New DC TV/DVD @Fisheries

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Doryman

New member
On my most recent visit to Fisheries Supply I saw the Majestic DC TV/DVD that is written up in this month's Yachting. It is available in 3 sizes, I think, from 15" to 19" and the prices are about $350 and up, if memory serves. They are so new I can't find them online. Maybe this is the TV that finally gets into my Tom Cat.

Warren
 
Warren,

Is a TV on board still a viable option now that everything has gone digital, assuming we're not talking satellite dish? I've been using a cable so long now I forget what a TV antenna looks like now.
 
my father is using a digital tv in the boat and really loves it. now that tv is broadcast in digital and not analog the signal comes in very clear. while on the boat he watches the news from both sides of the border.

we are thinking of dumping the cable here and going to digital broadcast tv for free.
 
Sarge":1ytrf5do said:
Is a TV on board still a viable option now that everything has gone digital, assuming we're not talking satellite dish? I've been using a cable so long now I forget what a TV antenna looks like now.
Click to expand...

I suppose if you have a laptop with a big enough screen that would work for playing movies or streaming video from the net. But most marina wifi connections have still pretty small pipes, at least the ones I have been to, so...

Warren
 
Check out the RV suppliers. They have the same issues as we do and many of the solutions seem to be cheaper if they don't have the word "marine" in front of them.
(With apologies to the USMC :) )

Merv
 
We added a digital tuner TV to the boat in 2008. It's not built in, so we can put it where it works best (or leave it behind). One thing we have noticed since the change-over to all digital is the need for the antenna to be pointed correctly. Using the auto-tune to find channels causes some of them to be missed. I'm wondering how the antenna my buddy Mike mounted on his boat is working out?

When it comes to permanently mounting a TV, I get the position above the dash on the storage shelf... except, the person sitting in the front dinette seat has their back to that. :? Seems like the best place for viewing in our boats would be mounted above the galley... which would potentially be problematic for the TV, being above the cooking and dish washing area.

For some reason, TV is less important to us on the boat than in the house or RV (where we have cable or satellite options). Just rambling now, but I do find it interesting how different we live on the boat and accept that. We wouldn't consider a house or even an over-night motel room without a bathroom, but we're OK with that on a boat. We aim our living room furniture at the TV, but we're OK with bench seats in fixed positions on our boats. We wouldn't consider putting a bed in a closet, but we have no problem climbing into the v-berth with limited overhead space and even less foot space. We have a nice refrigerator/freezer with ice and water in the door in our home, but we're OK with a cooler on our boats. We expect even the least expensive auto to have comfortable seats, ergonomic layout, and hidden wiring, but we're just fine with non-adjustable block-like seats, exposed wiring, and the "speckled paint" finish in our boats. No, I'm not going anywhere with this, other than to wonder why? I've seen the poorly hidden looks of horror on the faces of friends and family who come into the boat we're proudly showing off and they say, "You spend months at a time living in this?"

Yeah, it's what we do. Maybe it's like the Harley t-shirt... "If I have to explain, you wouldn't understand." :wink:

Best wishes,
Jim
 
Very well put brother Jim... Target On.....but... for those times when we want to go boating and the SEC Football games, Super Bowl commercials, or some other interesting stuff may be on... I have found the following two sites to be of use and informative.

The fist one...punch in a address, city, zip...and bingo... there are the digital TV signals you ..."should/could" get based on the terrain and the location of distant end and the TV broadcast locations. Elevation matters.

Then, the second... a bit of antenna talk... some interesting stuff for cold days read when you are locked indoors.... or, on your boat just resting and want something to read...

http://www.fcc.gov/mb/engineering/maps/

http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/dtvantennas.html


Byrdman
 
I sell these things of course and have thought about it for Napoleon. In our case we usually day trip or do a 1-2 night stay so there is no real interest in a TV. If you had kids or if you were staying aboard at a marina for an extended period of time a TV would be nice though.

I hope to get into a yacht club this year and they offer wifi. Of course with our 8-11' tidal change my buddy at the club said you really only have internet access during high tide :D

You can also consider piping in a DVD or whatever to your chartplotter/radar display. I think I have seen a picture of someone playing a movie on the Furuno 10.4" NNVX2 display for example. I have not explored other TV options. Some buy the TV's to use as a second display station (pipe in their main chartplotter/radar) on larger vessels of course.
 
We picked up a cute little 7" TV with digital tuner at HHGregg for less than $100.00 last month. Has the usual bells and whistles - audio input, built-in DVD player, SD and USB slots. It's a triple threat (AC/DC/rechargeable battery) so it can be used just about anywhere. Has a remote control too.
 
We have been using the digital TV (some with converters) on the Tom Cat, and our RVs. There are a lot of stations, and most importantly there are good weather channels on the sub carriers. This is one of the most important features for us.

In the Tom Cat, we put the TV on the upper cabin starboard side of the foreward cabin on a wall mount (epoxy a board in place first) which slides in and out. Although our usual entertainment is watching the world go by or reading--we have the TV for nighttime viewing, news and weather.
 
Trucker supply houses also have 12 volt digital TV
sets. However, they seem to be about the same price as mentioned above, plus the "marine" version is slightly more....not sure the difference between "marine and Truck".
 
Doryman":2dlaw27l said:
I suppose if you have a laptop with a big enough screen that would work for playing movies or streaming video from the net. But most marina wifi connections have still pretty small pipes, at least the ones I have been to, so...

Warren
Click to expand...

We just use my work laptop; not a huge screen but it has a high-speed cell phone card and DVD player. We put it on the Wallas and watch from the dinette.
 
I have one of the 7"--same brand, but in black. It works fairly well, but the definition is much better in the larger HD sets. That is a good price! (I paid a little over $100 for mine). Pulls in most of the stations with the built in antenna, but I got a better selection when I used the "bat wing" antenna in the RV.

I have been getting good recpetion with a RCA 1832 flat antenna. It is about 12" square and 1/2" thick. Works better than rabbit ears. Another amplified antenna which works well on boats is the Phillips, MAT 940--this is designed for a pole mount, and can be mounted on a ratchet mount with a 1' SS 1" tube threaded into the ratchet mount. This can also be mounted on the railings of the boat.
 
I just learned that Tim Flanagan wrote about these TVs on Navagear -- it's an Australian company with some unique features and benefits. They are better, apparently, than truck-stop products. I liked their mounting brackets, too.

Warren
 
I was at Fisheries Supply the other day and I saw this TV on the shelf next to the chartplotters, mostly Garmins.

The TV was not very bright compared to the chartplotter screens. That may not matter for night time viewing, but it might be too dim to use as a computer monitor in the daytime.

The TV was being fed a signal from a chartplotter and showed the same image as the plotter.
 
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