Television 12V or adaptator

[Justiek]

We want to get a television with DVD for our Upcoming trip. I’ve heard a lot of complaints about the 12V TVs. Biggest complaint is sound. So I was wondering if we just got a tv and used an adaptor, would that work? What are your suggestions?

I tried searching the forum and couldn’t find the answer

We have a 2015 Jayco Flight 27’ Foot

[WinnieView]

How about a 24" flat panel TV and a portable inverter?

[Tinyhse]

Same here..I use a small 75W inverter i plug in 12v socket at antenna booster then plug in my Flat Screen with built in CD/DVD.
Works awesome. I use a DTV finder app. on my phone to position my antenna.

[Atlee]

What's especially bad about the sound from a 12V TV? From what I've seen, the sound quality isn't great from any flat panel TV, AC or DC.

Originally Posted by Justiek

We want to get a television with DVD for our Upcoming trip. I’ve heard a lot of complaints about the 12V TVs. Biggest complaint is sound. So I was wondering if we just got a tv and used an adaptor, would that work? What are your suggestions?

I tried searching the forum and couldn’t find the answer

We have a 2015 Jayco Flight 27’ Foot

[ifallsguy]

We use this 12v TV and the sound is fine. It's 32 inch with HDMI input for DVD player, supports 1080. You can also get it in 28 inch. Ours is on a wall mount opposite the bed. We did add a 12v outlet near the TV for power. My laptop has an HDMI output so we can also use it as a computer monitor.

https://www.rvpartsnation.com/rv-ele...olt-led-dc-tv/

You can also run it off a 120V adapter, which is available from Jensen. We also have one so we can run it when on shore power.

The advantage of running a tv with 12v is you don't have the power lose you have using an inverter. No matter how efficient an inverter is, you loose run time as it uses power itself and produces heat.

[lefoster]

so is there an adapter that fits in the 12V outlet and then you can plug a regular TV with a standard plug in that???
if so, can you put a link in your response.

[ifallsguy]

Originally Posted by lefoster

so is there an adapter that fits in the 12V outlet and then you can plug a regular TV with a standard plug in that???
if so, can you put a link in your response.

It called an inverter, that is it takes 12vDC and produces 120AC. Good ones are expensive and you need to make sure you purchase one with a rating at least 50% more than your draw. That will keep the heat it produces down and extend its life.

And they are available as hard wired (wired directly into a 12vDC source) and with plugs (cigarette lighter). The latter can be used with a 12vDC (round) plug.

Remember an inverter uses power to make AC. It is more efficient to purchase a 12vDC television for the maximum available (time) DC power than it is to use an inverter to produce 120AC. I compared running the TV on DC vs through an inverter once and found my batteries were down about 20% more against the same test (same running time of 3 hours) running the TV on DC. The inverter does come with an energy cost. Remember nothing is free, except maybe those samples at Costco.

If you decide to go with an inverter, make sure you research and purchase one with a higher output than you expect and highest efficiency you can afford. And make sure you purchase one with a smooth sine wave, not a squared wave (cheaper and bad for electronics). For an idea, mine cost about $225 2 years ago and produces a smooth sine wave which is save for computers, TVs, etc. It also has a power cost (uses itself to operate) of about 12% of power used.

[lefoster]

Originally Posted by ifallsguy

It called an inverter, that is it takes 12vDC and produces 120AC. Good ones are expensive and you need to make sure you purchase one with a rating at least 50% more than your draw. That will keep the heat it produces down and extend its life.

And they are available as hard wired (wired directly into a 12vDC source) and with plugs (cigarette lighter). The latter can be used with a 12vDC (round) plug.

Remember an inverter uses power to make AC. It is more efficient to purchase a 12vDC television for the maximum available (time) DC power than it is to use an inverter to produce 120AC. I compared running the TV on DC vs through an inverter once and found my batteries were down about 20% more against the same test (same running time of 3 hours) running the TV on DC. The inverter does come with an energy cost. Remember nothing is free, except maybe those samples at Costco.

If you decide to go with an inverter, make sure you research and purchase one with a higher output than you expect and highest efficiency you can afford. And make sure you purchase one with a smooth sine wave, not a squared wave (cheaper and bad for electronics). For an idea, mine cost about $225 2 years ago and produces a smooth sine wave which is save for computers, TVs, etc. It also has a power cost (uses itself to operate) of about 12% of power used.

great info.......thanks!