TELEVISION SIZE & POWER USAGE?

road-runner wrote:

My 32" Insignia LED TV uses around 25 watts. My clamp -on meter registers about 4 amps per hour of use.

Sorry I don't know how to say this without sounding crabby. Don't mean it that way. "4 amps per hour of use" is meaningless. "Amps" is an instantaneous measurement. A rough water equivalent statement would be "4 gallons per hour per hour". 25 watts suggests a draw of about 2 amps at nominal 12 volts, which would result in using 2 amp-hours per hour from the power source.

My TV and a second RF amplifier run off a separate battery when off grid. Any amp reading is instantaneous but means 4 amps per hour when done without any changes in usage. So what's your problem?

I have been doing this way since the eighties (different TV,s, inverters, etc.,) without ever running down batteries. As mentioned earlier TV power needs change with how the TV options are set up for watching. Using a clamp-on meter at any given time is best way to make sure you don't deplete your battery.

My 32" Insignia LED TV uses around 25 watts. My clamp -on meter registers about 4 amps per hour of use.

Sorry I don't know how to say this without sounding crabby. Don't mean it that way. "4 amps per hour of use" is meaningless. "Amps" is an instantaneous measurement. A rough water equivalent statement would be "4 gallons per hour per hour". 25 watts suggests a draw of about 2 amps at nominal 12 volts, which would result in using 2 amp-hours per hour from the power source.

My 32" Insignia LED TV uses around 25 watts. My clamp -on meter registers about 4 amps per hour of use. Your DVD player would be a bigger energy hog, along with the old TV.

Look up the model numbers and compare. Look for LED back lighting for highest efficiency.
Otherwise 200 to 400 watts of solar could make a big difference if you get any sun.

Screen size is not proportional to electrical draw completely, although a larger screen, typically, will draw more power. There are differences between mfg's that will result in different power consumption.

FWIW, my Magnavox 32" LED/LCD screen draws 33 W at standard settings. It is one of the lowest power draws in it's class.

Oasisbob wrote:
Most nights while camping, often bookdocking, we watch one movie before bed. With out twin group 27 batteries we are good for three nights until a charge is needed. We run a 19 inch LCD and DV player. Televisions are super cheap now and am pondering moving up to a 28 inch. Am I correct in thinking the power consumption is proportional to size of screen? Will it draw more power and make a difference in our longevity?

I use this to run the TV at night. Eliminates draining the batteries that run your RV when boondocking. Works great for a good sized table lamp at night too if you have no power.
+

Buying an LED LCD television will get you the product with the least power consumption and weight. We have a 22" Vizio and the picture is just fine. I can run it and my DVD player off of a 250 watt, cigarette lighter inverter.

:C

I had a 28 inch Sony that had a "reduced power" button. Most of the power is used in making the screen bright, and this cut the power from 58 watts to 32 (if my memory serves me well).

During the evening, the screen does not have to be as bright to be seen clearly, and my 400 watt inverter would not have to run it's fan when we were on "Power saver", but would when on full power.

I just installed a 28 inch Vizio specs say 23 watts. I'm sure there's some plus or minus to this depending on sound level or brightness. Nothing I can see from other monitoring of the set indicates this number is far off. Previously installed was a 19" Jensen LCD rated at at least double the power consumption-and that also appeared true in real world.

Oasisbob wrote:
Most nights while camping, often bookdocking, we watch one movie before bed. With out twin group 27 batteries we are good for three nights until a charge is needed. We run a 19 inch LCD and DV player. Televisions are super cheap now and am pondering moving up to a 28 inch. Am I correct in thinking the power consumption is proportional to size of screen? Will it draw more power and make a difference in our longevity?

Well let me give you an example from my experience. I have a 19" LCD TV in my M/H and it draws a bit over 4 amps an hour. My new trailer came with a 24" LED TV draws a bit over 3 amps an hour.

The newer stuff is much more efficient. So depending on how big of a power hog your old tv is and how efficient the new one is "maybe". You will need to test your old system against the new one to find out.
Good luck with your adventure :)