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Experiences with large-format television on a yacht?

Discussion in 'Electronics' started by j.waterr, Oct 2, 2020.

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  1. j.waterr

    j.waterr New Member

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    So I am kind of new in this forum, but was reading a lot of threads/posts and I really like it and learn a lot from the forum. So the thing is, that me and my wife are planning to buy in the near future a yacht. We still have not chosen the right one (we are not in hurry....there is still time to decide). The idea is also to spend one or two months on the yacht (not just a day or a weekend) and to cruise around. Can't wait for the day to come :) But now we are still in the planning and information-collecting phase. So, I love good entertainment systems and also large-format television and if we are for a long time on a yacht, I would like to have one on our future yacht too. How are your experiences with big TVs on a yacht? Do you have one? And, when you bought the yacht, was it already installed or did you install it afterwards? How about the outdoor-resistance, any special protection needed if installed outdoor?
  2. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    Define yacht

    Define large
  3. Peter Huber

    Peter Huber New Member

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    good entertainment is a must for us. Our children want good entertainment and i want calm childrenJ. But I also want to see films / series and sports. We therefore have several televisions, one in each of the children's rooms, one in our bedroom and a large TV in the living room. I would also like to have one outside. But I'm still looking for the best solution.

    We chose the televisions ourselves. Connections were already available.

    When it comes to outdoor TVs, it depends on which one you choose. Some are waterproof, some are not. Protection would then be needed for them. You have to put them in a box or cover it. Maybe you could also install a projector, and then you would only need a screen. The picture should not be particularly good in direct sunlight. There are also huge televisions that pop out of the floor and unfold their screen on their own. They are protected against wind and weather.
  4. captainBB

    captainBB New Member

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    Hey j.waterr, you will love life on the boat! :) Have you ever made any experiences so far living on a yacht? When we are on the boat, we usually read books…or we play board games when friends are visiting. Rarely we watch any movies or series. We record the programmes in advance, save them on a hard disk and then we can watch them easily using our laptop or TV. So plug in your hard drive and you are ready to start. ;-) Of course, you have to consider that a television normally takes up a lot of space. Depending on how big your boat is and how much space you have, you will have to keep an eye on that matter.

    Pascal, he's probably not talking about 250ft yachts with their own swimming pool, helicopters and other “little” gadgets! :D

    Peter Huber, I doubt that a beamer works so well so that you can watch TV on it outside... The picture quality often suffers when the sunlight shines directly onto the “screen”. If you want to save space, then folding televisions such as those from C-Seed are certainly the best option. Then you can be sure that the quality is good enough…
  5. j.waterr

    j.waterr New Member

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    Uii I nearly forgot the thread...thanks for your answers! @Pascal: Its not going to be this very huge super yachts...but we are neither planning to buy a small one. About 70feet is the reference...

    @Peter: For the outdoor television I think it may be the best way to have one which is water proof and very resistant. A protection box or a cover is not my first option. But of course...if it works fine and is well designed...why not. About the projector: I doubt that there are projectors with such a luminosity to compete with a TV...especially on sunny days this is problematic.

    @captainBB: I was on yachts and spent also some days on them but never on a long trip and it's different if you are on a friends yacht or if you are on your own...you know what I mean? And I have no doubts that I will enjoy it ;) The "problem" with the available space on the boat is obviously an issue I will think about it and plan the things with time and patience...I will not hurry to have all the "gadgets" on the boat in a short time. About this unfoldable tvs you are talking...how should this work? What do you mean exactly with "unfolding"...is this a flexible TV surface like the new mobile phones or something else?
  6. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    TV inside a boat that size isn’t an issue and isn’t much different from how you d do it in a house, space permitting. On many boats TV retract in The cabinetry to be stored out of the way when not in use, especially when the TV is set in front of the windows.

    outdoor is a little more tricky. Everybody I ve run had a TV on the aft deck and was used very rarely. First during the day, you need a very bright screen even if installed in the shade on a aft deck. The glare is awful. But even at night, they never saw much use.

    Few TVs are element proof. For protection enclosures only add a layer of material adding flare and reflection. An enclosure with a removable front cover would be great. I ve also seen TVs installed in mounts which folds down from inside the aft deck ceiling. Good option so it’s out of the way and protected when now in use.

    or since TVs have become so light, having a movable TV on a short stand which you take outside when needed isn’t a bad option. For wiring there are a number of wireless HDMI transmitter / receiver that are inexpensive and work VERY well
  7. Danvilletim

    Danvilletim Senior Member

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    For outdoor TVs we just replaced every season. Outdoors we could barely fit a 36”. I think it was $400 on Amazon. Not worth buying an outdoor tv for 8-10x. And we rarely used it.
  8. Danvilletim

    Danvilletim Senior Member

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    Oh btw, I’m just figuring out new movie system on new boat. In the past we always used a Mac as a movie server that would attempt to sync to Apple TV’s. It was a pain. Now with new iOS, we are using a 4TB wireless hard drive and using an iPad to do screen mirroring. Pretty amazing how simple and cheap this solution is.
  9. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    I use AppleTVs with the Infuse movie player app. It s connected to a 4TB drive hooked up to our main router. Infuse also have a version for iPads

    much better than screen mirroring

    what i like about infuse is that once it has downloaded the description and art work for the movies, they are stored locally so no need for an internet connection to see the cover and info. .
  10. Danvilletim

    Danvilletim Senior Member

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    Okay. So infuse app is running on Apple TV’s?
  11. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    Yes. AppleTV or iPhone / iPad

    I tried a few players and that was the best. I have the infuse Pro version, it s a few bucks a year.
  12. captainBB

    captainBB New Member

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    Hey guys, thanks again for your answers.

    j.waterr, I would say 70feet is big enough... ;-)

    I also think that the best way to protect your TV is to have a water proof and resistant TV - a protection box may help, but it is better to have double and triple protection for a device that is rather water shy ;-) You never know if the box will eventually become permeable and if water gets on the TV that is not waterproof, then you have a problem...And how exactly the technology with foldable screens works, I can't tell you. I know there are already foldable phones out there, but I think the technology of the C-Seed TVs is a bit more advanced than that…

    Pascal, as you say, you have to have an outdoor TV that offers good quality. Otherwise you don't see a lot... But why haven't the TVs been used at night? I imagine the picture quality should be good enough when it’s dark outside?

    Danvilletim, thanks for the hint. By now there are quite simple and cheap solutions to do screen mirroring! That’s good to know! :-D
  13. rtrafford

    rtrafford Senior Member

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    Yes, I hard wired apple TV's into the boat network, and the large hard drive attached to the system makes watching effortless.

    Add: if kids or other family members are in the picture beyond the owning couple, bigger is not necessarily better. Two TV's located in the general great room subdivisions affords the opportunity for two TV's to display different forms of entertainment. And while you're at it, wire every one of those TV's to the ship nav system as well as the ship camera system as auxiliary inputs. There's no better way to turn over watch to another person for some down time with the ability to have nav systems and cameras at a glance as you try to sleep and hear a strange noise...these boats are big enough to be bad enough.
  14. j.waterr

    j.waterr New Member

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    So some days pass and suddenly there is a "big" discussion here in the thread...what a surprise ;) @Pascal and captainBB: are you two maybe talking about the same folding TV system? I'll get some more information about this systems and techniques, nice to know that there are a lot of options out there where one can choose. @Danvilletim: Yes, things were more complicated in the past but the screen mirroring technology has made it really easier and it works pretty good as well. Had no problems with it in the past (at home). @rtrafford: Never thought about that, and thanks for the hint (about the wiring and connecting) ;)
  15. captainBB

    captainBB New Member

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    j.waterr, I don't know how many different models of foldable televisions are now on the market, but let me put it this way...some producers are more specialised than others in that technology...so there are big differences in quality, I guess. Just look around and see what suits you best. Getting information is always good. Then you can compare better. But I'm sure you'll find something that fits your needs! :) There are really good devices out there! All the best with your search!