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Old 07-27-2021, 03:54 PM   #1
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Plasma Monitor Replacement

My old 37" Panasonic plasma started having issues connecting with some of my HDMI components. The issue seemed to be with the HDMI "handshake" between components. I connected the same components to a portable Vizio LED TV through essentially the same connections, and everything worked fine. Coupled with the 50 pound weight and the power hungry nature of the plasma, I decided it was time to give up my beloved plasma. (Plasma screens have long since been off the market.)

A search of the internet found a relatively limited number of options that would fit the existing opening with no cabinet modifications. The largest screen I could use was a 40" LED TV. I found that most TV's in that size class are now 43", with a limited choice of 40" LED models left. (Nobody makes an OLED TV in that size.) I chose the 13 pound Hisense 40H550F, partly due to reviews and the fact that it uses the Android TV software, which I am familiar with due to my Nvidia Shield streaming device.

Next was deciding how to mount it. My friend and I once removed and reinstalled the plasma, so I know how fun it is to hold up a TV and try to install the necessary screws into the TV. Especially a 50# plasma! I found the Hangman Simple TV Hanger. The new TV is WAY under the weight rating for the Hangman.

https://hangmanproducts.com/products...ount-tv-hanger

My local Walmart carried it in stock. It isn't designed for RV use, but should work fine anyway. The Hangman is an aluminum French cleat that mounts to the VESA spaced mounting holes found on most flat screen TV's. The mating cleat mounts to the wall, or in my case, to 2" aluminum angle iron brackets I mounted between the plasma mount brackets. I put a wood block on the lower TV mounting holes, and screwed the wood to the lower bracket I installed. The TV simply goes over the mating cleat and drops down to hold it in place. The TV can slide side to side as needed to center the TV in the opening. Two wood screws into the wood block lock it in place. The Hangman is designed to hold the TV 1" from the wall. My old plasma had 3/4" spacers, so I added 1/4" spacers to my bracket mounting to keep the screen approximately the same distance from the cabinet.

Anyone looking to mount flat screen TV's might want to look into the Hangman Simple TV Hanger. The only slight drawback I see with use of the Hangman mount is the fact that the cleat goes over the mating cleat, and drops down 1/2" to lock in place. So the TV will by necessity not be touching the ceiling. Not a big deal in my application. And it is very easy to remove the TV and reinstall it. Just remove the two wood screws and lift it off.

The 40" LED TV is actually about an inch narrower than the 37" plasma, so I added 3/8" trim to the cabinets on each side. These can be seen if you look closely at the finished TV.
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Old 07-27-2021, 07:39 PM   #2
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Nice work. We still have a plasma at the house. I much prefer the image quality over any LED or OLED screen that I have seen. It will be a sad day when the plasma TV fails.
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Old 07-27-2021, 08:49 PM   #3
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That is some seriously nice work.
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Old 07-27-2021, 08:56 PM   #4
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Nice work. We still have a plasma at the house. I much prefer the image quality over any LED or OLED screen that I have seen. It will be a sad day when the plasma TV fails.
I would have to say I agree with you 50%. I too much prefer the image quality over any LED TV I have seen. And I am sure the LED I got will not be the exception. But I will take the OLED over the plasma when properly adjusted. The plasma has served me well, and I certainly got my money's worth out of it. It might take me a while to discard it! I debated living with the component video connection in place of the HDMI.
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Old 07-27-2021, 08:58 PM   #5
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That is some seriously nice work.
Thank you!
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Old 07-28-2021, 08:10 AM   #6
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Nice work. We still have a plasma at the house. I much prefer the image quality over any LED or OLED screen that I have seen. It will be a sad day when the plasma TV fails.
totally agree. I was sorely disappointed when my Philips home 63" plasma seemingly died, but the 82" new, Sammy was returned after 2 weeks of repeat attempts to duplicate the PQ. I was thrilled to find the Philips issue was temporary and returned to full function and quality

BTW, using a Kill-o-Watt meter, the huge plasma showed 55W when on; power hungry? Maybe not so. Heavy? Indeed.

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That is some seriously nice work.
DITTO

Also, Jim, have you tried different HDMI cables? My ROKU fed plasma occasionally indicates connection issues, but 99% of the time works. All cables, as you likely know, are not equal.
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Old 07-28-2021, 10:38 AM   #7
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55W is an interesting number. I recently ran a battery test on our home solar battery back up power system. According to the Victron 712, the 55” Hitachi Ultravision Director’s Series, uses 350-400W, and it does put out some heat.
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Old 07-28-2021, 10:50 AM   #8
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<snip>

Also, Jim, have you tried different HDMI cables? My ROKU fed plasma occasionally indicates connection issues, but 99% of the time works. All cables, as you likely know, are not equal.
In addition to this, cables can fail. I recently had to change the HDMI cable from the blue ray player to the front TV in the RV. The TV would turn on as it recognized that the player had been turned on, but it wouldn't display anything or play sound. After messing with all the settings that I could find I finally tried a new cable - problem solved.
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Old 07-28-2021, 11:27 AM   #9
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Also, Jim, have you tried different HDMI cables? My ROKU fed plasma occasionally indicates connection issues, but 99% of the time works. All cables, as you likely know, are not equal.
I have 3 components connected to one TV input using an HDMI switch. Two of the components would not work, although both worked occasionally for a short period. The third (the least watched, of course) worked fine using all the same cables. All three worked fine with the switch output routed to a different TV.

Everything worked with all the same HDMI cables if I disconnected the HDMI cable at the plasma, and connected it through an HDMI to component video converter, connected to the component video input.

All a moot point as the new TV is already in place and working fine.
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Old 07-28-2021, 11:30 AM   #10
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Nice work. We still have a plasma at the house. I much prefer the image quality over any LED or OLED screen that I have seen. It will be a sad day when the plasma TV fails.
Same here, I have a Panasonic 60VT50 and a 65VT60. I'm going to be very sad when they die, but my A/C bill and electric bill won't be. The 65 pulls 900 watts!
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Old 07-28-2021, 06:57 PM   #11
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Great job Jim… I’m duly impressed with the fit and finish of the cabinet. You might even improve your mileage by substantially reducing the overall weight. Cheers!
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Old 12-03-2021, 06:24 PM   #12
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To update my TV installation, it was not completely successful. The new TV tended to rattle/creak when going down the road. If you look at the pictures in my original post, the VESA mounting screws are close together, and mounted in the plastic back. This allows for some flexibility. The plasma monitor had the mounting holes much farther apart, and rigid. (At 50 pounds it better be rigid!)

I have since mounted four blocks of wood near the ends of the French cleat and the lower wood strip. The blocks are mounted to the plastic back with 3M double stick tape. I put screws through the ends of the French cleat and the wood strip into the blocks to greatly stiffen the case of the TV. I have not taken a ride yet, but there is very little flexibility in the TV mount now. I don't expect any vibration noise.

As expected the picture quality does not match that of the old plasma, but it is surprisingly good for a low end LED TV. The combination of much less weight, much less power draw and heat, multiple connection convenience, and HDMI-ARC sound connection to the surround sound system make it a worthwhile change. It will do until they come out with a smaller OLED TV!
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Old 12-04-2021, 02:12 PM   #13
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Jim, Sounds like you have this solved.

If for some reason that doesn't work out I went with something like this one and ran heavy-duty Velcro along the bottom/back of the TV and it DOES NOT move or rattle. It's also very easy to get it down if necessary as well as easy to center on the area we have for the TV.

Cheers!
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Old 12-12-2021, 03:58 PM   #14
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Thanks Jim, for the referral on the Hisense 40" TV. It is the largest TV that will fit between the upper cabinets without major reconstruction, on later model coaches shipped with Plasma or LCD sets.

Our coach features an enclosed wooden extension below the TV. I mounted the bracket so the TV barely rests on this, and then added felt pads so the weight of the TV is split between bracket and bottom. No noise noticed on the drive from Portland to Palm Springs.

I am very pleased with the picture and sound. It is a significant improvement over the 37" Sony LCD factory installed. The built-in Roku completes the experience. I also loaded content on a large USB stick, and can play from the Roku player app, when we don't have speedy internet.

This size TV is probably becoming obsolete, so grab one at Walmart while you can. I'm thinking of getting a second one for the bedroom, as a backup.
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