Movies in the van - Page 2

**daveb** · 05-10-2011, 09:30 PM

I use my stereo system as a surround sound and really like it. I also have one of those cheaper portable DVD players rather than a high dollar on board system. I have used my lap top in the past but the sound quality is worst than the DVD player itself, so I hook it up to the stereo. Yep it does in part pull some out of the starting battery system but with the amps off I still get reasonable sound and pulls very little with the radio switch on.

I rarely rent movies and watch them at home, but get a kick out of watching them while in some of my favortie spots in the hills. A little rum or gin, maybe a bag of popcorn...just relax and enjoy the night. Better than a fire, some brews, and a good cigar with a friend, probably not, but on those windy cold nights I enjoy sitting in the van watching a good movie I've never seen. Football? Pricless. I'd rather watch a game on a 9" screen with a crummy signal in the hills than be stuck at home with a big screen...Too bad HDTV ruined that. It too hard to to pull a good signal out of the Sierra's. Not too sure I want to jump into the Sat thing yet.

Roonie · 05-10-2011, 09:50 PM

A friend of mine owns a sailboat. He primarily uses the boat to get way in and watch football or whatever in the comfort of his boat and have a few drinks. It is his time away and to recharge. Could he do this at home instead of using his sailboat for this...... sure but its not the same.

I have yet to watch a movie on ours while camping simply because it is still hooked up to starter battery so i won't risk it. I did do it when we were plugged in to power next to our house sleeping in the driveway with the kids. They loved it!

jage · 05-11-2011, 09:22 AM

I've taken our portable DVD player in anticipation of downtime, inclement weather or whatever but never really used it. There always seems like there is something else to do in the van (including drive some more).

That said, here are two counter points:

Went on a weekend with my niece and nephew in the van. I rarely get to spend time with them, so it was precious. They are used to the DVD in their parent's vehicles so I packed it just in case, but I didn't let them know it was there. On the way to camping and all through camping they were great, so I set it up as a reward on the way home.

I can see why the parents use it; I call it kiddie crack. From the moment I set it up their eyes went nowhere else- they saw nothing, they heard nothing but the DVD. There was not a peep, and I swear their mouths were actually slack jawed with drool they were so engrossed.

Second, we were in the Grand Canyon south rim campgrounds winding down for the evening. Fire and marshmallows are the big entertainment, and again, quality time with our other niece. This family pulls in in a minivan next door, throws up a kid tent (parents in the minivan) and busts out a portable DVD player, plops it down on the picknic table. We were treated to the sounds of bad Disney for 4 hours. They didn't have a fire, nobody talked, the kids just sat at the table glued to the player and then took it into the tent with them. I don't know if the movie ended or the batteries did, but it was glorious when those people left the next day.

I don't know, it sounds like a great idea on paper (thus carting the portable several times) but I don't actually want to get 300 miles away from everything and watch Vin Diesel destroy cars, and I certainly don't think kids should be able to have that constant crutch- such that they NEVER have to entertain themselves or endure boredom. Maybe I'm old fashioned, maybe I just haven't had my fill of quiet time to contemplate the universe yet, but movies in the van? Just aren't my thing.

sdwindansea · 05-11-2011, 11:35 AM

I agree with others that have suggested to use a portable device to watch movies/shows in the van. I believe it would be much more convenient than a fixed screen. Regardless, the house battery is the way to go. The iPad has worked great for us when we have been stuck in bad weather or were just in the mood for that type of entertainment.

Since this topic has also turned a bit into a discussion about actually watching movies while camping, I'll throw in my $0.02 worth. As long as you are not disturbing others, you should do what you enjoy. While we do not do it often, I love having the option to sit cozely in the van watching a TV show or movie with my wife and dogs after a long day.

**WVvan** · 05-11-2011, 12:22 PM

Quote:

I don't actually want to get 300 miles away from everything and watch Vin Diesel destroy cars

If he was doing it in the campground I happened to be staying at, and my vehicle wasn't involved, I think that would be fun to watch.

Jeffrey · 05-11-2011, 12:26 PM

That's it. Do what you enjoy. While I don't do media or movies, we all still often encounter dead time. I use that to process RAW image files on my laptop, play my guitar or ukulele, or a lively discussion with my passenger if I have one. Night hiking and stargazing are also on the list. 3G service helps, too!

jima · 05-11-2011, 02:15 PM

80 to Tahoe, Friday night snowstorm, parked for 2 hours while they cleared the wreckage, Holy Grail, 1 inch screen on early ipod, I held it, our three boys heads from the backseats and mine within microinches,

movie over, wrecks cleared, off we go, priceless. Wife just shook her head, doesn't get the British stuff....

Jim

stephenmgleason · 05-11-2011, 03:47 PM

All.
Great input and opinion. I chose to go with an in-dash screen that has GPS/satellite radio/pandora/AV in capability.
I had the car audio guys speak with SMB austin about how to run the power from the house battery and how to navigate the "complex" GMC central electronic 'brain'.
As a comment, Paul & Kevin @ SMB Austin have been very helpful and very willing to help educate me as I learn my way around the van.

I'm picking the van up tomorrow. Thanks again for the insight.

REF · 07-26-2011, 02:16 AM

OK, let's try to keep this thread non-judgmental of peoples choices of built in DVD vs. portable, iPad, laptop or none at all, as if it had anything to do with poor parenting skills. Lets look back at the original question, which had to do with wiring a DVD player to the house or starting battery. House.
We have all of the above forms of watching a flick while in the Sportsmobile. It's fun to do sometimes in the van. We let our little guy watch stuff on the iPad while we're driving or navigating distances. We also interact quite a bit with him and one another, balance.

accrete · 07-26-2011, 02:11 PM

we utilize a secondary laptop i have set up with my garmin basecamp software and pre-load a couple dozen .avi movie files onto the HD for use if we just want to chill out in the van after a full day of exploring. Then i plug the LT into the charger the next day during the drive and it's ready to go if needed for movie and popcorn.

My plan for this fall is to grab either a small windows netbook or a android tablet with longer battery use between charges. Since we are usually cuddled together screen size is not so much an issue...heck, last trip out we watched "Hitman" on her Thunderbolt phone

none of this bothers us to much since we don't own a TV and utilize my 27" PC monitor to watch videos at home when the mood hits. We read more than we watch.

cheers,
thom