Campervan tv

Need some advice and maybe some experience on the subject.
Currently have a Maxview Dome satellite system supporting a Avtex 16 in Tv ( W164DR) that is now 12 years old, and picking very little in the way of channels. Also on the roof I have a Wing Omni Directional antenna that was there before the Sat system was fitted, although I suspect it is not being used.
As we are only Uk based now, considering cost etc, I have to make the choice between the two systems.
I am rather naive on the the subject but a replacement tv I guess is required, my choice would be between  Cello or Avtex ?
It appears that my current tv, the Avtex is no longer manufactured so I guess a 19 in would be the next on up. I guess with the terrestrial tv, I would need to remove all the satellite components and fit an antenna if the Wing does not work.

So has anyone done had experience of this subject that they pass on, although I do accept the decision is mine.
Thanks Tengah 74

Forgive my cheek, but if you opt for another 16" Avtex I have one for sale on here, see link below.

Tim

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It depends how much TV you want to watch but if your TV has an HDMI input and you have a reasonable (say 30GB per month) data package on your phone, using an amazon Firestick (at circa £25) is probably the most physically and cost effective method.

If you are removing the sat system and just going for a tv also look at Falcon tv’s , a very good tv with great sound and very good viewing angles, better than the cello it replaced and far cheaper than the overpriced avtex tv

This is purely MY experience, I'm sure some people have AVTEX and have been really happy with them.. but I recently bought an AVTEX after having the same decision to make between that and the Cello. The AVTEX was a LOT more money and had very limited features - but as I was using a ROKU previously I wasn't too bothered...

It lasted 3 months before it broke. The picture started jumping and at first I thought maybe the microwave or something was interfering with it. Wasn't the case though as I tried a number of things in the van and finally having tried it on the 3 pin in the house realised it was faulty. Really disappointed with it - I went for the AVTEX due to the "superior viewing angles" but the UI was awful, and having almost spent £300 on it I expected a lot better. Luckily I bought via Amazon and managed to get a full refund even though I was outside of the 4 week return. 

I had the 16" AVTEX (with DVD) and wasn't sure if the 19" Cello would be too big, but it actually fits perfectly in our WXL. This is the one I ended up getting: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Cello CS19WS01 19″ inch Traveller 12-Volt Smart TV Freeview Play FreeSat, Bluetooth. Disney+, Netflix, Apple TV+, Prime Video, Paramount+, BBC iPlayer Caravans HGVS Boats. Made in the UK (2023 model) - Think I paid £180 (£100 less than the 16" AVTEX), looks like its gone up £20 now, but might be worth shopping around. 

Reason I went for it was it has the same OS as my LG C2 OLED - its not as snappy due to the processor not being as good, but the major functionality is there and has pretty much every single streaming service app available which meant I didn't have to bother with the ROKU anymore (so literally one wire to power it).

Sound is fine, I'd say it was no worse than the AVTEX one - we have a small soundbar anyway which I bluetooth (built in unlike the AVTEX). Viewing angles are as good as the AVTEX imo, and the picture is great. The only thing that disappointed me a little bit was that I was hoping to use the van's stereo system to pipe the sound via bluetooth, but whilst the headunit sees the TV they just won't communicate.

I'd personally go with the CELLO, cheaper, more features and so far hasn't broken! As I say I'm sure you'll find people who've got the AVTEX and have been super happy with them (I originally got one after seeing them at the dealership I got the van from and they do have a great picture) but I wouldn't recommend them after my personal experience.

For context I have a 150GB sim on my phone so I hotspot or use the built in 4g modem (put my sim card in) and we ONLY use streaming on it - namely Netflix, Paramount+, Amazon Prime and Disney+ - our AVTEX did come with the DVD and quick tune function but personally I didn't use either of them (where as some people may want that).

In defence of Avtex I had an original 16” (which is still going strong in my girlfriend’s trailer tent) and I now have a 19” smart from them.
Both have been brilliant but as mentioned there are other makes out there a lot cheaper so I guess you have to make your own mind up.

Thanks for your advice. Appreciated and food for thought

You can also run a normal TV off the 12V - quite a few videos on how to do it on UToob.

We bought a Cello 19 inch 20 months ago.  We have been very happy with the sound and picture quality.  It also has a DVD player built in which is useful in places that have poor reception.  Would particularly recommend Cello as they are made in Britain.

Oona'sowners wrote:We bought a Cello 19 inch 20 months ago.  We have been very happy with the sound and picture quality.  It also has a DVD player built in which is useful in places that have poor reception.  Would particularly recommend Cello as they are made in Britain.

'Made in Britain ' , do you mean assembled in Britain from Chinese made components.?
I quote from 'ukmade' website...

"It is suggested on the [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] that the parts or some of the parts for Cello TVs are Chinese made but even if that is correct it would be better to buy a TV by Cello even if it is only assembled here rather than buying a totally foreign made TV.
“Cello Electronics is a UK based company with offices across the globe. However, all TVs destined for the UK market are manufactured in our plant in the North East of England. This is a distinct advantage for our customers who receive the benefit of the most advanced technology sourced from around the world combined with the quality assurance that comes from local manufacturing.”
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] is a Chinese owned electronics company who in the summer of 2014 set up a factory in South Wales as their new European base. Admittedly it is an assembly operation a bit like Cello, but it is great to see we now have two television factories in the UK which is amazing when you think that only three years ago we had none! Their TVs are reasonably priced and at least now we have 2 manufacturers to choose from. "[/size]

My opinion is that what sort of TV you have is less important than the strength of the TV signal coming into your TV. In the UK you've got just terrestrial digital, satellite potentially if you've got a clear view of the sky, or mobile phone streaming, from say the campsite's WIFI system or your own mobile phone tethering. Even here in the last year it was only us using our laptop could we view BBC's streamed content. Our 2019 Avtex TV wasn't that Smart or WIFI enabled. On some campsites we've stayed on, the only solution was to connect a coax to the campsite's TV signal available from a connection to the mains EHU pedestal.

IanH wrote:My 16" Cello is excellent for any needs in a campervan, good dvd player built in as is Freesat.
Here's my aerial, works either vertically or horizontally.

Simplicity is all!!

(Except the ability to remove multiple pics!!!!!)
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Thanks for the info. This sounds an easier option.

We manage with just one of those stumpy aerials, but a new TV will be on the Christmas present list and it will be a smart one. It will also be a mains voltage one from Currys or the like. There is really no reason these days to use 12 volt. A good quality small pocket sized inverter (100 watts) will run a mains TV just as efficiently as any 12 volt set, and you have the choice of all the best mass market TV’s at much lower cost than a 12 volt set.