I Am Building An Outside Entertainment Center For My RV What Type Of TV Should I Use?

by Anonymous

Must I purchase a specific style or brand of TV to install in the bay of my RV?

ANSWER: Greetings thanks for submitting your question on our Ask An RV Question Page.

Let me start off my saying that the brand of TV does not matter (that is a personal choice based on your research). The type of TV does matter. You can use a CRT TV (TV with Picture Tube) if you like. My personal recommendation is using an LCD TV with the proper LCD TV Mounting Bracket for this purpose. In fact if you are going to replace any of the TVs in your RV I would recommend replacing them with an LCD TVs.

I do not recommend using a Plasma TV for a couple of reasons. First is due to durability. Plasma TVs have glass screens that could be damaged due to the bouncing and vibrations that they will experience during RVing.

The second reason is that Plasma TVs are affected by altitude. A plasma TV screen is comprised of tiny little chambers containing compressed gasses such as Argon, Neon and Xenon. When you turn on your TV these gasses create the colors that you see on the TV screen.

When you are above the 6000 foot level; the pressure changes in these chambers cause the Plasma TV to work harder to excite (activate) these gasses to create a picture. In fact, you can actually hear a buzzing sound from the screen, just like the buzzing you can hear when you stand close to a large neon sign.

Because the TV components are working harder to produce a picture, it also shortens the life-span of the Plasma TV.

The Liquid Crystal Screens on an LCD TV are not affected by altitude. That is why the airlines use LCD TVs for their in-flight entertainment. LCD screens have been used for TVs, Laptop Computers, Outdoor Electrical Equipment, etc. for years because of their durability.

LCD TVs and freezing temperatures: There is some debate on whether excessive exposure to freezing temperatures damages LCD TVs or shortens their life spans. Since you are planning to install this TV in an outside compartment that could be a concern.

If you live in a part of the country where there are constant freezing temperatures, you may want to remove the outside TV just to on the safe side.

I hope that this information has been helpful to you.

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Happy RVing

RVing Al

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