Replacing the TV in a 2000 Kountry Star

[BamBoom]

Well...like most of you, we wanted to rid ourselves of the terribly outdated TV located in the front/center of the coach. Here's what I did:

What I started with:



Step 1: Remove the old TV. First, you remove the wooden bezel. This is done by loosening 2 screws. 1 on each side ofthe TV hidey hole. The crew can be reached by opeing the access doors on either side ofthe TV hidey hole.

Step 2: Slide off the bezel. Once you loosen the screws about halfway, the bezel should slide forward. Don't worry. The TV should still be firmly attached.

Step 3: Remove the TV. There should be 4 or so screws keeping the TV in the hidey hole near the base of the TV. Be careful! Once you start loosening those, the TV will want to fall forward. This job can be done with 1 person, but 2 are recommended.



Step 4: Make the TV Mount Anchor.Once the TV was out, my handyman and I surveyed the scene. He custom built the mount that would be used for mouning the actual TV mount.



Step 5: Make the backplate. This was made so that we didn't constantly look into a big gaming hole all of the time. It was cut and then screwed on using 6 screws: left, right and center along the top and bottom edge.



Step 6: Mount TV. Test mount the TV and the mount to make sure everything lines up right. Once you're sure where eveverything goes, take the mount off and go to Step 7.



Step 7: Beautify. We just panited it black so it would blend nicely. Another suggestion could be to cover it with fabric or something. I went for simplicity.



Step 8: Mount the TV again. This time for real. Should be easy because all of the mounting holes should be there already from the test mounting.



Step 9: Bask in the glow of a job well done. The TV should be right where you want it now. Breathe deep and smile.



Notes:

I originally used a Samsung 29" LED TV, but it seemed a little small. I upgraded to the 32" which you see in the pictures. The 32" is just a wee bit wide, so if I need to access the cabinets on the left and the right, the TV will need to be swiveled a bit on its mount. I have mounted some velcro strips to the back of the TV to keep it against the hidey hole bezel when driving. I've seen some mods that include hooks and clips. I may graduate to that once I take my first trip with the TV.

Also...I orginally drilled holes for the mount for the 29" TV and when I switched to the 32" TV, it sat a little lower. So...if I had the patience, I'd change the mounting holes and move them up a little bit to raise the TV towards the ceiling. It's not a deal breaker, so, for now, I'm leaving it as is.

SOUND! So...I am usually not happy with standard TV sound. If you look in the last picture, you can see 2 little speakers hiding in the corner. That is 2/3 of a Onkyo LS3100 sound system. The subwoofer is between/behind the passenger seat and the recliner. The thing is AWESOME and perfect for the RV in my opinion.

["007"]

Super job and write up Jesse will have to add in the QT's # 3 link, I also like the monitor under LCD its in my coach also in same place, just like the rear view mirror in my car.

[MikeandClaudia]

Good Job!!

It makes you feel good to be able to get a job like this completed.

I keep telling the DW that I am going to upgrade again to a 55" and she just rolls her eyes.

[Snomas1]

I like your method for the mount. I am about to tackle the front TV in my 02 DS. I just installed a 29" Vizio in the bedroom. The new 2" thick slim bezel 13# LED's are great for a retrofit. For the front some 32" Led's are only 29" wide that can fit between my cabinet doors. I'm glad I waited.

[Rnicfingrp]

Jessie, I have a '01 DSDP and I can't find the bezel screws you say are located in the 'side' compartments. My DS has a faux leather covering the outside of the 'hidey hole' and the screws must be under this covering and I don't want to damage the covering. Exactly where were your bezel screws hiding?
Rnicfingrp
'01 DSDP
'03 Wrangler Toad

[BamBoom]

Originally Posted by Rnicfingrp

Jessie, I have a '01 DSDP and I can't find the bezel screws you say are located in the 'side' compartments. My DS has a faux leather covering the outside of the 'hidey hole' and the screws must be under this covering and I don't want to damage the covering. Exactly where were your bezel screws hiding? Rnicfingrp '01 DSDP '03 Wrangler Toad

I, too, have the faux leather. My screws were inside the cabinets on each side of the hidey hole near the front edge of the cabinet. Right behind the cabinet edge. Some screws were there to probably support the hidey hole itself, while one on each side passed through the cabinet wall into the inner part of the bezel mount.

I'll try to take a picture tomorrow, time permitting.

[Turbofans]

I had to remove the 2 screws on the metal plate attached to the big box TV, then, after pushing the TV further back into the hidey hole, 4 screws on the inside of the wood trim were revealed. The trim pulled right out. The TV had been mounted too far forward for me to see them.
I contemplated how to remove that dumb TV for months. Almost removed the faux leather too, thinking that's where the screws were. Even removed the screws on the inside of the storage cabinets after reading one suggestion. Opened a bottle of wine after that discovery.

["007"]

Thanks for the post "MARK" I just remembered my 98 KS and 99 MA were mounted the same as you described, so many coach's and all different mountings hard to keep up with them all.

[Max Hubrich]

Jesse, AKA BamBoom,

Great writeup with pics-

I have the same cabinet configuration as you have.

I did several things to the cabinet doors to accomodate the 32" Sony LCD I installed about 4 years ago in my rig.

- I moved the cabinet doors out to the sides slightly.

- I cut about 1/4" off the ends of each door, and routed the radius onto the new ends. Then I restained the doors.

- I added a "filler" vertical strip to the inboard edges of the cabinet.

I made a bracket mount with two homemade "wing bolts" to hold the TV in place using part of the table mount bracket that came with the TV. These are hand tightened with the long drill rod I welded onto the bolts- no tools required to loosen or retighten.

I've done three other similiar installations for other friends. One has made the trip to Alaska two years ago (a 40' Allegro Bus with a 42" LG). All are doing great.

I'm thinking of upgrading my 32" to a 42". Then I would also have to loosen my two wing bolts and move the TV out somewhat to open the cabinet doors. I also used a swing out mount similiar to yours.

I can post pictures of what I did if anyone is interested.

Please keep in mind if you are going to go through all this trouble and work, don't forget you need TO FEED your new TV install a good signal- That means a new antenna system!! Of the installs I did for friends, after I told these folks they won't get full benefits of their HD until they upgrade their antennas, none have done so- One is still using an ancient non- HD dish, one is using an old King dome, and one has no antenna other than the crank up bat wing, which, by the way, works great near cities.

I have the Traveler Winegard antenna (DirecTv) installed and couldn't be happier with the picture quality on many, many channels. Yes, I pay a dear price for the service- but I never thought that enjoying RV living would be cheap.

I don't know of any campgrounds providing cable TV that are providing HD signals to their customers, but I could be wrong because I don't need to hook up to cable TV at campgrounds anymore.

Enjoy your new TV,

Cheers,

[bnsonger47]

Allow me to express my appreciation for this thread.

My wife and I recently purchased an '02 Dutch Star with original TV (JVC by brand). I told my wife that'll be the first thing to go. Unlike other motorhomes we've had, this cabinet is much trickier to deal with -- no buttons covering screws on the front of the bezel. Now that I know what to look, using this thread and another posted here, I'm ready to do the work.

["007"]

Welcome to the forum & irv2 Byron.
Glad the thread helped you out you can find more conversions in QT's # 3 in the tv to LCD CONVERSION SECTION.
Here is a Brochure and Owners Guide for you.
Down below in my signature you will find three links that will relate with your Newmar.
Enjoy the forum and congrats on your Newmar many safe travels for you.

[Ramets]

I went a different route after seeing what others had done.

["007"]

Thanks for your post Ramets, good looking job for your 2000 DSDP, no more bump heads.

[USMCRET]

Ramets, nice looking configuration there!

How far out from the bulkhead did you have to move the sofa to accommodate the new cabinet?

Did you do the woodwork, or is there a ready-made cabinet that will fit behind the sofa?