- Joined
- Jul 27, 2019
- Messages
- 13,023
- Location
- Midlothian, VA
- RV Year
- 2017
- RV Make
- Newmar
- RV Model
- Ventana 4037
- RV Length
- 40' 10"
- Chassis
- Freightliner XCR
- Engine
- Cummins 400 HP
- TOW/TOAD
- 2017 Chevy Colorado
- Fulltimer
- No
That last 10% of a task always takes 90% of the time. I let it set for a while but decided to tackle this and call this job of replacing 4 TV's to upgrade and modernize my home entertainment experience complete. The biggest gains from this are better cable TV reception and 4K Dolby Vision, i.e. much better, brighter, clearer display with modern day capabilities.
The front TV replacement is not hard but takes some engineering thought. I installed a LG 42 inch OLED TV to replace the 42 inch 2016 model Sony Bravia. The Sony's were fine, good picture being a Samsung / LG fan but they began to show their age.
I was able to do this job by myself due to the off the shelf TV mount instead of Newmar's custom bracket they create for the TV. It would have been nice if the hole pattern aligned by the LG uses a wider and taller pattern to better support the TV. The first step is to remove the grills on the windshield side. Newmar uses silicone caulk to attach these grills. I used a 5-in-1 tool but a dry wall joint knife or possibly even a pocket knife blade (careful not to carve the wood edges) will work. One of the grills I've had off before, or it fell off, so that was easy, the other side was some work but I got it off. This gives you access to everything from cables, power cord, etc. as Newmar uses an ignition controlled 120V outlet at the top inside of this area to block TV use while driving, easily overcome by routing the wire into the AV compartment outlets as desired.
I removed all cables and power then removed the six screws holding the TV to the bracket Newmar created.
The hard part was figuring out how I'd mount the new TV but decided to bolt on a typical slim mount and then attach the TV. The mount has to have a locking mechanism to ensure the TV doesn't come off during a drive. I will probably find an additional method if even black duct tape to ensure the lock mechanism doesn't fail. I couldn't care less about the TV, it's the dash and floor that is the concern for a falling TV. Let's hope that's not happening!
The TV will not sit flush up against the cabinet like Newmar used due to their direct connect bracket so there will be a gap which you'll only notice coming up the stairs into the coach. Otherwise it looks exactly the same. Newmar offsets the TV to the right to watch from the dinette and not have the left cabinet clip your view.
I ran new 8K HDMI cables into the AV cabinet just for good measure. I taped the ends to the old cables and pulled them through to make this as easy as possible. Overall quite simple and all is working great. I'm happy also to see that the Apple TV feeding into the Marantz slim line receiver and out to the 4K 1 to 4 splitter is still delivering 4K Dolby Vision to the TV so I know these items are not a problem like I experienced with the Televator TV which is a cable issue.
The mount and HDMI cables I used:
Mission complete - all 4 TV's upgraded: 48 inch outside TV, 48 inch Televator, 42 inch Front, 32 inch Bedroom.
I forgot to mention I put the rubber bumper adhesive pads on the four corners of the TV mount to ensure it doesn't rattle against or damage the cabinetry.
The front TV replacement is not hard but takes some engineering thought. I installed a LG 42 inch OLED TV to replace the 42 inch 2016 model Sony Bravia. The Sony's were fine, good picture being a Samsung / LG fan but they began to show their age.
I was able to do this job by myself due to the off the shelf TV mount instead of Newmar's custom bracket they create for the TV. It would have been nice if the hole pattern aligned by the LG uses a wider and taller pattern to better support the TV. The first step is to remove the grills on the windshield side. Newmar uses silicone caulk to attach these grills. I used a 5-in-1 tool but a dry wall joint knife or possibly even a pocket knife blade (careful not to carve the wood edges) will work. One of the grills I've had off before, or it fell off, so that was easy, the other side was some work but I got it off. This gives you access to everything from cables, power cord, etc. as Newmar uses an ignition controlled 120V outlet at the top inside of this area to block TV use while driving, easily overcome by routing the wire into the AV compartment outlets as desired.
I removed all cables and power then removed the six screws holding the TV to the bracket Newmar created.
The hard part was figuring out how I'd mount the new TV but decided to bolt on a typical slim mount and then attach the TV. The mount has to have a locking mechanism to ensure the TV doesn't come off during a drive. I will probably find an additional method if even black duct tape to ensure the lock mechanism doesn't fail. I couldn't care less about the TV, it's the dash and floor that is the concern for a falling TV. Let's hope that's not happening!
The TV will not sit flush up against the cabinet like Newmar used due to their direct connect bracket so there will be a gap which you'll only notice coming up the stairs into the coach. Otherwise it looks exactly the same. Newmar offsets the TV to the right to watch from the dinette and not have the left cabinet clip your view.
I ran new 8K HDMI cables into the AV cabinet just for good measure. I taped the ends to the old cables and pulled them through to make this as easy as possible. Overall quite simple and all is working great. I'm happy also to see that the Apple TV feeding into the Marantz slim line receiver and out to the 4K 1 to 4 splitter is still delivering 4K Dolby Vision to the TV so I know these items are not a problem like I experienced with the Televator TV which is a cable issue.
The mount and HDMI cables I used:
Mission complete - all 4 TV's upgraded: 48 inch outside TV, 48 inch Televator, 42 inch Front, 32 inch Bedroom.
I forgot to mention I put the rubber bumper adhesive pads on the four corners of the TV mount to ensure it doesn't rattle against or damage the cabinetry.
