you can buy in Expensive World.
One thing to watch when buying a TV for the van is viewing angle (and Avtex are actually quite bad here.) When sitting and watching the TV you might be looking slightly down at it, but when lying in bed you could be looking up - assuming it is standing on a work surface. When you go to EW, JLP, or Richers take a close look at the picture as you look at it from above and move your head downwards. You will find many are light when viewed from above and get dark very quickly when you view from below the centre line. [Another way to do it is to look at the screen from the middle and tilt it backwards - the picture should stay the same brightness.]
Also, consider buying a TV with a Freeview HD tuner. It does not need to have a HD screen but buying one with an HD tuner (also known as DVB-T2) will future-proof it to a degree. I would be surprised if there are many DVB (a.k.a. SD) transmitters still working much after about 2020.
- May 24, 2014
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Woodentop is correct about the Avtex view angle, but fortunately for us, the position in our van works well. Some would have issues with it. We have had ours about seven years I think now, yet we have had "normal" TV's at home that have given up the ghost after a couple of years. Two smaller ones in our girls bedrooms both failed.
If you dont have electric hook up then listen to the radio?
I dont watch much tv at home so I doubt I would watch any in caravan. But I could be wrong.
I dont watch much tv at home so I doubt I would watch any in caravan. But I could be wrong.
- Mar 14, 2005
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Jueal15 said:
Each to their own. It doesn't matter if others choose to watch TV or not , its about what you want to do.
If when you say a normal tv, if you are referring to one that runs on 230V ac mains, then you would need a 12vdc to 230vac inverter to use it when there is no mains power available, and a good inverter ( Full sine wave not modified or quasi sine wave) is not cheap nor the most efficient..
As you will always have 12V dc whether you are on a hook up or not, it may make sense to look for a 12V television. Several of the smaller sets these days are 12V input, and they use an in line power adapter to bring 230V ac down to 12V dc. Some of these sets you can use straight from 12V dc in a caravan.
From a practical point of view, whilst a small LED tv these days will be rated in the order of about 40W power consumption, that would be a draw of almost 4A from your 12V system. As you tend to use TV's for extended periods, that will put quite a demand on the battery, and without a mains hook up to recharge it you won't get a lot of viewing.
It may be worth trying some alternative types of entertainment for when the battery's flat and your sitting in a very gloomy caravan.
ProfJohnL said:
Hey Prof, shall we start up the arguement of when is 12V not 12V when supplying a TV in a caravan and confuse him?
We splashed out on a new Avtex L187DRS a few months ago. Yes, about twice the price of a Tesco cheapie but has far superior picture and sound quality. It has much larger viewing angles than our earlier Avtex and has built-in DVD player and satellite decoder. Power consumption is 23W (max) and
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