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TV & mount


herm

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Chris & Cherie,

 

Just wondering how your super-articulating TV mount is working out for you, and whether you would have done anything different. Also, does the 24" screen feel TOO big, and does it fit between the windows when stowed in the corner? What exact mount did you install?

 

I'm somewhat torn between the Jensen 1907DC on the standard mount or a 22"+ HDTV (purchased by myself) on a mount like yours. I don't care too much about the fact that the Jensen is 12V, but supposedly it's a more rugged design for vibration, moisture, etc. I just don't know how well a regular LCD TV would hold up in an RV environment.

 

I'd really appreciate your thoughts, as well as anyone else's.

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Herm -

 

You can see pictures of our 24" Dell Ultrasharp monitor and Chief Manufacturing FWG-110B (http://www.chiefmfg.com) Swing Arm in our Oliver Tour, located at:

 

http://serolynne.livejournal.com/533358.html

 

The setup thus far has been fantastic for us - it allows the screen to be positioned in plenty of ideal locations for viewing - from movies in bed, viewing from the kitchen dinette, viewing out the back window and positioning the monitor as a second monitor for our computers when the bed is converted to a table (as shown in the picture in the tour). Our 24" fits really nicely in the back corner with just a tad of covering up the escape window.

 

Daniel and crew spent time with us to spec a mounting hook behind the monitor to secure the screen with a bungee while in motion, as well as drilled a huge finished hole for cables into the upper cabinet. And they mounted an aluminum plate on the outside of the inner hull for extra strength next to the escape window which is what the arm is attached to. We also placed rubber bumpers on the edges of the screen to keep the monitor and fiberglass from touching during transit.

 

 

So far, this has worked wonderfully for us. But in all honesty, we've not really had the opportunity to be stopped anywhere long enough to fully utilize it and do a full analysis of the setup. Our goal is to be stopped post-Burning Man in September, a fully shake everything out and write a series of reviews of our customizations and impressions of the Oliver for our full-timing lifestyle.

 

- Cherie

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Believe it or not, the FWG-110B is already discontinued. It looks like this is the current replacement: http://www.chiefmfg.com/productdetail.a ... ctID=10741. Does it look any different than what you have? Did Oliver supply this item or did you purchase it yourself?

 

I'll definitely be looking forward to your more in-depth report about this item and the rest of the trailer in the coming weeks/months.

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They're basically the same.. Chris remembers researching out the difference between the 'K' and 'F' model, and doesn't remember finding any differences. Maybe it was just a model year designator or something?

 

I believe that on this item, Chris spec'd it and found the best price for it.. and Oliver ordered it and had it shipped directly to them for installation.

 

- Cherie

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Thanks for the info, Cherie. Hopefully the factory will be able to duplicate this installation without any further information from me (as I have nothing else to offer).

 

You know, it's kind of funny. When I first started researching the Oliver and was reading about all the cool things you guys were adding, I was thinking "man, we should do that too". But now, after exercising some budget restraint and becoming honest about how we really use a travel trailer, the only technomadia edition option we'll probably end up with is a TV mount...but it's one heck of a mount!

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Cherie & Chris,

 

I see you must be getting a decent signal out there in the playa, since I saw a post from you yesterday. If you don't mind, I've got another question about your mount:

 

I'm wondering if you're anywhere near the upper or lower limit of the mounts height adjustment, either while positioned high against the upper cabinets or down low over the dinette table. Since my 22" TV's overall dimensions and VESA location will likely vary somewhat from your 24" monitor, I'm wondering if I need to adjust the mount location accordingly. The difference between displays is minor, so unless you're at the limit (I'm most concerned about the upper limit), I should be fine.

 

In case anyone else is interested, I've short-listed my TV choices down to these 3 (in no particular order): Samsung LN22A650, Samsung LN22A450, and LG 22LG30.

 

Thanks,

Herm

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Herm,

 

The Samsung LN22A650 is on sale this week at Circuit City. I was debating between the LG and Samsung as well, but Circuit City had them side by side last night when I went to view them. I'm going with the Samsung, as I liked it's appearance better and seemed to have a slightly better picture. It also has more A/V connection options.

 

Rgds,

Kyle

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Kyle,

 

I haven't personally seen the LN22A650 yet, but I did compare the LG and the A450 today at Best Buy (both selling for $450). Are you also getting the same mount?

 

Though I consider Samsung to be a better brand, I think I might be going with the LG primarily due to the smaller overall dimensions. The A450 appeared to have a slightly better image, but I didn't have time to adjust the picture settings to make an accurate assessment. In terms of connections, the LG lacked RCA audio outputs, but I don't anticipate using anything other than the built-in speakers (unless there's an auxillary input on the Jensen stereo?).

 

The one thing that sort of bugs me about the options in this size range is that the resolutions are based on PC displays (1680x1050 in this case), and this is not a true 16:9 aspect ratio, resulting in black bars on the top and bottom when displaying HD broadcasts.

 

Herm

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Herm,

 

There is an auxillary input on the Jensen.

 

For overall dimensions, the LG is only slightly smaller the the 650 Samsung. I did consider that, but when it came down to it, I like the look, picture, and connection options of the Samsung better. And I've had good luck previously with Samsung products.

 

For the mount, I'm still shopping and looking at some mount options. My issue is that all the arm models I've seen do not have a locking feature. So, run into the issue that Dunphy's did with their's and have to use a bungy cord to hold it in place while travelling. I also do not need an arm as long as the Dunphy's chose, as I will not use it for a computer screen over the dinette table. I mainly want the option of either watching it in the corner(like presently installed in Olivers) or swing it to a central location in front of the window above the dinette. I'm currently looking at the 4N1 model from Omnimount.

 

The other option I thought of the other night is to keep the mount that Oliver uses and then add a second base of the same mount centered above the dinette window. Then could simply unlatch the monitor and move it to the other location when needed. Then wouldn't have to deal with bungy cording the monitor at all. I don't know, still debating and will decide in the next day so that I can finallize my invoice with Robert.

 

Kyle

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Yes, I also have some concerns over securing the TV during travel, but I might look into adding an optional quick-release bracket which Chief provides if it becomes a major issue. This would allow me to easily remove and store the TV in a safe place (don't know where that would be yet). Of course, that would also entail removing all A/V connections too, so it's not a perfect solution.

 

If you decide to go with two fixed mounts, then you'll also probably want some sort of quick-release bracket to make the relocation quick and easy.

 

I'm also a fan of Samsung products, so I will definitely look at the A650 more closely. However, I'm not crazy about the 'touch of color' thing, though it's something I could probably live with. I'm also finding a lot of spec discrepancies with regard to resolution and contrast ratio, so that's making it tough to compare on paper.

 

Good luck with your decisions...I'd be curious to know what you end up with.

 

Herm

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Herm,

 

I ran to Best Buy during lunch and I think I have changed my mind on the tv choice. Samsung has a white version in the 400 series(very close to the 450), however it is a 19", is in a white lacquer finish(would blend into the Oliver interior vs stand out like a black set), and it is a true 16:9 ratio. It has all the conections needed and I'm thinking 19" will be big enough for watching a movie in the evening. The set will never get used during the day hours, as that time is for flyfishing, etc. :D My folks have this same set in their hobby room and it works great.

 

Specs:

http://www.samsung.com/us/system/consum ... 1_spec.pdf

 

So, that is where I'm at as of now. Going to sleep on it and will make the final decision tomorrow.

 

Kyle

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I noticed the white ones too, but never gave it much consideration. I see they also make the 22" in white. I think the TV is going to stand out regardless of the cabinet color because the display itself is black in either case. The next questions I'd have is "does anyone make a white mount".

 

BTW, I looked into the Omnimount you mentioned, and it doesn't look to me like it would give you anywhere near the range of motion you're looking for (i.e. facing out the back window). Maybe I didn't understand how you were planning on using it?

 

I've still got a few weeks to decide on the TV, since I'll be bringing it with me when I pick up the Oliver. But, I definitely don't want to go smaller than 22"...that's part of the reason I opted to delete the 19" Jensen (which was already an upgrade). It's really unfortunate that Sony, Panasonic and Sharp don't make a 22" TV...I guess it's not a big enough market.

 

Herm

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Quick message from the playa (only limited wifi here, and we're in the middle of a dust storm)...

 

The monitor arm has been absolutely fantastic.. we've been facing the monitor out the back window and doing photo slideshows that people out here are just loving! The positioning vertically has been fantastic for us.. and the bungy cord system has worked fabulously. I think a locking arm would actually be a not as good a solution, as the vibrations would go to the monitor, not the arm. But, I'm not a physicist.

 

 

Thanks,

- Cherie

 

PS. Since I've seen it twice today here, I'm taking pro-active measures to cut this off as soon as possible.. Chris and I are *NOT* 'The Dunphy's'. We are not legally married, and even if we were.. I would *never* change my last name and lump my identity in with someone else. So please please please, quit referring to us 'The Dunphy's' or our Oliver 'The Dunphy build'. I know it's usually a safe social assumption and likely a generational thing (and that many others prefer it otherwise), however I find it very disempowering to be reduced to being called by my partner's name, simply because I happen to have breasts. Our chosen unit name is 'Technomadia' - however we take kindly to being identified by our first names as well.

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PS. Since I've seen it twice today here, I'm taking pro-active measures to cut this off as soon as possible.. Chris and I are *NOT* 'The Dunphy's'. We are not legally married, and even if we were.. I would *never* change my last name and lump my identity in with someone else. So please please please, quit referring to us 'The Dunphy's' or our Oliver 'The Dunphy build'. I know it's usually a safe social assumption and likely a generational thing (and that many others prefer it otherwise), however I find it very disempowering to be reduced to being called by my partner's name, simply because I happen to have breasts. Our chosen unit name is 'Technomadia' - however we take kindly to being identified by our first names as well.

 

Cherie, you have a valid complaint. It's not a good idea to make assumptions. I corrected a message where I used "Dunphy build" and used "Technomadia build" instead. I thought it may be inaccurate, but the term was used by a sales person in a phone conversation, so I repeated it. I'll point this out to the sales person.

 

Peace,

--mark

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  • 4 weeks later...

In case anyone's interested, I ended up deciding on the Samsung LN22A650. I eliminated the LG due to lack of audio outputs, and I was able to purchase the A650 for less than the similar A450. In case anyone else is worried about the "touch of color" thing (as I was), it's pretty subtle. I'll know more about how well the TV interacts with the mount next week when we pick up the Oliver.

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