Watch TV no generator?

[brunson67]

A few times a year we camp with no hook ups and not allowed to run generator past 8:00. Our family would like to watch movies in the evening. What’s the best way to get 110 volt without running generator?

[Parafango]

Our Trailer came with a 12 volt LCD television.
Here is a link to one, (for generally showing they exist)TV on Amazon.
I've not used this one so I can't vouch for it's clarity or audio or sensitivity to pick up TV channels with your roof top antenna.

A Previous 5th wheel we owned, had a 400W 12V to 110V AC inverter just to run the TV and DVD player. Still used a lot of battery though..

I got rid of the one in the trailer because it had a horrid audio issue not matter if it was a DVD playing or live TV.

Be ware that many DVD's these days are Blue Ray. Make sure your DVD player can handle them. My trailer is a 2017 and it will not play Blue Ray DVD's in the on board entertainment center.
Now I use a 110V TV and a 110V Blue Ray DVD player.

Safe Journeys and best of luck with your choices.

[donr103]

I just use 110w small inverter.. there is a cigarette lighter outlet and it very small plugs in there.. about 20 bucks.. move it from vehicle to vehicle for nebulizer..
Good luck and keep us posted oh.. look on back of tv.. and DVD player and get the watts they use.. add them together and get one..

[D Gardiner]

Originally Posted by brunson67

A few times a year we camp with no hook ups and not allowed to run generator past 8:00. Our family would like to watch movies in the evening. What’s the best way to get 110 volt without running generator?

Depending on your rig, and battery size, you can run an inverter to the TV/DVD for some time.

The power needed will depend on the TV and DVD power needs. If you have a huge TV and two small 6V deep cycle batteries, you may be in trouble very quickly.
If you have six to eight deep cycle batteries in a DP, and the TV and DVD player are miserly on power, you can go for hours, and hours.

We have a 30" LED TV and an older Pioneer DVD player, with two 6V deep cycle batteries. We can go two hours easily, but we don't push it further. We are running LED lights throughout the coach so it helps.

Now,...
If you want to boondock for a weekend and the grandkids want to watch DVDs on TV for 6+ hours, you may want to consider lithium batteries.

[wolfgolden]

A "solar generator" like jackery, blueti, etc may suit your needs if not interested in RV upgrades like batteries and inverter, but upgrading the RV would be my first choice.

[AllegroD]

How much batteries do you have? How cold is it? How much batteries do you need, for the night (heat)? Can you watch from a laptop, to be recharged during the day?

[twinboat]

I have 2 GP31, 100AH batteries and a 1000 watt inverter.

I watch Sat TV with a sound bar late into the night and still have battery power to run our coffee maker in the AM. An easy 5 hours of watching, overnight phone charging and lights.

[johnhicks]

Does your TV have an inline power transformer as do many flatscreens? If so, read the input and output info on the box. What's the output of the transformer?

[twinboat]

Originally Posted by johnhicks

Does your TV have an inline power transformer as do many flatscreens? If so, read the input and output info on the box. What's the output of the transformer?

He mentioned watching movies, that may include a DVD player. If that's the case, he needs to hope for 2 power brick cords with 12 volt output.

A 150 watt inverter is simpler.

[RRR]

I'm with twinboat about the inverter being easier.

I put a 150 watt (?) inverter in our old MH so the Wife could work remotely and we could watch TV, charge phones, etc without running generator. Likely wasn't the most efficient method but it worked.

[Camp CA]

Originally Posted by brunson67

..........What’s the best way to get 110 volt without running generator?

Inverter. Just make sure the tv circuit is tied into the inverter.

[RKins]

I would use one of the new "Battery in a box" offerings; They have usb charging, many features.
https://www.bing.com/search?q=Batter...c89d2f701983d7

[brunson67]

Hi all, some great advice, much appreciated. We currently have two six volt batteries for the coach. The few places we camp with no power hook up do allow generators to run in the morning and day, but like stated, have an 8:00 shut off. We have if I remember, a 37” flat screen i put in last year, smart TV, so if we have service we can stream movies, but if not we do have a new blue tooth compatible DVD player. I just started looking into the portable lithium charging systems, like the Jackery, pretty cool units. I feel this would definitely do the job, plus allow the kids to charge phones etc. Fortunately we are in Southern Ca, and it doesn’t get so cold we need to run the heater while we sleep, we only turn it on when we wake up to warm up the inside. If I was to FO an inverter I like the idea of Mayne only wiring it to a dedicated plug to run only the TV and dvd player if we need it. Seems like this is simpler and I can use a smaller wattage unit. Based on what I’ve read, my tv is probably around 35-40 watts, plus the DVD, do a small 150-200 watt inverter should work. Regarding the portable lithium power station like the Jackery 1000 or 1500, I could actually plug the RV right into this unit and it would run the TV, dvd player, and lights, etc. I did swap out all lighting to LED, we wouldn’t be able to use Microwave or AC, etc, but wouldn’t with a large inverter either.

[Olyteddy]

Most inverters have a "Sweet Spot" of efficiency. That's typically at 40% to 90% loaded. So if you want maximum run time of your TV size your inverter accordingly.