TV upgrade

[Larry Fisk]

Gerald is right, we installed a 46" Samsung in ours and it is so much thinner and lighter than the old .30". We feel it's one of the best upgrades we have done.

[Jeremy Parrett]

Hi Gerald,
Did you use an angled mounting bracket? If you did ,is it attached to a flat surface where the door used to be or to a bracket that fits under the locker?  
My Sony Bravia 32 inch LCD HDTV weighs 37 lbs.  I want to mount it in a similar position to yours using a wall mount ( tilted forward 15 deg ) attached to a plywood board screwed into the old locker opening.

[Gerald Farris]

Jeremy ,
There is no bracket holding the TV. It is held in with "L" shaped adapters that are fastened to the back side of the TV cabinet bezel. In other words it is edge mounted on the outside edge of the TV, to  hold it in place.

I am away from the coach this week (baby sitting grandchildren in Dallas while their mother is out of the country), but I will be back at home next week so that I will be able to take more pictures of the installation. With more pictures I probably will be able to explain the mount better.

The center two cabinets were removed and replaced with the TV cabinet, and the cabinet above the driver was built new to fit the remaining opening. This allowed the TV cabinet to be mounted closer to the windshield so that the cab drapes (privacy curtains) will just clear the TV cabinet when they are opened or closed. It is also offset to the left of center about 4 inches so that there is no obstruction when going in or out the door.

Gerald

[Jerry Pattison]

I had my 98 Marquis modified by Jim and Greg 3 years ago.  I wish I had done it sooner!  Great workmanship.  Those two know all there is to know about the innards of Beaver coaches.

I also removed that crummy Bose and replaced it with a Sony.  Much better and half the price, or less!

[Jeremy Parrett]

Hello Gerald,
   have fun with the grandchildren.  I have one grandson in Toronto ,Canada.  Jane and I are looking forward very much to our visit in August.
  Your installation makes a lot of sense.  I will look forward to seeing how these angle brackets work.
    Jeremy

[Keith Oliver]

I just tried to add some photos and the post went crazy.  How do I get photos to upload without making the thread go twice as wide and twice as long as the screen?  I cropped my photos so they were less than 1 MB (total including both).  The preview screen didn't show the photos, but as soon  as I posted, they were huge!

[Steve Huber Co-Admin]

Keith,
In Windows 7, select the picture, go to Picture, Compress. On the right side you can select size. Web or Email (probably best) are best options. However, this will permanently resize the picture so you may want to make a copy of the original first.
Steve

[Joel Ashley]

Steve is right, Keith.  Just cropping the photo may not do it;  you need to get the resolution down.  This usually doesn't affect the viewing quality when it's posted here, so don't fret about reducing pixel counts.  But like Steve says, be sure to make a copy in your album first, then do your resizing using that copy, so you'll still have the original at full resolution.

As to the TV redo, the guys at BCS in Bend suggested I go to 40" Sony or other brand from the 32" Sharp Aquos that came with the coach.  My issue is that I love the view out our one-piece windshield, and they said the 40" will require dropping the cherry frame 2-3 inches.  The problem with that particular Aquos is that it has 3" side speakers on either side.  That makes getting a newer design 40" in that same opening a cinch left to right, but the 40" is taller, pushing the case down where I'd rather not block windshield area.

What I read in Consumer Reports was that there is on the near horizon a new TV style that will take better advantage of the wide box format provided by most movies nowdays.  The TV screen is wider than today's units, and of course I'm thinking I should wait for that technology, in which a 40 or 42" set will fit my existing pocket with little or no woodwork modification.  The existing home theater center speaker (Bose unfortunately) could be used, but likely a sound bar could be hung on the passenger side, which has space without interfering with the windshield.

BCS recommended, and I agree, that the home theater components should be replaced with like-brand units, so only one modern remote designed to interlink everything is needed. The maze of wires up overhead would be cleaner.  And it just gets too darned hot up there, especially in summer if the rig is facing any direction but north, and isn't in shade up front.  An active ventilation system will be added if they're going to be taking out the old TV and components anyway, cuz the existing passive ventilation doesn't cut it, even with a small A/C port in the cabinet - it is almost useless against that Sony AM/FM receiver/DVD player's heat output.

When the time comes, since everyone seems to like the work done by Outfitters, I'll get their input in addition to BCS's.

Joel

[Keith Oliver]

my upgrade:  This leaves space below the TV for the Bluray to be loaded and for its IR port to be seen by the remote.  Also, on top of the Bluray, I have located my printer.  Both are secured in place by velcro straps.  To load paper into the printer the TV has to swing out, but since the printer is wifi enabled, no USB cable is required for its operation.  Just swing the TV out to get the printer output.
Not quite done tidying the cables, as I need to put some thought into the length of free cabling to be left.
Also, I have the TV sprung forward on a shock cord, which was adequate for the one short trip we have taken since this modification, but will keep an eye on it on a longer trip, to see how much solid attachment is required.
The only cost here was the TV and the support arm.  This was from Costco, about $70.  Comes with lots of bolts, lag screws, etc.  The cabinet sides at that location are 2, 3/4" panels, into which the lag screws provide a solid mounting for the swing arm.  The points of the lag screws just barely protrude through into the cabinet to the right of the TV, so you can see exactly how much wood is providing the secure support.  Then the pointy ends can be covered with a dab of caulking so they won't scratch whatever is left in that cabinet.

[Paul Bowers]

Keith,

I am in the process this week of updating the TV in my Beaver.  It looks like, from your pictures, we have the same cabinet set-up.  If it would not be too much trouble could you list the name brand of bracket you used and what TV was used to replace your old unit.  I am mainly interested in size.  I believe a 32 inch will fit on the outside the original box without a problem.

Normally, Wal-mart or Best Buy would have a wall mount, but so far, I have not been able to find what I want locally.  

Thanks in advance...

[Bill Jourdain]

Paul -

In our 2002 Monterey we replaced the original TV with a 26 inch TV we found at Target on a close out sale.  We purchased the articulating arm bracket at Wal Mart. I think a 32 inch TV would have also worked, but we are fine with what we have and the price was right.  I posted pictures of our TV project here:  http://forum.bacrallies.com/m-1344801373/s-2/#num2

I'm pretty sure the front TV box in our 2002 is similar to the one in your coach.  I don't recall the model of the arm, but Wal Mart still carries them.  The beauty of the way we mounted the 26 inch TV is that it sits on the ledge of the trim for support while we travel.  I also added a Velcro strap and brass brackets to hold the TV securely while we are traveling.

The articulating arm provides great viewing angles from the sofa and recliner.

Bill

[Paul Bowers]

Bill,

Thanks for the info.  Yes, it does look like we have the same cabinet set-up.  I like the way you mounted the bracket.  Keeps from running screws through the original woodwork.  I am headed to Best Buy and Wal-Mart...again:))

Thanks again...and 73's from K4KRQ.

[Bill Jourdain]

Paul -  these projects always sound easier than they turn out to be!   .

My wife and I made several trips to various stores looking at TVs and mounting options before settling on what we got.  We really just got lucky with the TV.  We were in Orlando on vacation and ended up at Target one evening and spied the TV on close out and the right size.  Our goal was to use the ledge on the trim piece for support and cover the hole, and it worked out - but only after an entire weekend of trial and error!  

Good luck with your project.  It's good to see another ham on the list here.

73,

Bill

[Dick Simonis]

Bill,

Thanks for the info.  Yes, it does look like we have the same cabinet set-up.  I like the way you mounted the bracket.  Keeps from running screws through the original woodwork.  I am headed to Best Buy and Wal-Mart...again:))

Thanks again...and 73's from K4KRQ.

Paul, for what's it's worth, I have a new swing arm arriving today..having just sent one back...that has a 20" extension which should allow the TV to swing a bit further towards the coach centerline.  

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000WYVBR0/ref=pe_175190_21431760_M3T1_ST1_dp_1

The new 32" TV arrived Monday, so I should have it installed this weekend and the first surprise was that the mounting holes were larger than the swing arm plate, so I had to order adapters which should also be here today.

The 32" will be a tight squeeze but my fingers are crossed.

[Keith Oliver]

Paul

I originally used a smaller TV on the swing arm, but had this 27" Toshiba so thought I would try it.  I think in order to avoid a lot of work getting the base of the swing arm securely mounted at the right height, without destroying a lot of the original woodwork, this is the largest TV I would try.  It is certainly big enough,with the short viewing distance.
The lag bolts are a very solid way to mount the arm, and in the location I chose, they get the benefit of the TV cabinet side and the side of the next cabinet for a very solid mounting.  Far more solid and sure than fitting in a new piece of wood in the middle of the big TV box.  Plus it leaves all that room for other stuff.
The arm came from Costco in Palm Springs, and I didn't keep the box.  They had 2 sizes, this one for up to 40" and a bigger one.  You need to check the spacing and bolt diameter on your TV, as that changes depending on size and weight.

Keith