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

[PaulC70]

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.

 

[Portland]

The Cello Traveller has good viewing angle the standard Cello the viewing angle is poor a lot of people buy the standard one because it is a lot cheaper but it's nowhere near as good as the Traveller.

Steady now! don't you go calling me cheap! I'm just tight!, but did not know there is more than one type.

 

[Lenny HB]

Steady now! don't you go calling me cheap! I'm just tight!, but did not know there is more than one type.

Common mistake.

 

[Hagstrom]

I had read that the Cellos could not read hard drives larger than 2tb but have connected a 4tg hd to the tv's USB socket and my May 2021 19in Cello Traveller recognises the disk and plays its video content.
The viewing angle is good and it came with a 12v lead.

 

[PaulC70]

Im on South Uist tonight and tried my 250GB ssd and it wont read anything off it. Still, netflix and iplayer on the firestick is working well

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[Gellyneck]

I had read that the Cellos could not read hard drives larger than 2tb but have connected a 4tg hd to the tv's USB socket and my May 2021 19in Cello Traveller recognises the disk and plays its video content.
The viewing angle is good and it came with a 12v lead.

Must try our 4Tb one again but guess as your's is newer it's maybe got updated firmware?

 

[AlastairH]

Don’t recommend a Cello. The speakers are very poor. The sound quality is bad and they point backwards out of the TV.
Also, all the sockets are along the bottom where you cannot see them. I know you are not interested in satellite but mine never tuned in to the satellite properly either.

 

[Hagstrom]

AlistairH,
We have a 2012, 19in Cello and it sounds different to yours. The viewing angle is good, the sockets aren't along the bottom - but the sound is tinny.
We bought a 12v USB connected sound bar, fitted it above the tv and it produces brilliant sound. See photo.

 

[Lenny HB]

Don’t recommend a Cello. The speakers are very poor. The sound quality is bad and they point backwards out of the TV.
Also, all the sockets are along the bottom where you cannot see them. I know you are not interested in satellite but mine never tuned in to the satellite properly either.

The Cello Traveller's are very good sound like all small TV's is crap but who uses the TV speakers. Mine is wired to my head unit but I also use an Ultimate Ears speaker if off grid for long periods.

Some sockets are on the bottom some on the side but doesn't matter once it's plumbed in.

The satellite works OK but when you change satellites it takes about 25min to tune in and it looses your favourites so I use an Icecrypt sat tuner.

For the money they are not bad, had a 19" Traveller in the last van got a 22" Traveller in this van.

 

[Hoovie]

Interesting comments about the Satellite function. I don't have an Cello TV, but have an Avtex with Satellite Input and that seems to be pre-tuned with hundreds and hundreds (could be 1000+?) channels from UK (Freesat) and various European Countries.
When I connected a cable from a Sky Dish to the TV it instantly showed any Freesat channel I selected with no tuning activity needed.

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[PaulC70]

Yep not bothered by the satelite, but again, the traveller I have has no plugs in the bottom and the sound is more than acceptable, though I do have a small soundbar for a bit more bass. Perfectly great little telly.

 

[AlastairH]

Interesting comments about the Satellite function. I don't have an Cello TV, but have an Avtex with Satellite Input and that seems to be pre-tuned with hundreds and hundreds (could be 1000+?) channels from UK (Freesat) and various European Countries.
When I connected a cable from a Sky Dish to the TV it instantly showed any Freesat channel I selected with no tuning activity needed.

Hoovie, I guess I just got a dud and the warranty ran out before I could try it out consistently, what with Covid, travelling restrictions etc.. My old Avtex was great with FreeSat but the built in DVD player failed (again, just out of warranty!) and we thought we would get a bigger screen. Times change and I am not sure now if I need a DVD player or the satellite dish if I can stream stuff!

 

[Casper46]

AlistairH,
We have a 2012, 19in Cello and it sounds different to yours. The viewing angle is good, the sockets aren't along the bottom - but the sound is tinny.
We bought a 12v USB connected sound bar, fitted it above the tv and it produces brilliant sound. See photo.

Did you buy the soundbar from Cello.? There was an advert for one in the tv packaging but I’m not sure if I would be better buying elsewhere.

 

[Hagstrom]

No, Casper46, we didn't get a Cello soundbar. We got this, below, and its quite adequate for our use.


SAKOBS PC Soundbar, 20W Bluetooth 5.0 Computer Speakers for Desktop Laptop Portable USB Powered Wired/Wireless Mini TV Sound Bar,16H Playtime,Surround

 

[Al n Val]

Sorry to highjack the thread but has anyone used one of these to power a tv in the van

12V to 5V 6V 9V DC Step Down Converter 24V to 10V 13.8V 15V 19V DC Buck Adjustable Voltage Car Regulator 24 Volt to 12 Volt - AliExpress 13

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com

www.aliexpress.com

if so what are the results, do they actually work and are they stable

i'm looking at a 32" smart tv but struggling the find one that runs off 12v

i've got a firestick which works well so just need a 12v smart tv, not Cello or Ferguson but a proper branded name like Samsung, LG, Panasonic

Al

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[The Wino]

Sorry to highjack the thread but has anyone used one of these to power a tv in the van

12V to 5V 6V 9V DC Step Down Converter 24V to 10V 13.8V 15V 19V DC Buck Adjustable Voltage Car Regulator 24 Volt to 12 Volt - AliExpress 13

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com

www.aliexpress.com

if so what are the results, do they actually work and are they stable

i'm looking at a 32" smart tv but struggling the find one that runs off 12v

i've got a firestick which works well so just need a 12v smart tv, not Cello or Ferguson but a proper branded name like Samsung, LG, Panasonic

Al

If you're happy with the firestick won't any TV with an HDMI input do the job? I've not looked but presumably the smart ones use a bit more power and your going to do the smart bit with the firestick.

 

[Al n Val]

If you're happy with the firestick won't any TV with an HDMI input do the job? I've not looked but presumably the smart ones use a bit more power and your going to do the smart bit with the firestick.

true but data usage in the EU is going but bugger things up now for us so i'm looking at a Smart tv just as a backup really

that said i won't be fitting a dish to the new van so thats scuppered a smart tv really hasn't it

 

[kevenh]

true but data usage in the EU is going but bugger things up now for us so i'm looking at a Smart tv just as a backup really

that said i won't be fitting a dish to the new van so thats scuppered a smart tv really hasn't it

A Firestick makes a regular tv be a smart tv.
But both solutions need internet connections to be “smart”
Terrestrial tv or satellite tv is a different part of the tv package.

 

[The Wino]

A Firestick makes a regular tv be a smart tv.
But both solutions need internet connections to be “smart”
Terrestrial tv or satellite tv is a different part of the tv package.

Yes a smart TV still won't do freesat unless it has a satellite decoder in it as well

 

[autorouter]

Sorry to highjack the thread but has anyone used one of these to power a tv in the van

12V to 5V 6V 9V DC Step Down Converter 24V to 10V 13.8V 15V 19V DC Buck Adjustable Voltage Car Regulator 24 Volt to 12 Volt - AliExpress 13

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com

www.aliexpress.com

if so what are the results, do they actually work and are they stable

i'm looking at a 32" smart tv but struggling the find one that runs off 12v

Not sure exactly what you're trying to do, but I don't think this device will do it. It's a 'Step-down' converter. The output voltage will always be at least 3V less than the input voltage (It says 'minimum pressure difference 3V, which is a bad translation). So if you want 12.0V output, you need at least 15.0V input. Also the power is probably too low. It says 5A, but further on it says 25W max.

You could look at any TV that has a mains brick, that has a low voltage DC output, maybe 19V, 20V or so. Then try to find a universal laptop power supply, with a plug that fits. I bought a 24" LG TV from Argos, and found that a 19V laptop supply with a Sony plug worked fine.

Alternatively you could get a small (100W or 150W) pure sine wave inverter. It would be reasonably efficient, much better that a big 1500W inverter for many hours of TV viewing.