TV/DVD Television: Yay Or Nay?

What do you use for an antenna?

 

I don’t even have a TV at home.

 

We have one like this...

The previous owners had it and gave it to us when they gave us the trailer. We just mounted it to a broom handle and bungy it to the power box at the site when camping.

 

Wow, great job!

 

Good idea!

 

I wouldn't order the TV now that I have experienced over 200 nights camping in the trailer. I realize that to run off 12 volt and AC our choices are limited to a very small size (i.e. 15"), unfortunately.

My desire would be to have the ability to move a flat screen to any position inside or outside; (i.e., temporarily hang the flat screen on the external side of the drop down cabinet inside the camper, or hang on the outside sidewall of the trailer, or put on a stand in kitchen area).

Small screen TV do not have full range Smart technology or HD quality. I would like a 24 to 32 inch (no larger than 32) Smart TV (HD capable)to carry in the Tow Vehicle for use when camping. TV's of this size do not have built in bluetooth, but a transmitter can be purchased separately and attached.

Generally if I'm going to watch a movie or stream, I'll be connected to shore power, so the 12 volt capable isn't a must have feature. However, no flat screen has good sound, so bluetooth connection to speakers or headphones are a must.

 

To each his own. I'd vote with the no TV crowd. However, that's only after spending many nights watching DVDs on technology from the 90s. I'll be the first to admit, I'm a snob when it comes to watching a movie at home.

I have yet to see a monitor that pulls that off WELL on DC (though I'm certain one's just around the corner [see next post]).

[My future self will install and Apple TV to harness the full potential of some Micro LED Projector]

For now, I'm completely happy propping my iPad Pro or Laptop with external speaker, up in front of us at night when the weather is less than ideal.
If there's a signal, I can stream.
If not, there are plenty of options to view download content (iTunes, Netflix, slideshow of pictures from the day).

 

Seeing this, I thought I should post an update. We ended up purchasing a (very slightly) used 2017 560 that did not have a television. We have NO regrets. When we have wifi available, we can stream content from a laptop, and that suits us just fine. We picked up a bluetooth speaker for another purpose, and have thought about getting one of those tiny projectors if we want to go bigger, but for the most part, the joy of the camper has been curling up with a good book before getting a good night's sleep instead of tossing and turning on an air mattress on the ground.

 

Television would be a great idea! Streaming shows and movies enjoying the night with some snacks! I think that would be great.

 

Having television is okay provided that it's not on all the time. The point of camping is spending time with ya fam and not with these gadgets.

 

We also passed on the TV when we ordered our 560. Our thought was that most all content we would want to watch would be easier to view on an iPad anyway-movies, streaming apps, etc. we don’t have cable at home and I can’t imagine us as a family watching over the air TV in the camper. The iPad is much more flexible-we could use it for more than watching and we can also use it outside the camper.

For the same reason we didn’t add any sound system/integrated radio/cd player. A Bluetooth speaker is more flexible-it can be by the fireside or on the picnic table or inside the camper. What we are missing with that method, of course, is over the air AM/FM radio access.

What we really need is a nice articulating magnetic iPad mount that we can stick on the CI cabinetry. Holding the iPad on our bellies as we lay in bed is less than ideal.

 

Some sort of thing that would allow you to adjust the angle would be fantastic! We also want a large, square tray that we can use to set up games inside the camper. Our screen house was overtaken by every bug imaginable on our last trip and wanted to play games inside the camper to escape the bugs in the evening (seriously, it was nuts. We had bees, wasps, mosquitoes, spiders, and beetles that all found their way into our screen house. We ended up zipping them up inside the screen house for a bug-free outdoor experience, ha!). A piece of board would have been really useful to keep the game set up in order on the bed.