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Old 07-31-2020, 11:24 AM   #1
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12 volt or 120 volt tv

Anyone know which version tv 12 volt or 120 volt would give the best picture quality.. or does it not make any difference. Our old 12 volt Jensen tv had bad picture quality.
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Old 07-31-2020, 12:01 PM   #2
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Hello Videocrafters,

I don't think the voltage makes a difference on the video quality.

We got this TV for our Escape 21: https://www.amazon.com/SuperSonic-10...Bfor%2Brv&th=1

It can run off AC or 12v DC. Picture quality is the same regardless of AC or DC. We like having the DC option so we don't have to fire up an inverter to watch the TV.

When we first used the TV, I was disappointed with the picture quality. However, it turned out that the old coax cable I was using (we were in a campground that offered cable TV connections) was simply a bad cable. I switched it out for a newer, higher quality one and that made all the difference.

If you are using the antenna for over air reception, you will be at the mercy of your location. Some stations may come in OK, others may have some picture distortion depending how far away you are from the TV station's transmitting antenna.

Happy Trails, Bea
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Old 07-31-2020, 12:48 PM   #3
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Originally Posted by Videocrafters View Post
Anyone know which version tv 12 volt or 120 volt would give the best picture quality.. or does it not make any difference. Our old 12 volt Jensen tv had bad picture quality.
It's not "12 volt or 120 volt". It's can I find an 120 volt Insignia with a hockey puck inline transformer.

The new Insignias don't have the inline power transformer, the 120 volt cord goes directly into the TV. But the 3 or 4 year old ones have the transformer. Cut the cord and add a 12 volt cigarette plug or find a cord that plugs directly into the TV.

Ignore any indication that the transformer output is 16 volts etc. It doesn't matter the TV works perfectly.

I did that on my 19 but it went with it when I sold it. For my 21 I ended up buying two separate Insignias on Craigslist for a total outlay of about $75. Always nice to have a spare.

Picture quality looks good to us for OTA, viewing photos and watching downloaded Netflix.

I should add that the TV doesn't sit like that. I'ts now on a swiveling arm so that we can also view it from the dinette.

Ron
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Old 07-31-2020, 01:04 PM   #4
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Anyone know which version tv 12 volt or 120 volt would give the best picture quality.. or does it not make any difference. Our old 12 volt Jensen tv had bad picture quality.
IMO, using a small $50 300 watt inverter with a 120 volt TV makes a lot more financial sense than spending double or more to get an equivalent sized 12 volt TV. This is especially true the larger the TV gets.

According to one product review site, a 32” LED TV uses about 18 watts of energy. Moving up to a 40” LED increases that energy use to 31 watts – not a huge difference. But a 55” LED TV uses about 57 watts or 2x the amount of electricity as a 32” TV (though still very little electricity).

300Watt Pure Sine Wave Power Inverter DC 12volt to AC 120volt Car Converter Adapter with Dual USB Ports for Smartphones Laptops Tablets CPAP
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Old 07-31-2020, 01:15 PM   #5
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Originally Posted by Ron in BC View Post
It's not "12 volt or 120 volt". It's can I find an 120 volt Insignia with a hockey puck inline transformer.

The new Insignias don't have the inline power transformer, the 120 volt cord goes directly into the TV. But the 3 or 4 year old ones have the transformer. Cut the cord and add a 12 volt cigarette plug or find a cord that plugs directly into the TV.

Ignore any indication that the transformer output is 16 volts etc. It doesn't matter the TV works perfectly.

I did that on my 19 but it went with it when I sold it. For my 21 I ended up buying two separate Insignias on Craigslist for a total outlay of about $75. Always nice to have a spare.

Picture quality looks good to us for OTA, viewing photos and watching downloaded Netflix.

I should add that the TV doesn't sit like that. I'ts now on a swiveling arm so that we can also view it from the dinette.

Ron
I wish I had gotten one of those when I had the chance.

I keep wondering what the interior stepped down DC voltage is?

Should I open up a TV and test it?

Has anyone tried opening and checking on the newer TVs?

I know with the old hockey puck ones, typically the 25" TVs were 12 volts. Most 32" TVs were 19 volts, but, a few were 12 volt.
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Old 07-31-2020, 01:16 PM   #6
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IMO, using a small $50 300 watt inverter with a 120 volt TV makes a lot more financial sense than spending double or more to get an equivalent sized 12 volt TV.
I, too, share your opinion! Only I use a 150w pure sine wave inverter rather than a 300w because it’s footprint is even smaller and the TV uses very little wattage.
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Old 07-31-2020, 02:00 PM   #7
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I wish I had gotten one of those when I had the chance.

I keep wondering what the interior stepped down DC voltage is?

Should I open up a TV and test it?

Has anyone tried opening and checking on the newer TVs?

I know with the old hockey puck ones, typically the 25" TVs were 12 volts. Most 32" TVs were 19 volts, but, a few were 12 volt.
They're still pretty available. Mine are 24". Only took a couple of looks on Craigslist to find both.

My alternate plan would have been to open up a new one and find out what the bus voltage was. But I'm glad that I didn't have to, my wife doesn't seem to like the idea of getting something brand new and then me doing a mod on it. You'd think that she'd be used to it by now.

I'd probably have gone to a small inverter.

Ron
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Old 07-31-2020, 02:41 PM   #8
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https://www.amazon.com/s?k=12+volt+tv&ref=nb_sb_noss_1
I put a 12V led tv in last year. good picture, light, works great.
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