TV Problems

[rbmartiniv]

My 2016 Challenger has 4 Seiki TV's. The larger one up front is mounted to the wall so that it is impossible to reach the connections on the back. A switchbox is located in the cabinet below and to the right of the TV but Thor didn't leave enough cable slack to pull it out far enough to see the connections on the back of the box. The Seiki TVs will sometimes find cable channels during the auto-programming but sometimes not. I have needed cable boxes at some parks and have not at others. I am going to remove the front Seiki, throw the piece of crap mount away, and purchase an articulating and lockable mount so that i will have access to all of the TV connections. I will have to remove the fireplace to access all of the cables so I can swap them out for longer ones. I also need to add a 110 outlet as there are none on that side of the coach. We have currently been on the road for 4 weeks and get home tomorrow. I have a very long list of items needing attention before the warranty runs out. I am not a happy camper!

[Bruce]

You should be able to remove the Seiko and extend the cable. The Seiko mount in my unit had two straps that you access from the bottom. Pulling the straps releases the mount.

However, the Seiko is now history replaced by a decent Samsung. I used a Master Mount swivel mount from Camping World.



Bruce

[bevedfelker]

Robert -- the Seiki that won't scan cable problems sounds like two of the Seikis that I have. Mine do not have QAM tuners so they will not decode any coded cable signals. If I'm plugged in to a park with Dish or a cable system that is not encoded they scan fine. They also scan fine when using the antenna. But if the park has an encoded system (like Fort Wilderness) they will not scan any channels.

[EA37TS]

Robert,

Not sure about the KT but on my ND there is a wooden vent/grill on the right side of the cabinet that houses the fireplace. Removing that vent allows access to the area you mention without removal of the fireplace. Inside the cavity are the cable splitter, and electrical outlet, the furnace plenum, and a few other things. If that is the case in yours you may want to remove that cover and ensure all of the coax cables are tight on the splitter. When I first went in that area doing some "what's behind this" exploration I found the splitter just dangling so I secured it using some zip ties (eliminated a periodic knock while driving, and a tear in one of the furnace vent hoses leading to the bedroom (duct tape fixed that problem).

Also, if you have the same vent, I recommend using a few additional screws to secure it to the cabinet. Mine bowed and was replaced under warranty with Thor having the dealer add 2 additional mounting screws midway along the sides. I'll verify this repair when I pick the coach up from the dealer.

Did they install a Seiki on the exterior of your coach? My exterior TV is a Contiu US TV.

[rbmartiniv]

Thanks for all the replies. I'll try to answer all in this one post. The mount on the front TV (over the fireplace) doesn't have "straps" that release the mount, but other two in the coach do have straps. I will have to check the outside TV for strap, but I know it is Seiki like the other three. And, no, I checked and they don't have QAM tuners so will continue to have problems with various parks. There is a removable panel in the cabinet to the right of the fireplace, but still hard to get in there. They are extremely cheap TV's, which is OK if they work properly. If they break I would replace them instead of repairing them. Warranty isn't worth much if you have to ship the thing back to them.

[Jeff McIntosh]

I have the same problem with scanning cable. Currently Thor's position is that the TV's work according to the TV's specs and will not replace under warranty. My position is that Thor sold me a motor coach that is not Cable Ready. I have 5 TV's in my 2016 Challenger. Two work, which are not the Seikei TV's.
Thor has known of this problem for some time and yet they continue to ship Motor Coaches that they know full well will not work for the end user and then blame it on the FCC.
Has anyone had any success with having these TV's replaced through Thor?

[rbmartiniv]

No, Jeff. I didn't include that issue with my "laundry" list for Thor. They are pretty cheap TVs. About $230 for a 40 inch. Apparently they don't have QAM ("clear channel") tuner like most brands. I believe the QAM tuner allows it to work with most, if not all, cable systems. Without it, you need a cable box for the specific cable system used by the RV park. I'm probably going to replace the 40 inch one up front. Good luck with Thor.

I've only had my 2016 Challenger for 6 months and already thinking about trading. I guess you get what you pay for. Then again, maybe not!

[paul905]

I went after Seiki and this was their reply:

Seiki Customer Service customerservice@seiki.com via zohosupport.com
Apr 7

to me
Our TVs can receive digital / HD channels using an antenna however our TVs cannot receive digital / HD channels using a cable TV line, since our TVs (for past several years) do not include a "QAM" tuner. In this case, customers would need a cable box or digital adapter from their cable provider.

Sincerely,

Seiki Customer Support

So I was upset about it until I found out Time Warner Cable was in the process of doing away with all Qam channels. Requiring all tv's to use a Digital Cable adapter. It seems that in 2012 the FCC said they no longer had to provide a Qam Signal. Here in the north east TWC has a lot of the cable business. I'm going to have to get a couple of these adapters for the house in a few months. I have 3 tv's in the motorhome and only the one in the beedroom has a qam tuner. Not the two Seikis. I don't know what the campgrounds are going to do.

[EA37TS]

FWIW, see this question from the Comcast Support page.

My TV has a QAM Tuner. What Other Equipment Do I Need?

Also, there is an entire section with questions related to the Florida market. The way I read it in Florida any cable system using Comcast will not get anything unless you have a Comcast set top box or some other form of digital adapter.

The way I read the whole things cable companies were allowed to do this so they could stop transmitting analog signals for local channels and free up the bandwidth for digital transmission. Supposedly, this will allow for the expansion of high speed internet to rural areas.

I was reading an article last week where now, after changing direction on the analog/digital issue, the FCC is upset because cable companies are requiring folks to lease the equipment to decode the signal.

[JamieGeek]

Originally Posted by dstankov

I was reading an article last week where now, after changing direction on the analog/digital issue, the FCC is upset because cable companies are requiring folks to lease the equipment to decode the signal.

Yup now the FCC has made a ruling, or is going to make a ruling, that cable companies must allow the use of "other" set top boxes (like using your Apple TV or Roku for your cable box).
FCC votes to “unlock the cable box� over Republican opposition | Ars Technica

[rbmartiniv]

Can't remember where, but I read an article where someone was saying because of this TV cable problems at RV parks, many are giving up cable. Some are going to satellite but it is more expensive for parks. This writer says the trend is not to provide cable or satellite TV at parks, since so many people have their own sat receivers and there are so many OTA channels in HD if you are near a town of any size. So, instead of spending money upgrading TV they are going to spend it on better wifi -- faster speeds, broader band width, etc. so people can use it for streaming movies and programs from the internet. I doubt I will live long enough to see that! Good idea, though.

[Razor]

Originally Posted by rbmartiniv

So, instead of spending money upgrading TV they are going to spend it on better wifi -- faster speeds, broader band width, etc. so people can use it for streaming movies and programs from the internet.

Give me faster WiFi over TV any day! With a good WiFi signal I can steam all the baseball we want to watch 😄

[Tonys999]

Originally Posted by rbmartiniv

My 2016 Challenger has 4 Seiki TV's. The larger one up front is mounted to the wall so that it is impossible to reach the connections on the back. A switchbox is located in the cabinet below and to the right of the TV but Thor didn't leave enough cable slack to pull it out far enough to see the connections on the back of the box. The Seiki TVs will sometimes find cable channels during the auto-programming but sometimes not. I have needed cable boxes at some parks and have not at others. I am going to remove the front Seiki, throw the piece of crap mount away, and purchase an articulating and lockable mount so that i will have access to all of the TV connections. I will have to remove the fireplace to access all of the cables so I can swap them out for longer ones. I also need to add a 110 outlet as there are none on that side of the coach. We have currently been on the road for 4 weeks and get home tomorrow. I have a very long list of items needing attention before the warranty runs out. I am not a happy camper!

Hi Robert. How were you able to get to the bolts on the tv. Looks as if there are 4 screws along the botom holding the panl in that its bolted to. Is this correct? Thanks