Mirada 35LS TV Connection Design Issue

[Bdogdt47]

Love pretty much everything about my Mirada except the design of the TV system. The DVD player and satellite box connection are located in a cabinet in the front of the coach, which means to change channels or play a DVD while watching tv in the living room area, you have to get up and walk to the front of the coach. Also, Coachmen installed component connections and a non HDMI DVD player to all tvs', so all you get is 480p when playing DVDs'. I checked Amazon and for $11 more one could buy an HDMI Sony DVD player, same brand and dimensions as in the coach. And how much more would it have cost to run an HDMI cable, instead of component cables from the DVD in the front of the coach to the living room tv?! How difficult would it be retroactively run an HDMI cable through the ceiling opening where they ran the component connections? The living room tv is mounted on a wall above the fireplace, with the back side of the wall being the 1/2 bath, so no options to move the DVD player. I assume the satellite box is not an issue since it connects via coax and those connections seem to be present to all tvs'. Any ideas?

[pashooter]

It's worse than you say... the connections to the TV aren't component video (which supports 720p HDTV) but composite, which as you note, only supports 480 line standard definition (4:3, not widescreen) video. For about $50 more (including cables) Coachmen could have provided HD DVD players and HDMI cabling through the bodywork. You know... late 20th century (let alone 21st century) video entertainment.

[Bdogdt47]

You are correct, pashooter regarding the connection type. Are you planning to change any of your connections anytime soon?

[pashooter]

It's on the "sometime" list, but probably not any time soon.

[jkillesr]

The only quick solution; connect your blue ray player directly to the TV, make a shelf or something to put it on, or get creative.

[jgallego]

My Mirada 35DL has a shelf below the tv so I Velcro a Sony blue ray DVD player and connected it directly to the tv. I also added a set of headphones so when watching tv when driving down the road.

Jaime


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[Bdogdt47]

I came up with a similar solution. I used the shelve below the tv. On that shelf are, from left to right are: blue ray DVD player, Dish 211z box, Winegard Dish Trav'ler control let. I built a small standalone shelf over the Dish box and found a 19" wide sound bar that works great . To use the bedroom tv, I just open the cabinet door and fire up the system. The 42" living room tv has a fireplace mantel, on which I placed another Dish 211z control box and a blue ray player. The fireplace does not get hot enough to effect either box. I used heavy-duty Velcro to hold each box down on the mantle. On the roof is the Dish Trav'ler with cabling to each box. The outside TV is run off the living room box and only provides an SD signal. Can't say enough about the Dish Trav'ler.

[jkillesr]

Great idea’s, here is another one just to take it one step further, I put velcro on my remotes controls and store them on the inside of the cupboard door. So far it has worked really well..