Sorry for this but.....The whole TV thing is confusing the hell out of me? :-(

PaulC70

PaulC70

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I am trying to get to grips with sorting a tv for the new motorhome, basically I see the Avtex ones and the Cello ones (quite a difference in price) but then I see talk of chromecast and firestick too?

Is there an idiots guide anywhere as I can't see one?

EDIT to add: Not interested in fitting a satellite dish, already has a digital aerial.
 
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Larrynwin said:
Cello is cheaper than Avtex but I found the viewing angle poor on the cello so bought an Avtex, much better.
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Lenny HB said:
Which Cello? The standard Cello the viewing angle is poor on the Cello Traveller it is very good.
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We got a 24" Ferguson (basically a rebadged Cello) about two years ago and the viewing angle is excellent. As good as, if not better, than our 65" LG at home. However, as with most small tv's, audio output needs to be supplemented with external speakers.
As we regularly tour North of Scotland we went down the road of fitting a sat dish as mobile signal is, to say the least, very patchy. We have all 4 network operators sim's in our two phones to try and maximise reception.
 
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Aireworth said:
Many LG tvs run on 19v and come with an external AC 240v to DC 19v adapter block. Thus you can plug an alternative 19v supply into the TV. You can get DC 12v to DC 19v car chargers for laptops which will run your LG tv from your 12v supply without using an inverter - I use this one
Amazon product ASIN B07SHFKG3N
Much more efficient than an inverter, I understand.
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Wow, I should be able to get consumption down to 1.25 amps with that 👍😁
 
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chaser said:
If you go in Curry's and have a look round the back of the TV's, surprising how many are actually 12 volt with a mains converter.
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Keeps the weight off the bracket too 👍
Might fit our PSU in the wardrobe behind.
 
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Don't forget to look at Falcon tvs too, they use pretty low power.
 
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chaser said:
If you go in Curry's and have a look round the back of the TV's, surprising how many are actually 12 volt with a mains converter.
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When I looked last time nearly all are now similar to LCD screens I think most were 19v
 
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When using a mains TV that uses a 12v supply in the van it is wise to use use a 12v stabiliser/converter as the vans 12v can be as high as 14.7v when on charge.
TV's designed for 12v Motorhome use have power supplies that can cope with it, the larger Cello Traveller's come with a seperate stabiliser.

One thing I don't like about the Cello is the sat tuner is a bit naff, when tuning it takes 25 min and you have to do it each time you change satellites and when you retune it loses your favorites. I use an Icecrypt box with it.

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Anyone that doesn’t have a Smart or an interest in a Firestick but want TV should look at TVMucho it’s about £7.99pm and l think available by paying for a month at a time as needed get the App on your Phone
 
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Littlewheels said:
I had a Cello that was fitted in a new MH which was fine but l would recommend fitting the Avtex Sound Bar as it transforms the viewing experience.
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Wire mine to the head unit Cello sound is awful but I never use use it.
This week I have been trying using a UE Boom 2 Bluetooth speaker. Works well with my Android TV box but a slight delay on live TV not enough to be annoying.
Saves a lot of battery power compared to the stereo and the sound is very good, one charge so far played music during the day for about 3 days and TV 6 days for about 2½-3 hours a day battery down to 20% on it, impressive.
 
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Avtex have designed their product for travelling, so I'd expect them to address our needs better.
I had a cheap one, once, and it worked fine but the colours were awful.
Avtex have a quick tune thing: one press when you arrive at a new location and it does all the re-tuning for you without having to mess with an illogical menu.
I have Avtex, but hardly ever use it - I prefer to forget such things when I go away...
 
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Looked at the Avtex, but the price made me wince. Went for the Cello with integrated DVD and it is absolutely fine. I don't get the issues about viewing angles and all that. It's your motorhome telly, not a home cinema experience!!

More relevant to us is that it weights only 2kg and will run all day on the 150 solar panel, without drawing on the leisure battery.

Notwithstanding all that, we haven't taken the telly on our last three trips and didn't really miss it.

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two said:
Avtex have designed their product for travelling, so I'd expect them to address our needs better.
I had a cheap one, once, and it worked fine but the colours were awful.
Avtex have a quick tune thing: one press when you arrive at a new location and it does all the re-tuning for you without having to mess with an illogical menu.
I have Avtex, but hardly ever use it - I prefer to forget such things when I go away...
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Yes we ditched ours when it went with the last van, never felt the need for one in this van, if we are desperate for TV, news or Rarely football, we just watch internet TV on the laptop or tablet.
 
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I wouldn't miss it really, I watch it when Ann has it on. She was furious when I forgot the memory stick with stuff to watch on, and it made it worse when we couldn't get a signal 🥺😭

Bought an August 240 aerial, which cheered her up for a day... Then the transformer on the TV power pcb failed 😖 so new telly. Think we're just about sorted now 💪😊
 
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two said:
Avtex have a quick tune thing: one press when you arrive at a new location and it does all the re-tuning for you without having to mess with an illogical menu.
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Same with both our Medion and Ferguson, Menu then Auto-tune (OK it's two presses!:Smile:).
 
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Aireworth said:
Many LG tvs run on 19v and come with an external AC 240v to DC 19v adapter block. Thus you can plug an alternative 19v supply into the TV. You can get DC 12v to DC 19v car chargers for laptops which will run your LG tv from your 12v supply without using an inverter - I use this one
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This could be a better alternative than a TV that takes '12 Volts' power. A Cello or Avtex will be designed for 'Automotive 12V' supply, which is very variable, commonly 10V to 16V. Other TVs with a 12V mains adapter will be expecting 12V, ie 11.5 to 12.5V. these require a '12V to 12V' adapter, ie a voltage stabiliser, also called a step up and down or buck-boost adapter. They are available but not as easy to find as laptop adapters.
 
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Lesson learnt for me was when I bought a Ferguson (cello) traveller smart tv.

Got the apps preloaded for iPlayer, sky go, itv hub etc which was great.....for about nine months at which point the apps would no longer work. I discovered the operating system installed on the tv no longer supported the apps and after emailing the company discovered they can’t be upgraded!

Maybe something to check if you are buying a smart tv!

I ended up buying a fire stick, which works really well, which allows the tv to continue to be used otherwise it would have been in the skip.

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Stoosal said:
Lesson learnt for me was when I bought a Ferguson (cello) traveller smart tv.

Got the apps preloaded for iPlayer, sky go, itv hub etc which was great.....for about nine months at which point the apps would no longer work. I discovered the operating system installed on the tv no longer supported the apps and after emailing the company discovered they can’t be upgraded!

Maybe something to check if you are buying a smart tv!

I ended up buying a fire stick, which works really well, which allows the tv to continue to be used otherwise it would have been in the skip.
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That's the reason I went for the satellite tuner version of our Ferguson rather than the SMART version. As you say I could just add a Firestick to give it "SMART capabilities".
 
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Stoosal said:
I discovered the operating system installed on the tv no longer supported the apps and after emailing the company discovered they can’t be upgraded!
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Our Sony at home won't even work with iplayer now, we use an Android TV box.
 
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I just got this one on Amazon. It works fine
Sniper 19″ HD LED Travel TV with built in DVD, Satellite and Freeview, 12V, 24V & Mains. DVB-T2 & DVB-S2 Amazon product ASIN B018ITQUIU
 
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With a Firestick, you don't need any TV functionality at all. A standard computer monitor with an HDMI input will work fine. So if you have difficulty with apps on the TV, they can be bypassed. As long as the TV has an HDMI input.
 
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I agree, but most (all?) TVs will now come with a DTV tuner for terrestrial TV through an aerial. A useful alternative to internet TV sources at little extra cost over a monitor.

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Norfolk Nige said:
I just got this one on Amazon. It works fine
Sniper 19″ HD LED Travel TV with built in DVD, Satellite and Freeview, 12V, 24V & Mains. DVB-T2 & DVB-S2 Amazon product ASIN B018ITQUIU
Click to expand...
We were about to buy an Avtex until I looked on the Sniper website, we're opting for the 22" as we can connect it to the soundbar we already use and at £249 it's over £100 cheaper.

Falcon sell the same TV under their own brand for £350!

Been told by a few Amazon couriers that the Sniper sat navs are excellent too.
 
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Jonno1103 said:
We were about to buy an Avtex until I looked on the Sniper website, we're opting for the 22" as we can connect it to the soundbar we already use and at £249 it's over £100 cheaper.

Falcon sell the same TV under their own brand for £350!

Been told by a few Amazon couriers that the Sniper sat navs are excellent too.
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I don’t think you will regret it. Picture is good, sound could be better, but as you are connecting it to a sound bar that makes it irrelevant. £100 cheaper is a no brainer.
has good reviews on Amazon and I am pleased with it
 
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We listen to audiobooks whilst in the Van and that provides a cheaper and more reliable process; instead of falling asleep in front of the telly, I fall asleep listening to the audiobook and Elaine then has to guess the point at which I lost consciousness by winding the play button back and forth ... It's the drama equivalent of the footy slo mo replays; I hear the same murder 3 or 4 times and I don't have to listen to Alan Shearer droning on and on ... :dance2:

Steve
 
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marchie said:
We listen to audiobooks whilst in the Van and that provides a cheaper and more reliable process; instead of falling asleep in front of the telly, I fall asleep listening to the audiobook and Elaine then has to guess the point at which I lost consciousness by winding the play button back and forth ... It's the drama equivalent of the footy slo mo replays; I hear the same murder 3 or 4 times and I don't have to listen to Alan Shearer droning on and on ... :dance2:

Steve
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We're addicted to them, all of the D I Ryans, Shardlake, The Seeker. Seem to spend all of my money on Amazon Audio credits. There's a guy named Jonathon Keeble who narrates a lot of them who really gets into creating the characters. Even at home we play them through the soundbar under the TV.
 
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Im back, I thought I had it sussed, I don't! So, looking at the cello's and Im seeing reports that even though they are meant to work on 12v they dont always seem to be shipped with a 12v adapter? anyone bought one recently at all, can't find any pics or info on the web to see what comes in the box?

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