We need to update the caravan TV to something with a bit larger screen.
Like many people we have changed to a van with a fixed bed and in common with a lot of van layouts ours has a position for the TV at high level between the kitchen area and the bed.
This means that when sitting in the lounge area you are a fair distance from the screen. The other important thing about this sort of TV point is that you are looking up at the screen when sitting down or lying in bed.
Our requirements were for a decent size (15-17”) screen, 12/240v, digital and analogue tuner and multi standard for use abroad.
The set has to fit inside a cabinet with sliding doors and so the size, particularly the height, is limited.
The two sets that filled our list of requirements were the Avtex 152T and the Mobile TV MTV 15/17. Our local dealers, Stowmarket Caravans, who are old friends of the Caravan Channel, agreed that if I paid and took both sets home I could give them a thorough test and return the one that we didn’t like.
Appearance and layout.
The two sets look very different. The Avtex is quite chunky and gives the impression that it is well put together and could put up with a lot of carting around.
The Mobile TV is, by comparison, much lighter and slimmer but feels flimsier.
The Mobile has a very slim bezel around the screen which is all black with the small stereo speakers at the bottom. The Avtex is white with silver and grey trim with the speakers at the side.
There is no doubt that the black surround sets off the picture better than the lighter one.
One of the major differences is the way the sets are supported.
The Mobile has a good solid handle behind the set to carry it around and a matching stand that has a friction adjustment to alter the angle that the set stands.
The Avtex has a fixed rear stand (held by a screw) that is not adjustable and sticks out by several inches. Not the most convenient for packing away in transit and giving no adjustment for angle of viewing. There is also a hinged bracket supplied for permanent mounting under a shelf.
Those who use a laptop will know that the angle of the screen is pretty critical when looking at pictures, too far forward or back alters the balance and brightness of the screen.
These TV’s use the same TFT type of LCD screen and so the vertical angle of viewing is also critical. This is not too much of a problem if the set is sited on a low level cabinet and you are looking straight on at the screen when it is tilted back. However, when the set is in a cabinet just below roof height unless the screen can stand close to vertical, it is pretty much unwatchable.
All of this means that the Avtex really is not suitable for this type of application, while the Mobile can stand almost vertical and so give a good viewing angle.
Controls.
Both sets have the usual range of simple on/off, volume, channel up/down and menu controls. On the Avtex they are on the side and have a nice positive click to them, while on the Mobile they are along the top but have a more soggy feel to them.
The remote control for the Avtex is a pleasure to use. Well laid out with a good positive feel when navigating around the menus. The set responds to every press of a button and it doesn’t seem to matter which direction the remote is pointed.
The Mobile remote, on the other hand, is a disgrace for a set costing between £300-£400. Not only does it look cheap, it feels cheap to use.
Compared to the Avtex the layout seems chaotic, particularly the digital section where you need to use tiny little buttons to navigate through the menu system.
Unlike the Avtex the Mobile remote needs to be pointed directly at the set. Just a few degrees off and the set doesn’t respond to commands and you find yourself thinking you have told it to do something when nothing has happened. Most frustrating.
Picture and sound.
Both sets give acceptable but different pictures.
The Avtex seemed to me to have a colder colour than the Mobile but was quite clear and crisp with good definition.
The Mobile always looked much brighter with greater colour saturation. Whatever adjustments I made to the sets, I couldn’t get them to give a similar level of brightness. I suspect that this may be due to the Mobile having a much brighter backlight, for which there is no separate adjustment.
Overall we preferred the Mobile’s picture. It seemed much more dynamic than the Avtex, which always seem to have a misty film in front.
Both sets have nicam stereo sound, with the Avtex seeming to have the slight edge on clarity.
Tuners and menus
Tuning both analogue and digital channels is simple and fairly quick for both of these TV’s.
Using the roof aerial at home there was not much to choose between them but when I tried them in the caravan, with a very weak signal, the Mobile had the more sensitive tuner.
Despite the poor signal, both sets pulled in the analogue channels, but the Mobile produced a better and more watchable picture.
The Mobile was also marginally better at finding a few digital channels and although the low signal strength made them impossible to watch, at least it managed to grab and tune them.
The method of storing and finding digital channels is different on the two sets. The Avtex seems to store the channels in the order that they are received and when you access them using the EPG they are listed in those multiplex groups. The Mobile stores them in numerical order so that BBC1 is channel 1 and BBC News 24 is Channel 80, making it the same order as all other sets, without you having to sort them into order.
The Mobile has the better EPG of the two and also has a preview button that will give you a split screen of nine channels, shown as thumbnails.
Conclusions.
There is no doubt that the Avtex is better built and appears more rugged. Its controls, particularly the remote, are better and nicer to use.
A little thought from the designers would solve the problem of the immovable support at the rear, which makes the set almost unusable if it has to be sited at high level, unless it is permanently fitted using the hinged bracket supplied. It also seems daft that you need a screwdriver to remove the support so that the set can be packed away without a piece sticking out by four inches or so.
The white and silver case looks dated compared with the competition and does little to set off the picture.
The Mobile looks good and much more up to date with its slim black surround. It is lighter, slimmer and easier to carry with its excellent handle. The adjustable rear support means siting it almost anywhere is not a problem. It can also be wall mounted, although the bracket is an extra.
The brighter, more colourful picture is helped by that black screen surround. Despite the awful remote control, the better EPG system on the Mobile makes it the better set for digital channels.
Both sets are expensive compared with “normal” TV’s on sale at Currys, Comet etc. but this is a specialist market and so one must, regrettably, expect to pay a bit more.
At first glance, out of the box, the Avtex with its superior build quality seems the better value for money, while the Mobile is let down, mainly, by it’s cheap and nasty remote control.
When one is spending this amount of hard earned cash you expect things to be right and although we will probably buy the Mobile there are things about it that I don’t particularly like.
I will part with my cash with even more reluctance than usual.
Richard Clark.
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