A good manufacturer of 12V televisions....?

[tbrown]

I am trying to find hubby a good, dependable 12V LCD television - preferably 22" with DVD. I keep coming across the brands NAXA and Skyworth. Can anyone recommend a good brand?

Thanks...

[MichiganDriver]

I am trying to find hubby a good, dependable 12V LCD television - preferably 22" with DVD. I keep coming across the brands NAXA and Skyworth. Can anyone recommend a good brand?

Thanks...

Just my 2 cents but why 12 volt? I think you're better off getting an ac inverter and going with a 110 volt tv. The tv will probably be cheaper and better made. Plus the inverter can power other things like an alarm clock, rechargeable razor and charge his cellphone without a car adapter.

I've got a little 110 volt 16" Vizio that I bought at Walmart for about $140 and if I remember correctly it only draws about 35 watts. I tried the 12 volt stuff when I first started and the only "keeper" imho is the lunchbox oven.

Good luck.

[Roadhog]

I have a 110v/12v Sylvania TV/DVD about 8 years old, and still works like new.
(see photo)
I ran the TV, Fridge, and my clock on 12 volt.
We have APU's in every rig, so there is plenty of 110v.
I never had an issue running the TV on 12v, and run it off 110v in my den at home.

...if you want....I'll give you this great TV, plus this DVD rewinder, in exchange for Shania's new cellphone #
Will consider a date with Megan Fox, but that's as low as I can go.

[tbrown]

Just my 2 cents but why 12 volt? I think you're better off getting an ac inverter and going with a 110 volt tv. The tv will probably be cheaper and better made. Plus the inverter can power other things like an alarm clock, rechargeable razor and charge his cellphone without a car adapter.

I've got a little 110 volt 16" Vizio that I bought at Walmart for about $140 and if I remember correctly it only draws about 35 watts. I tried the 12 volt stuff when I first started and the only "keeper" imho is the lunchbox oven.

Good luck.

That is the question - does his company (GTI) allow drivers to install inverters? Half of their fleet now has APUs but, that does not include the older truck that he's driving. I wanted to surprise him with the TV (not that you guys have a whole lot of time to watch them) so I was trying to get some opinions on what is best. I would think you would want to avoid 12V unless you had to use it but he may not have that option.

Thanks much for the input - it is appreciated.

[tbrown]

I have a 110v/12v Sylvania TV/DVD about 8 years old, and still works like new.
(see photo)
I ran the TV, Fridge, and my clock on 12 volt.
We have APU's in every rig, so there is plenty of 110v.
I never had an issue running the TV on 12v, and run it off 110v in my den at home.

...if you want....I'll give you this great TV, plus this DVD rewinder, in exchange for Shania's new cellphone #
Will consider a date with Megan Fox, but that's as low as I can go.

Cute...VERY cute...

[GMAN]

That is the question - does his company (GTI) allow drivers to install inverters? Half of their fleet now has APUs but, that does not include the older truck that he's driving. I wanted to surprise him with the TV (not that you guys have a whole lot of time to watch them) so I was trying to get some opinions on what is best. I would think you would want to avoid 12V unless you had to use it but he may not have that option.

Thanks much for the input - it is appreciated.

Most companies will allow inverters that you plug into a cigarette lighter. You can buy a 400 watt Cobra for about $30 at most truck stops. I don't have a TV in my truck. I mainly use the inverter to keep my cell phone and computer charged. I also use it to power my all in one printer for faxing and sending paperwork.

[Bigmon]

On Craigslist people give away tv's like crazy for free.

[MichiganDriver]

That is the question - does his company (GTI) allow drivers to install inverters? Half of their fleet now has APUs but, that does not include the older truck that he's driving. I wanted to surprise him with the TV (not that you guys have a whole lot of time to watch them) so I was trying to get some opinions on what is best. I would think you would want to avoid 12V unless you had to use it but he may not have that option.

Thanks much for the input - it is appreciated.

He may not have a whole lotta time for tv but he will appreciate having one in a big way. At the end of a grueling day I might only be able to stay awake for 1/2 hour or an hour to watch a little tv but it seems terribly wrong somehow when after working so hard I'm not able to.

Whatever you decide to do, he will be very happy you were thinking about him.

[Roadhog]

He may not have a whole lotta time for tv but he will appreciate having one in a big way. At the end of a grueling day I might only be able to stay awake for 1/2 hour or an hour to watch a little tv but it seems terribly wrong somehow when after working so hard I'm not able to.

Whatever you decide to do, he will be very happy you were thinking about him.

+1 ... my sentiments as well.
I'd feel sorry for myself, if I couldn't get at least one channel worth watching.
The big baby needs something shiny to distract him long enough to get him to settle down and sleep.

If they are unloading me ... at the same time...it's like rocking the cradle.

[Malaki86]

I stopped worrying about watching live tv years ago. Most of the shows I like are on Discovery, History Channel, etc. So, I just download the tv shows to a hard drive and watch them on my laptop. A plus to this is there are no commercials. But, that has me spoiled and I almost go insane when I'm at home and watching tv.

[MichiganDriver]

+1 ... my sentiments as well.
I'd feel sorry for myself, if I couldn't get at least one channel worth watching.
The big baby needs something shiny to distract him long enough to get him to settle down and sleep.

If they are unloading me ... at the same time...it's like rocking the cradle.

Well put.

[tbrown]

He may not have a whole lotta time for tv but he will appreciate having one in a big way. At the end of a grueling day I might only be able to stay awake for 1/2 hour or an hour to watch a little tv but it seems terribly wrong somehow when after working so hard I'm not able to.

Whatever you decide to do, he will be very happy you were thinking about him.

Ah...finally...a driver who will allow himself a simple pleasure or two... I finally found the TV, a 19" LCD Toshiba w/DVD (yes, could have been bigger, but also thought of fit) and it will be here tomorrow. I received delivery of a 43qt 12V EdgeStar fridge/freezer today...supposed to be the more economical version of the Engel.

I only know this: my husband is one hard-working man! He only comes home every 4-5 weeks and like some of the others say, it can be a lonely, tough life. I want him to be comfortable and have some way to relax and unwind when he's out there...that includes his PS3, which he plans to bring out with him.

Lastly, I have seen the available satellite set-ups and the VuQube is sure expensive! Until we're able to purchase a satellite system, can someone recommend something? I was trying to find a good antenna, but I see a lot of guys say that they use the one built into their truck...opinions?

[MichiganDriver]

You might want to look into the Winegard Carryout gm-1518. I'm a cable guy but just got Dish network and I've been looking at those. Sometimes you can find them cheap on Craigslist

allofcraigs.com - Search ALL of Craigslist

One thing that's making me pause though. I'm afraid my truck would be a target for thieves if they see an expensive antenna setup. Somebody breaking in to my truck and grabbing everything in sight would hurt bad. $20 here, $30 there, before you know it you're talking real money. For the moment I'm doing over-the-air tv with the occasional show off the internet via my Sprint aircard.