TV Placement

[john9861]

       In thinking way ahead here I was considering where to locate the TV in the front salon. I was hoping on some input as to how much your tv's are used while in route going down the road. Reason for asking is that a forward placement meant that the driver might be subjected to a lot of possibly unwanted sound distraction other than musical. Thanks, John

[JackConrad]

John,
   Enroute useage will vary greatly depending on number and age of passengers as well as habits.  In our case, just my wife & I, we never have the TV on while traveling. We prefer to watch the scenery. We installed our TV in a cabinet above the drivers seat, not visible to driver when seated.  Jack

[luvrbus]

John, what size TV are you thinking about I am redoing mine and installing a 32 inch with a DVD player over head in a drop down a cabinet not directly over the driver but the middle of the bus going through the surround system to divert the sound to other areas.
Lot of options for you I wanted a pull down screen with a projector type (a friend has one) but good projectors are big bucks
If you are planning on a satellite system try and keep all  of your components in a close area.
I made the mistake on the 1st go around by installing my players ,surround sound and all the controls in the bedroom with the TV over the drivers area and we always looking up to watch TV big mistake on my part.    good luck

[Chuck Newman]

John,

We are permanently mounting a 32" LCD directly in front of the upper portion of the cap that previously housed the destination sign.  The natural slope of the existing wall gives a downward angle perfect for viewing by driver, passenger, and living/dining area.  The driver needs to see it because when en route a video input feed will show a quad block of three cameras. One is a wide angle view of the tow vehicle and beyond the rear of it; the other two cameras have closeup shots of two motorcycles. 

With a 15" notebook PC for GPS at my 2 o'clock position on a floor stand, and a 10.5" LCD on the dash in front of me showing 14 engine gauges, I had no more room for a decent sized monitor to eyeball various views while traveling, and not blocking my view of the road.  Why not use those extra inputs in your big screen for utility video while traveling?  In doing so you're not "watching television" (movies, soaps, etc.) while driving.

Bus as Jack says, it really depends on who is in the coach and their wants and needs for entertainment, and your needs as the driver for information input.

[Len Silva]

In my motor home, the front TV is disabled when the ignition is on, I think it may be a regulation somewhere.

[john9861]

   That slope area where the destiny sign & what to do there was what got me thinking of a tv mounted that swings down not from front to rear but rear to front. I thought of enclosing it so it was not noticeable unless it was lowered. By lowering it forward it would not block entering & exiting the coach. Inside an enclosure that locks in place I wouldn't have to worry about over stressing the mount while traveling.
   But now I might be into the idea of using it to monitor those cameras also. The size will depend on useable area but 32" was my thinking. I was also considering a little option on what to watch. With a usb device that hooks to your computer & antenna you can pick up local channels within range of course. I noticed on my 32" at home I was able to hook up my computer to show videos or even use it like a computer screen. Not saying that I wouldn't hook up the cable available at the park but it would be one more option. Thanx for the input so far.

[Dreamscape]

John, We installed ours behind the driver seat. Even though we have an in motion system we don't watch it going down the road. We have a 32" VIZIO and Love It!



I mounted it on a full motion swivel base. Someday I might motorize and mount it in the center, pivoting down from the ceiling. Although it does cover our electronic systems, it works OK for us.

Paul

[WEC4104]

Our small LCD TV is mounted behind the driver's seat.  I have three school age boys, so the TV does get use while on the road.  We have rules that limit the amount of time they watch, but on extended trips it does help to pass the time. We have no satellite system, so we bring along a healthy library of DVD movies.

I strongly recommend connecting the TV to additional external speakers.  It makes a world of difference while on the highway.

[MCI-RICK]

John,

Our tv will be mounted up front where the destination sign was.  The angle of that area makes for great viewing from the lounge and kitchen areas.  We have three kids and the tv plus dvd library will help maintain peace on long trips.  Don't ask how I know.  In fact, our bus will have a WII system in it.  We've had the experince of seemingly unending rain while parked and now prefer to be prepared.  We also carry board games, puzzles, playing cards etc.

My last rv had a front mounted tv.  I never watched tv while driving.  When it was on, I thought of it as entertainment radio and enjoyed what I was hearing.  When I didn't want to hear it, the front speakers could be bypased.

FWIW,  Thinking far ahead has it's benefits.  If you decide where you want things, you won't be retrofitting and moving things later.    

Rick

[john9861]

   So are there any thoughts on a powered drop down or fold down or swing down or whatever. How about the use of some gas struts using reverse technology. They work to raise our bay doors & rear windows on SUVs. Would they let the tv come down slowly. Wonder how much those motors cost they use on suburbans to raise the rear door now? Wow so many options.

[belfert]

TV placements in many motorhomes/buses seem to be a compromise.

If the bus is built for just a couple why put the TV at the front of the bus when the couch is at a 90 degree angle to the TV?  Why not somehow put the TV across from the couch even if the TV has to drop down or raise up?

[prevost82]

We put a 42" over the front window

[Jerry32]

I thought about the front mount TV but didn't want a permanent kink in my neck rom watching it. I ended up with the TV directly accross fron the couch. works great Jerry

[RichardEntrekin]

I took a powered drop down out of my Newell. It held a 42 inch plasma.

If you are thinking of that route, let me point out the pluses and minuses. The plus is you can have a BIG tv without it taking up too much space while in transit.

The negative is that the placement must be carefully thought out. To have the right aesthetics and to give maximum head room, the mount must be recessed in the ceiling. Also you must think about what the TV will block when it is down.

The PO of my rig didn't think about those two things. The mount was grafted onto the ceiling which really killed the headroom in the front, and it blocked some critical shore power gauges while it was down.

I still have the mount and it needs a good home