15" tv run with cable @ koa....fire & phone run thru WiFi @ koa....
Not all koa have cable & WiFi can be spottie within campsite.....probably need invest in thingie to boost signal
Some koa have lounge with cooking refrigerator tv sofas.....not much used not sure why

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19” Samsung TV with USB port that allows video streaming and runs native on 14 volts so I cut off the wall wart and wired to a 12 volt plug. Stream from an old disk drive or thumb drive. Have iPad, can stream from iPhone hotspot.
I’ve been thinking of converting an old Apple TV to run off a USB plug and sending my phones video to the TV by airplay.

AppleTV 5 Volt USB Conversion

The first question you may be asking is why in the heck would I want to convert my AppleTV to USB power. Well, for me, I wanted to use it w...

i-marineapps.blogspot.com

 

19” Samsung TV with USB port that allows video streaming and runs native on 14 volts so I cut off the wall wart and wired to a 12 volt plug.

AppleTV 5 Volt USB Conversion

The first question you may be asking is why in the heck would I want to convert my AppleTV to USB power. Well, for me, I wanted to use it w...

i-marineapps.blogspot.com

That AppleTV conversion to usb sounds like direct wiring in a transformer/wallwart, no? He didn't mention any performance problems with the ATV afterwards, so if I used a transformer/wallwart/convertor on my regular 110-240 1.2amp monitor, that sounds like it would work as well, no... Unless Hacksaw00's little 100w inverter seems a better idea? Just to prevent buying another object is my thought... using what I already have.

 

Planning on just using our macbooks as a TV, though perhaps that'd use more power than something more dedicated.

 

We use a 12 volt "supersonic" tv with DVD player cheap on Amazon.

Most commonly we collect DVDs for old movies we like and use the built in DVD player to play them. Nothing like watching Out of Africa in your van in the middle of nowhere! If at a commercial campground that has cable TV, that also works. It has HDMI and USB inputs, so could be used to show stuff you have on a laptop or whatever, although we have not done that.

It seems like enough for us, but I'm there there are other higher tech solutions (that may use a lot of bandwith, which is often not available in camping situations).

Gary

 

Am I the only guy left who sings to himself while driving? ;-)

My folks used to tell me as a kid that only boring people get bored!

 

Well, let's see...

19" TV with dvd player & usb in
FireStick TV with USB in
Internet via ATT cellular hotspot
Separate Kenwood radio for the living area
HF, VHF, UHF Ham radio
Digital Scanner for police/fire/etc.
12" Android tablet
10" Windows tablet

and I'm almost done with the 40"+/- projection TV setup for indoor/outdoor use.

I guess you could define my portable 4' x 6' model train layout (stored in the van's basement) as "entertainment" too.

Sorry, I couldn't resist!

It all works on 12VDC from the house batteries, or via shore power.


ps. Rich, if I sang to myself while driving, I'd do a lot of solo traveling...(once in a while, on a bumpy road, I bust into a few verses of the "Beverly Hillbillies" theme song - seems to fit the occasion)

pps. RD, that should work well. I've used that module for a few items. I'd suggest using it with 12V input, and mounting it in a separate box, not inside the ATV. Then use interchangeable cords to power the ATV.

 

I am reminded that our TV hasn’t been removed from the drawer since a couple months after we bought it. We read, instead.

 

This. My wife has a smaller ipad and we will occasionally watch something downloaded from netflix for offline consumption, but when we travel, we usually go full bore and I'm ready for bed after we get back to the van. If it's raining or something that we have to be inside the van, I always have a book in the van.

 

Last couple of trips out boon docking we brought an Amazon Fire tablet with movies that we downloaded at home. Worked great.

 

24" Samsung smart TV running a wifi connection to a Soho surf router with a Verizon mifi USB cell modem. TV is plugged into a tiny inverter 100w that also has USB charging ports for my phones. TV is also connected to a digital ota directional antenna. You still need to be in range of the transmission tower. If not I read on a tablet....

 

We read our kindles and use iPad for news.

 

Motorola Android phone for hotspot, internet news, emails and texts.
Use the hot spot to pay bills using windows updated security and Avast antivirus, not sure how secure it is.
Buy books at Goodwill on sale days, donate back when done. Movies, the matinee and senior days, for the big screen feel.

 

I ended up getting the 12.9 Newest iPad with 256 memory to download and save movies thru Netflix and Amazon Prime apps. I will bluetooth to my Ultimate Ears Boom powered speaker for more sound than I need and I should be able to use it for at least 8 hours steady. Not that I will. And then just recharge from my Goal Zero 400 or while I drive. Should be good enough, easy and power saving.

 

We bought a mini projector from amazon and a ceiling mount which is detachable. We have blackout curtains coming in the mail to use as a TV screen, I will update with pictures this weekend as that is one of our projects slated.

 

Creid,

I just spent the day working on mounting my AXAA projector.. trying to keep it in place, on the ceiling, most of the time. Making progress, and I think it's gonna work! If it does, it'll be wired and ready to go without setup. Just got the HDMI and power wires up in the ceiling yesterday.

see this post for more info...
My new TV setup
originally planned on a tripod mount in the aisle, but the projector works great with a upside down backward picture changer.


So far, my screen is a 36" wide 24" high (42"+/- diagonal picture) piece of 1/2" plywood with white formica on one side. Tried a few other options and this one provides the best flat non-rippled surface. But, it's a bit bulky to store... I do have an out of the way spot for it.

Looking forward to pictures!

 

So I forgot to take pictures, i'll take pictures today when I'm back from work, but holy crap this thing is amazing, I highly recommend this little projector. I don't think I've ever been so impressed with a piece of tech before. Its the size of a can of soda, its got built in speakers which surprisingly work really well. It has a battery life of roughly 3 hours. We watched a full movie and a couple of episodes and were only down to about 40% battery. So the advantage of the battery too is that it is super simple to take outside and project on the side of the van, or bring inside and use day to day in your own home. We brought it into our house last night and watched a movie on it so its working double duty.

Also, it has netflix app and amazon prime video built in, so if you have those two services you can watch on this thing (AND) if you bring this thing into your house ahead of time you can download movies or episodes onto its internal storage to watch out in the boonies when you have no service. This thing is an all in one package, super happy with it.

Nebula mini projector

 

I mostly use iPad for entertainment inside my van since I can just connect it to listen to music plus you can also binge watch there through Netflix plus you can also play games PLUS it is light.

 

I carry 2 cellphones around during the week, work at a technology based charter school, I'm not directly part of the IT Dept but I'm around electronics all day and help install most of it, my wife works in front of a computer screen all week and constantly on the phone. By the time we get home and do our chores, we get in bed and watch TV for an hour before passing out.
Our last 2 trips, we didn't even watch TV in the rooms we stayed in. Hardly even looked at our phones unless it was for maps, weather or a text to check on things at home.
So, I guess my answer is, we won't be concerned with electronic entertainment. I hadn't thought about it until I saw this thread. Now that I thought about it, I don't want to bring anything other than the phones.
The van will be our getaway vehicle.
Don't want to bring all that with us.

 

"By the time we get home and do our chores, we get in bed and watch TV for an hour before passing out."

You need to change that lifestyle. You live to work. Most people in the world find it much easier to work to live for the basics. And they are healthier and live longer.

Doesn't mean you have to live in poverty.

Take care of yourselves.

Think about that for a tad.

 

I ended up getting the 12.9 Newest iPad with 256 memory to download and save movies thru Netflix and Amazon Prime apps. I will bluetooth to my Ultimate Ears Boom powered speaker for more sound than I need and I should be able to use it for at least 8 hours steady. Not that I will. And then just recharge from my Goal Zero 400 or while I drive. Should be good enough, easy and power saving.

 

Finally got around to photographing my setup.

 

Finally got around to photographing my setup. View attachment 58594 View attachment 58595 View attachment 58593

I LOVE the idea of using the curtain as a screen! Having items do double duty is so clever in a small space. I’ll be taking my tween boys on road trips from time to time and since they’ll be trapped with me and I don’t intend to have much in the way of AC power, their laptops will die and they’ll be at my mercy for entertainment … 80’s movie nights here yet come! I think we’ll start with UHF!

 

I have a tv and DVD player then I got a collection of dvds from eBay real cheap threw away the ones I didn’t want to see.Then I got a cd holder like you used to keep music in so I have 40 movies you can hold in one hand.if I was interested in just one unit I would think about some used laptop that played dvds plus dc charger maybe.

 

Either my MacBook Pro or a portable CD/DVD player (12v) that I obtained for free from our local Buy Nothing Facebook group.

 

We both really enjoy reading library books on our Kindle Paperwhites. The screens are gently backlit so it's easy to read in complete darkness (no bedside lamps needed). Once you are set up with your local library, you can check out thousands of books from anywhere in the world.

Beyond that, we occasionally watch preloaded downloads of Netflix shows or movies. My wife on her notebook PC and I watch them on my Samsung tablet. Also, I sometimes use my Samsung tablet to stream a sporting event if I have wifi. This requires a VPN if I'm out of the country, and for-cost programming packages from NFL etc.

We also hang out with friends at campgrounds in Mexico. When you've been going to the same campgrounds for years, you get to know some pretty fascinating people. Occasionally we'll do a campground potluck or fireside session with acoustic instruments and singing. (Lots of talented people out there!)

Also, we go to music festivals in Mexico, where there are great bands playing outdoors for free all over town. I suppose I could go to Mexican wrestling matches, baseball or football (soccer) but I never have yet.

Mostly we entertain ourselves or we're visiting people.

metalmagpie

 

We also have a travel Scrabble game, plus my husband jots down a daily log on our activities and I spend time doing Jr Ranger booklets at national parks. Usually, we're pretty tired by the end of the day . . .

 

The last 2 posts got me thinking.

We also keep a Mexican Train dominoes set in the van... lotsa fun without too much deep thinking at the end of the day!

 

Tks.....bought 3 sets mex dominoes
finished Xmas shopping....did Xmas cards photo all I got to do is write them

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I play my ukuleles.