TVs

[TedCalvert]

Kinda new again to these boards. I lurk a lot but don't say much. I really appreciate the good knowledge available here.   

Now for a question. Any thoughts on plasma vs LED/LCD TVs for a bus? 

TIA 

Ted.

[bevans6]

LED has a nice bright screen and uses a lot less power than a plasma.

Brian

[Melbo]

Some plasma tvs don't do well at high altitude so you may have to plan trips accordingly

HTH

Melbo

[Lin]

At the time we bought the TV, I did some research and got LED.  I really don't remember what all the differences were.  The one we got is labeled Westinghouse and has a very low power consumption.  It is really a 12v DC unit whose power cord adapter merely transforms the 120 AC.  We run it off the 120v even when through the inverter, which can be said to be less efficient, but it is really minimal.

[Seangie]

This is my speciality....go with LCD.  I've worked in AV for the last ten years so this is a very familiar territory for me.  LCD (LED backlit) panels have square pixels, use less power and don't burn in.  Plasma has a better picture hands down but its not as good of a picture 3 years later. And unless you are an AV guru and look at screens all day good chance you won't be able to tell the difference between the pure blacks of plasma vs the washed out blacks of an LCD panel.  If you upgrade TVs every year, only watch 1080p or higher resolution movies/TV and money is no object then get a plasma. 

For your mobile TV watching - I look for a TV that has a 12v input.  There are many TVs 32" or smaller that are DC powered.  They come with a brick that converts 120v AC to 12v DC.  Ill take the cord that plugs into the TV and clip it from the power brick and just wire it straight into the 12v DC (house or vehicle power from the battery).  If you do this, just triple check the input to the TV is 12v.  If you have 24v house power...might be harder to find a 24v DC TV.  Although 24v is much more common now so you might be able to find a 24v TV.

Plasma technology has changed in the past few years but LCD is still the way to go.  Also - much cheaper to repair if you ever have issues.

-Sean
www.herdofturtles.org
1984 Eagle Model 10S

[luvrbus]

I toasted a 32 in Sony by hooking it to the chassis battery seems like they don't like 13+ volt you need some type regulator BTDT

[Ed Hackenbruch]

I tried the bypass the brick trick in a brand new tv 9 years ago.  Took it to a shop and when i got it back they said it had blown all 5 of the fuses in it and they had never seen that happen before. Still got the tv but it runs thru the brick.

[sledhead]

Started with a plasma only lasted 5 years. Then LCD its still ok. Now led and the picture is much more crisp .Don't spend a lot of money as next year it will be 1/2 price and a lot better picture. Try to get one with a 240 htz but don't spend the farm.      dave 

[PP]

We have a 32" HD Emerson that we run through the inverter. With the satellite reciever, the DVD recorder, and the dome on the roof, we don't have any problems boondocking for a week at a time without charging the battery system. The only other things running on the bats however are the 12v lights, the water pump, and the 12v circuitry of the fridge. We only have 6-6v golf cart style liquid batteries for the coach, so I'm thinking the TV isn't much of a juice hog. HTH
Will 

[lvmci]

Sangie, good advice, lcd less weight, less issues, less of everything, if you can get led back light, better blacks, plasmas are more delicate, pressure, twisting, temperature affect them more, they are heavier, and you can get thinner lcds. If you can wait, true LED tvs are starting to appear, the compare to the blacks of plasmas, previously reffered to, what hasn't been mentioned is, wifi tvs. Referred to as smart tvs sometimes, if you watch netflicks or the ilk, best way to go, or a wifi bluray, cheaper and you don't have to get a larger set if space is an issue, if the qualtiy of the picture is important, get a 1080P set, not 1080I or 720P. As a side note, home tv sets are getting closer to what I see in my viewfinder, more than ever before, lvmci...

[Seangie]

I toasted a 32 in Sony by hooking it to the chassis battery seems like they don't like 13+ volt you need some type regulator BTDT

Cliff & Ed - I forgot to mention using a voltage regulator for your electronic circuits.  Good practice for anything sensitive to voltage increases/drops.  We have this setup in our van so no inverter is needed to run the laptop, TV and DVD player.  All is run from the alternator/battery.

-Sean
www.herdofturtles.org
1984 Eagle Model 10S