New Hardtop TV
Dream_Inn
Member, Moderator Posts: 7,661 mod
Well, I've been wanting to change out the cheesy DVD player that came with the boat mounted on the hardtop. After seeing what @dirtythirty did last year, I knew what I needed to do. I used the same bracket he had purchase last year.
It swivels about 90 degrees on the bracket, but will swivel 360 on the 1inch starboard I mounted it to. The starboard is attached to the seat swivel that was originally used on the ceiling for the dvd player.
I only wish I had the machine that @diggin2day1 has! I may take it back down and use my router on the edges and round the corners of the starboard. You can also see in the pictures another use for the LED lights that go around the hardtop. It is obviously quite blue under the winter cover, but putting the LED lights on white really helps out. It's t-shirt and shorts weather underneath!
Only thing I didn't get working yet is the sound thru the two rear speakers in the hardtop. I bought an audio converter from optical to coax, but the TV doesn't seem to drive the sound thru it (not a big deal, the TV does seem loud enough, but I'll get it working somehow).
The TV is a Samsung 32". I powered it using a DC converter (from 12V to 19V). I also ran cables down to the galley to a DVD player in a cabinet (which will play on either the galley TV or the hardtop TV).
Dream 'Inn III -- 2008 400 Express
Comments
Go Steelers!!!
The mount seems pretty sturdy. I guess time will tell for sure. @dirtythirty has the same mount and been using it for the last year, so hopefully that means that it's ok. I think it will stay put during rough seas.
As far as audio, I was doing some reading and I may just have to change the sound out of the TV from dolby to PCM. Samsung only has digital optical audio out. I bought this:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NJCCAKY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I may end up needing to buy one that has separate volume, like this:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073PYN7L5/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I2YQFDF115GQRZ&colid=2Q44B212P84PT&psc=1
I'll look more into the ones that pull it out of HDMI (as LaRea mentioned).
Dream 'Inn III -- 2008 400 Express
no headphone jack. I have two completely separate speakers in the back of the hardtop that are only there for the TV (was for the DVD player). So, I'm gonna get them working one way or another
Dream 'Inn III -- 2008 400 Express
Dream 'Inn III -- 2008 400 Express
My TV does not play through my speakers. when you figure out how to do it, shoot me a PM. Although I must say, the TV puts out enough volume so I I don't really need to play it for the entire dock. (That is unless I have next seasons "EAGLES" GAME ON !!!.....sorry, I feel I can put that out there and relish in our amazing win for just a little while !)
BTW, I have NEVER had the TV come unlatch and come down to the open position while under way. It is ROCK STEADY when it is in its tucked position. Also, I'm almost 6'4", and I can walk under it and I don't even come close to hitting my head on it. (Its a different story when the TV is flipped down, I always need to remember its there).
Dream 'Inn III -- 2008 400 Express
Originally, I bought the same Samsung TV as @Dream_Inn, but it arrived with a cracked screen. I needed a TV that day, so I ended up getting a TCL 32" Roku 1080p TV that was available locally. Bonus, it can play lots of streaming video services over wifi. We streamed a Capitals game using my phone as a hotspot, and the picture was fantastic.
For audio, the TV has a digital output (TOSlink optical cable). I connected that to an analog converter with RCA plugs connected to the boat stereo, so anything I play on the TV can play over the stereo. It sounds great, although the mute switch on the TV remote doesn't work.
On my boat, the mounting surface on the underside of the hardtop is tilted astern by 3.5°. I made a 12x12 plate of 3/4" starboard, and added a 3/4" shim along the forward edge. That gave me a nice level surface to work from.
I re-used the original swivel, which goes between that plate and a second 12x12 plate that holds the tilt mount.
All of the fasteners are 1/4"-20 except the small screws that hold the TV to the mount. I was worried that screws into the fiberglass might pull out in heavy seas, so I used stainless 1/4" threaded rod with a nut and large washer on the top (inside the hardtop).
The cut edges of the starboard have a pebble finish obtained by heating and dabbing with sandpaper, as detailed here:
http://rinkerboats.vanillacommunities.com/discussion/9227/starboard-marine-lumber-how-to-finish-cut-edges
I replaced the original power switch with a small panel that has two USB charging ports, a 12-V power plug, an HDMI port that plugs into the TV, and a power switch for the TV. I can plug a laptop into the HDMI port and play it over the TV. The TV also allows wireless screen mirroring.
The TV requires AC power, so I'm going to install a small inverter connected to the stereo breaker panel. (For now, it only runs on shore power or generator.)
At first, the TV seemed WAAAAY too big, and I thought about replacing it with a 28". Now that I've seen it a few times, it looks appropriate, and so much better than the original worthless TV!
Looks great @LaRea! I like the usb/switch panel. Smart TV is the way to go (I've used the Internet connections a few times already on mine). Also using Roku (I use one thru USB slot, and place the device at times on my radar to see the wifi over the boat next to me on a lift in the marina) is nice to get all the stations that you'd get on your home TV (if you have wifi available).
Definitely get that thing on 12Vdc, so you can use it anytime anywhere without the genny! Looking great!!
You may inspire me to get rid of my square edges!
Dream 'Inn III -- 2008 400 Express
Boat Name: King Kong
"Boat + Water = Fun"
Previously was a small flip down DVD player, no TV channels. Was very difficult to use/see.
Dream 'Inn III -- 2008 400 Express
Four 1/4-20 studs, each with a washer and nut on the top side, all snugged up tight so they can't ever pull out.
The underside of the mounting plate has shims made of starboard.
Swivel in place, ready to attach the lower mounting plate. I had to go back and adjust the stud on the right to keep it from hitting the bolts of the lower plate.
In rough water, the monitor was shaking so much that I think it might have broken sooner or later. Not the swivel or the fold-down mount ... they are sturdy and durable. The problem is the monitor itself. The back panel, where the mount is attached, is just thin plastic. It's really not designed for horizontal mounting in a rough environment.
So I made a simple stabilizer that wedges in above the monitor to keep it from rocking. By coincidence, a 2x4 board is exactly, perfectly the right dimension. I cut out a center section to clear the mount, then sanded and spray-painted it. All I do is fold the monitor up, lock it, and push the board into place. It's just a friction fit.
Total length 20", with a 16" x 1.75" cutout in the center.
I guess I could have made the board with a fancier cut, but you can't really see it unless you're 7 feet tall. Easy, simple, cheap and effective.
Dream 'Inn III -- 2008 400 Express