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Jayson

Replacing Front TV 2007 Dolphin

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 If anybody out there,has a 2007 Dolphin and has changed out the front television to a flatscreen, I'd appreciate pictures and instructions.

It would really help me-- thank you.

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Jayson,

Hopefully someone else with the same coach will respond.

But, not sure it matters what coach it is done in, this is a very common upgrade.

There are several different methods-- some more finished looking than others.

Most finished is to recess the flatscreen slightly in the existing opening and trim around it.  Make sure you get a TV with front speakers or have  a sound bar, as many TV's have the speakers in back.

Some just use either wood or the metal premade TV mounts to cover the whole original opening.  Doesn't look as finished, but easier and gives you a larger TV.

On one coach I did this on, I took down the original TV cabinet and trimmed off the top and front to more exactly fit the dimensions of the flat screen TV.  Then reinstalled the TV.  Since neither top (ceiling) not front showed, no refinishing was needed.

It all depends on how handy you are/how much you want to spend and what look you want to end up with.

 

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I did as Brett said. I took out the old TV from the cabinet. To this day I don't know how I got that old heavy thing down. I took the cabinet down cut off 7" from the front and used the same frame for trim. I found a Vizo TV that was the exact same width as the cabinet. One thing I might suggest is to find a TV that has the speaker in front and not on the bottom. Also if replacing more than one TV do not buy the same make for each TV. I got two Vizos and have to be very careful when turning one on when the other is on. Their remote frequency is the same. One Vizo and one Samsung would be a lot better.

Herman

 

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As the old hole is likely square and the new TV's are wider than they are tall, this leaves a great location for a sound bar in many cases.  If you have the space I highly recommend a sound bar.  Even with front speakers I just don't think the sound of these new TV's is very good.  You are going HD TV, you might as well go HD sound as well.

As mentioned above you can just add some bracing where the old TV was and use a home style wall mount so that it ends up flush with the empty TV box.  You can get a larger TV (I recommend getting as big as possible) if you plan for the TV to cover the edges of the old box instead of trying to fit one inside.

I have tried several brands but some of the Visio TV's have the thinnest frames giving you more actual TV screen but you will want to find the best match for the space available.

You will also most likely want a TV with speakers on the bottom and not of the sides as this will make the TV a little taller rather than wider which will fit the space better.

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Jayson,

We changed out our TVs early last year.  Hardest part was finding the right sizes to fit existing holes.  This took several trips to Walmart, Sams, Best Buy and Costco!  We lucked out on the front TV and a 42" Samsung fit perfectly with minimal facing trim adjusting. 

The rear TV was a bit more of a challenge but with a false back and locking bracket arm a 32" flat screen covered the existing hole nicely!  A bonus we have now is a hidden compartment that once was a hole for a 23" TV.

Our old TVs were not HD and neither was our satellite receiver.  So, we had our receiver upgraded at the same time.

Blake

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Vizio is the biggest bang for the buck.  Got 3 at home, Christmas present to myself, the living room one is a 70" and I love it.  They replaced 3 B&O's, that will be installed in a coach.  If you don't have any obstructions in the celling, you could get a celling mounted TV, electric motor driven up/down!

Good Luck

Carl

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I just replaced a 24 inch crt with a Vizio 43 inch 4K M series.  I also installed a 38 inch sound bar with 3 inputs including blue tooth.  I hinged it from the top of the existing cabinet and used gas struts to hold it up as well as down.  I also installed a 40 inch Samsung, that is only 1.2 inches thick, in the bed room which had a 19 inch crt.

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