Television/DVDs off shore power?

[MrAntigone]

Are there any ways aside from running a generator to watch DVDs while anchored or do tv and DVD player just draw too much power?

Thanks!

[boatpoker]

LCD TV with integral DVD player. Many of these units are actually 12VDC with a transformer to 120VAC. Cut off the transformer and wire the TV directly to your 12 volt system. Works for me.

[wayne.b]

Originally Posted by boatpoker

LCD TV with integral DVD player. Many of these units are actually 12VDC with a transformer to 120VAC. Cut off the transformer and wire the TV directly to your 12 volt system. Works for me.

===

Or use a low power sine wave inverter and run it from your house batteries. It's handy for other things also - just be aware of your battery voltage and power limits.

http://www.amazon.com/MicroSolar-300.../dp/B00F4TBW6S

[Yeti]

There are 12volt TV/DVD's out there. Truckers are known to use them. I've looked at a few of the options and it seems there are plenty that use less than 5 amps an hour. Most were 12v at 36watts or 3 amps an hour.

That seems pretty manageable as long as you're not glued to it.

[motion30]

I have a Jensen 32 inch TV that is 12 volts and my kVh DirecTV satellite system is also 12 volt

[Whitebread117]

Inverter with 120v 19" LCD TV and laptop/hdmi cable. They do draw a bit but in our boat it's less than the fridge or freezer. Just plan your battery bank accordingly.

[StuM]

Originally Posted by Yeti

There are 12volt TV/DVD's out there. Truckers are known to use them. I've looked at a few of the options and it seems there are plenty that use less than 5 amps an hour. Most were 12v at 36watts or 3 amps an hour.

They also use 5 Amps a minute (and even 5 Amps a second). So the shorter the time you run them, the more power they will use (or something like that).


Actually, a 36 Watt TV/DVD will use about 3 Amp hours for every hour of use.

[Excalibur5]

I have an Insignia TV/DVD combo from Best Buy, here is the link:

Insigniaâ„¢ - 24" Class (23.6" Diag.) - LED - 720p - HDTV DVD Combo - Black - NS-24DD220NA16 | Insignia

I cut off the power brick and wired it directly to the house bank. It draws about 5-6 amp hours per hour used, so really very little. We have been extremely happy with it.

One note though - it would be wise to shut off the circuit when starting the engine or using a windlass as I'm not sure how much of a power surge the TV can take.

[rwidman]

You can buy 12 volt DC TV/DVD combinations. Mine is a Skyworth but there are other brands. While it may be tempting to buy a 120 volt TV with an external transformer and cut off the transformer, the voltage on your boat can vary from less than 12 volts to over fifteen in some charging situations. The 12 volt TV is designed for these variations, 120 volt TV is not.


A native 12 volt TV/DVD is the best solution, but another solution is to run a 120 volt TV from an inverter connected to your boat's house bank. The native 12 volt system is going to be the most efficient (use less current).

[mcgann454]

Originally Posted by rwidman

You can buy 12 volt DC TV/DVD combinations. Mine is a Skyworth but there are other brands. While it may be tempting to buy a 120 volt TV with an external transformer and cut off the transformer, the voltage on your boat can vary from less than 12 volts to over fifteen in some charging situations. The 12 volt TV is designed for these variations, 120 volt TV is not.


A native 12 volt TV/DVD is the best solution, but another solution is to run a 120 volt TV from an inverter connected to your boat's house bank. The native 12 volt system is going to be the most efficient (use less current).

I second the Skywatch. I bought a 20" TV/DVD combo four years ago and it had RGB inputs that you can connect to a tablet or IPad and stream Netflix etc. Very happy with it. It comes with the 12V connection and a brick to use 120V AC. It is great for the v berth or aft cabin TV.

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by Excalibur5

I have an Insignia TV/DVD combo from Best Buy, here is the link:

Insigniaâ„¢ - 24" Class (23.6" Diag.) - LED - 720p - HDTV DVD Combo - Black - NS-24DD220NA16 | Insignia

I cut off the power brick and wired it directly to the house bank. It draws about 5-6 amp hours per hour used, so really very little. We have been extremely happy with it.

One note though - it would be wise to shut off the circuit when starting the engine or using a windlass as I'm not sure how much of a power surge the TV can take.

I have the exact same TV and wired it direct like you did, but I've not been smart enough to turn it off when I started the engine or used the windlass.
I was initially worried that it had to have exactly 12 VDC, but even when equalizing my batteries at 15.1 VDC, that didn't kill it so it seems to be pretty tough.
My KVH receiver is indeed 12 VDC, but the Satellite receiver that you need either Direct TV or Dish, are both 120 VAC. I don't think a 12VDC satellite receiver is available any longer, so you have to have an inverter, but being able to run the TV and play DVD's directly off of 12 VDC is more efficient.

My DVD player is not blue ray though, is yours?

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by rwidman

You can buy 12 volt DC TV/DVD combinations. Mine is a Skyworth but there are other brands. While it may be tempting to buy a 120 volt TV with an external transformer and cut off the transformer, the voltage on your boat can vary from less than 12 volts to over fifteen in some charging situations. The 12 volt TV is designed for these variations, 120 volt TV is not.

Been doing this since the early 90's with TV/VHS machines and four LCD/DVD combo's. Never had a problem but agree 12VDC native is probably best.

[seasick]

I second the Jensen 12vdc TV. We have two aboard and have had nothing but good experiences with them. I do not recommend TV/DVD combos as the player units never last as long as the TVs. Our 32" Jensen is a major battery sucker, second only to our anchor windlass and so we only use it when plugged into shore power or when recharging batts with the generator.

[Excalibur5]

Seasick-

In general, I agree with you regarding the separate player / tv unit. However I chose it specifically as I wanted to simplify my layout and minimize the clutter of cords (important in the small spaces on our boat). I replaced a dedicated 120v tv with separate blu-ray player with the insignia unit.

I chose to take a chance with this Insignia unit, with it only costing $139, vs nearly twice that for the Jensens, and have been extremely happy with it for liveaboard and cruising use for the last 3 months. Your mileage may vary, of course.

[Bulawayo]

There is also the option of running a projector and having a pull down screen - pretty efficient. We use a car DVD player with a 40" screen run off an invertor.