Guest starspirit Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 There has been much discussion about the relative merits of TVs and I have come to the conclusion that perhaps I should get a 12v flat screen LCD TV with digital and analouge tuning rather than just a 12v digibox to use with my existing Panasonic G10 TV. My hearing is not as sharp as it once was so decent sound quality would help as would teletext and I don't feel I need anything bigger than about a 12" to 15" screen. I wonder if all you nice people who have such a device would share with me your opinions of them please. Many thanks. Richard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest starspirit Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 Decided against Satellite TV - just too much hassle and/or cost to justify a sensible cost to benefit ratio. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Newell Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 Why not treat yourself to a digital radio richard. There's loads of good stuff on there. BBC radio 7 play an hour of classic comedy from 7.00 till 8.00pm monday to friday including such classics as Hancock's Half Hour, Whose line is it anyway, The Navy Lark, The Goons and many more. There are also loads of independent stations availalble. D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest starspirit Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 Thanks Dave but friends who have a digital radio tell me that it does not work so well away from centres of population, and I understand that many car radio makers have stopped selling them in the UK due to many complaints of poor reception - which are of course not the makers fault but the broadcasters Unless you know different? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest peter Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 Go for the LCD their v.good and cheap as chips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest starspirit Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 Can you still get channel 5 on chips Pete? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith T Posted February 3, 2007 Share Posted February 3, 2007 ince our (house) CRT has just packed up after 12 years, and we HAVE to go diigital in another 2 years I've just ordered an LCD with Freeview for Home. At the same time I ordered, and have now received and installed a DVD recorder with Freeview, and am amazed just how much there is on it, inc Text and Radio programmes. We had a Multi STd Panasonic 10" TV in the van for many years, and it was great. However, last year we had to get a new one as it would mostly just give pics in B&W, so went for a small 10.8" multi standard LCD which was being advertised at the time. Great picture, and in due course,when we have to, will get a freeview box to go with it. Many of the TV's currently advertised for MH /Caravan use do not inidcate whether or not they are multi-standard. I guess though that when/if the French go digital, that's be another system altogether!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randonneur Posted February 3, 2007 Share Posted February 3, 2007 The French have already gone digital. There are lots of French "terrestrial" boxes in the shops now and also digital satellite boxes have been around in France for a few years. I don't know when the toal switch over will be but they are certainly getting ready. Some of the TV's now have "freeview" combined as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derek500 Posted February 3, 2007 Share Posted February 3, 2007 Keith T - 2007-02-03 5:47 PM I guess though that when/if the French go digital, that's be another system altogether!! France already have their own 'Freeview' as does Spain. A UK Freeview receiver works with them all, and vice-versa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith T Posted February 3, 2007 Share Posted February 3, 2007 Derek - we live and learn every day....certainly am surpsied that the french system is anything like ours.....so does that mean the Freeview box attached to a multi standard TV, or any TV? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derek500 Posted February 3, 2007 Share Posted February 3, 2007 Keith T - 2007-02-03 6:18 PM Derek - we live and learn every day....certainly am surpsied that the french system is anything like ours.....so does that mean the Freeview box attached to a multi standard TV, or any TV? Any TV with a SCART. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Newell Posted February 3, 2007 Share Posted February 3, 2007 starspirit - 2007-02-02 11:32 PM Thanks Dave but friends who have a digital radio tell me that it does not work so well away from centres of population, and I understand that many car radio makers have stopped selling them in the UK due to many complaints of poor reception - which are of course not the makers fault but the broadcasters Unless you know different? Richard, my radio/Cd unit in the motorhome is an AM/FM/Digital unit and we have no problem with digital reception. Before I got this unit we used a digital portable radio and again never had any problem getting a signal. Even if you do find an area where you can't get a digital signal you can always resort to the basic FM although radio 7 ain't on FM. By the way the unit in the motorhome is a Blaupunkt and with a bit of shopping around on the net you can pick them up for about £120 or thereabouts. It also plays MP3 CDs so I've converted all our CDs at home to MP3, burned them to cheap CDs and we now have over 100 albums on just ten cheap discs, its like having a ten disc changer in the dashboard. D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest starspirit Posted February 3, 2007 Share Posted February 3, 2007 Thanks for that Dave. I think what we want is a 240v/12v digital/analogue multistandard LCD tv/dvd player. Can't be that difficult - surely? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted February 3, 2007 Share Posted February 3, 2007 I was having a look at mains LCD's the other week, some of which are proboly 12v with transformers, of the smaller ones a Philips model had by far the best colour rendition, I think it was about 15", I can't remember model, most of the 'cheap' brands looked bad in comparison. Of the large screens, Sony and Philips where the best with good colour and smearing not to bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest starspirit Posted February 3, 2007 Share Posted February 3, 2007 Yes I saw a Phillips a while back and it seemed better. Saw a 15" Goodmans in Comet today for £199 which seems to fit the bill, runs off a 12v adaptor too. So all I need do is chop the 12v lead and put a plug on it, and a socket on the bit left on the transformer and hey diddly doo we might be lucky - as long as the lead from the transformer is not a resistence lead. The transformer did say output 12v but is that at transformer or plug. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsMole Posted February 3, 2007 Share Posted February 3, 2007 Hello, as we are into using a computer we bought a 2nd hand 14" screen laptop for about £125 then added a TV box. This way you can use the "comp" for games or as in my case family research when there is nothing on TV to watch. You now can get a combined digibox/TV box. The voltage can be 12V or 240V. I have heard you can use 12V to 240V inverters as they are not high power users if you are using a "home" box, but I don't know anything about these. Hope this helps someone, or and you can watch a CD or DVD as well, depending on your Laptop as well as listening to radio + music discs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest starspirit Posted February 3, 2007 Share Posted February 3, 2007 Thanks for that Jean. I have heard it said that computer and laptop monitors are designed to be seen from directly in front of them only whereas TV are designed to be looked at from a much wider angle thus making a dedicated TV show a better picture? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest starspirit Posted February 3, 2007 Share Posted February 3, 2007 Thanks for that Jean. I have heard it said that computer and laptop monitors are designed to be seen from directly in front of them only whereas TV are designed to be looked at from a much wider angle thus making a dedicated TV show a better picture? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest starspirit Posted February 3, 2007 Share Posted February 3, 2007 PS A warm welcome to the nuthouse Jean! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralph Posted February 3, 2007 Share Posted February 3, 2007 I aqree with Dave about BBC7, I think it's wonderful. I don't have a digital radio but my van radio has MP3 and takes a memory card so I record a lot of stuff from BBC7 to take away with me and listen to on the cab radio. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest peter Posted February 3, 2007 Share Posted February 3, 2007 Dave Newell - 2007-02-03 6:54 PM starspirit - 2007-02-02 11:32 PM Thanks Dave but friends who have a digital radio tell me that it does not work so well away from centres of population, and I understand that many car radio makers have stopped selling them in the UK due to many complaints of poor reception - which are of course not the makers fault but the broadcasters Unless you know different? Richard, my radio/Cd unit in the motorhome is an AM/FM/Digital unit and we have no problem with digital reception. Before I got this unit we used a digital portable radio and again never had any problem getting a signal. Even if you do find an area where you can't get a digital signal you can always resort to the basic FM although radio 7 ain't on FM. By the way the unit in the motorhome is a Blaupunkt and with a bit of shopping around on the net you can pick them up for about £120 or thereabouts. It also plays MP3 CDs so I've converted all our CDs at home to MP3, burned them to cheap CDs and we now have over 100 albums on just ten cheap discs, its like having a ten disc changer in the dashboard. D. Dave.....Dave........He wants a telly mate. You aint going to convert him to listening to the radio instead. Just get yourself a telly and stop trying to get the rest of us to give up ours. :D (lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Newell Posted February 3, 2007 Share Posted February 3, 2007 peter - 2007-02-03 9:30 PM Richard, my radio/Cd unit in the motorhome is an AM/FM/Digital unit and we have no problem with digital reception. Before I got this unit we used a digital portable radio and again never had any problem getting a signal. Even if you do find an area where you can't get a digital signal you can always resort to the basic FM although radio 7 ain't on FM. By the way the unit in the motorhome is a Blaupunkt and with a bit of shopping around on the net you can pick them up for about £120 or thereabouts. It also plays MP3 CDs so I've converted all our CDs at home to MP3, burned them to cheap CDs and we now have over 100 albums on just ten cheap discs, its like having a ten disc changer in the dashboard. D. Dave.....Dave........He wants a telly mate. You aint going to convert him to listening to the radio instead. Just get yourself a telly and stop trying to get the rest of us to give up ours. :D (lol) Dave Newell - 2007-02-03 6:54 PM starspirit - 2007-02-02 11:32 PM Thanks Dave but friends who have a digital radio tell me that it does not work so well away from centres of population, and I understand that many car radio makers have stopped selling them in the UK due to many complaints of poor reception - which are of course not the makers fault but the broadcasters Unless you know different? Pete, Pete, the intention wasn't to convert him from telly, just to let him know there are alternatives. I do have TV in the 'van, I use a Hybrid analogue/digital TV card with my laptop. Viewing angle is fine from the distance we use it and if you can't get a decent digital signal you can always revert to analogue (for now anyway), if you can't get analogue either you can switch on the digital radio and listen to some classic comedy, or not as the mood suits you. D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flicka Posted February 3, 2007 Share Posted February 3, 2007 Hi Richard Maplins have some reasonably prices 10" LCD Digital TV's and also have a built-in DVD version. Have a look back at Frank's post (mid January, I think) They are genuine 12v DC/240v AC Units, so no messing cutting off plugs or the need for voltage stabilisers if using a standard 240v AC unit without it's Transformer. One of Dave Newell's posts on a "Laptop v LCD TV "thread, explained this in detail. For UK terrestrial digital signal reception, have a look at:- http://www.ukfree.tv/transmitters.php Unfortunately my area is not brilliant and we gat some break up on some of the Freeview channels and occasionally Channel 5. It does not seem to effect Digital radio so much but then again, I don't use that very often. One point which surprised me when setting up the system, off the House ariel I could only get 7 channels, took the system into the Van and got a further 8 channels, I also got more channels with the van parked in the shadow of our area transmitter. So I can now get (about) 22 channels + various digital Radio. I guess that Dave's location will have a good / strong Digital signal. Moving around the UK, you will find differences in the signal strength, reminiscent of the analogue signals in sheltered areas (and especially the Scottish Highlands) during the 60's/70's Flicka Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brambles Posted February 3, 2007 Share Posted February 3, 2007 Just a quick note on 12volt supply, not all LCD TVS that have a 12volt input which will work successfully off leisure batteries without mains hookup. Problem is as the battery volts drops the TV starts to fall over. Only some are specifically designed to work with battery voltages. Jon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest starspirit Posted February 4, 2007 Share Posted February 4, 2007 Radio for on the move and in the morning - TV for on 'off-site' and in the evenings. DVD's and CD's for a change. Variety is the spice of life! The voltage drop point is very valid Jon - I had forgotten that - thanks. My current (no pun intended) Panasonic goes off at just under 11 volts which only ever happens in the middle of an interesting or really funny programme which, heaven knows, are rare enough! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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