Englaon Specialty RV TVs Reviewed
Not all televisions are up to the knock about life of caravan travel, and I have experience of domestic televisions not lasting the distance. We don’t watch a lot of TV on the road, but it’s good to catch up if the weather turns nasty or the cricket is getting interesting.
We recently got to try an Englaon TV/DVD combination after noticing that the upmarket Bushtracker vans have them as standard equipment.
According to Englaon, domestic quality TVs are designed to sit permanently in one spot at a stable temperature and perform best in a stable and predictable environment. But because a TV in a van is subject to extreme vibrations and temperature changes, they need to be made for the task.
An Englaon TV uses the high-end technology used for shock absorption and temperature resilience in the mobile smart phone industry. The TVs are fitted with vibration-resistant circuit boards and are sealed with silicone glue and are subject to more than 90,000 knocks in testing. On top of that, a sturdy metal frame creates a resilient enclosure for extra durability
As well as built in protection for knocks and vibration, the unit is designed with built-in 10V – 30V surge protection. This eliminates problems with an irregular voltage supply- the built-in surge protection technology detects and handles unwanted voltage spikes and dips.
The unit we tested was a top of the line Series 700 Platinum frameless Smart TV with Bluetooth and inbuilt chromecast, the only 12V model on the market with this feature. This is Englaon’s best seller because of the unique features.
We connected the TV to the existing articulating arm in our van and I noticed that unlike the old TV, all the power connections are on a plastic base, eliminating the problem of shorting out the TV when plugging it in. Tuning was straight forward with the supplied remote and I soon had all the local channels and digital radio stations running. The HD picture was very sharp, and the colour balance was true. Sound quality was better than our old TV and a sound bar can be supplied, which might be a good investment for old ears.
Connecting to my phone’s Wi-Fi hotspot gave immediate access to a dual process streaming service with YouTube, Netflix, Disney and I-View as well as other inbuilt streaming services and the usual anti-social media. You can also mirror cast from an Android device or though Apple TV and a HDMI cable.
If you are out of range of a free to air signal there’s and inbuilt DVD player and USB ports for movie downloads.
The 24in units range from $359.95 to $699.95, while the 32in versions are $659.95 to $779.95 and there’s even a 12V 40in model. Caravan World readers can apply a 10 per cent unique discount code for orders over $500. Use the code caravanworld to apply the offer.
MORE INFO
RRP from $359.95
W englaon.com.au
