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bow to stern Houseboating's places, faces, views, news, products, and more 12 Houseboatmagazine.com Stern bow to In our pursuit to have it all, it's not an uncommon sight to see a television mounted on the bow deck of a houseboat or at the very least, a nice flat screen on the top deck. Enjoy- ing your favorite game while overlooking the lake is just one of the many advantages to own- ing a houseboat. But sometimes the thought or idea isn't really as good as the actual result. Relaxing on the top deck with the grill fired up while watching a little college football seems like the ultimate paradise. But often the outdoor flat screen TV, regardless of how much you paid for it, isn't all that great. In the daytime it's hard to see the picture or any of the detail and soon it just becomes one of those amenities that you have, but don't ever really use. And because the TV is outdoors, it can have a short lifespan because it's constantly exposed to the outdoor elements. But for one houseboater, not being able to see his outdoor television was not an option. About four years ago while boating on Lake Pleasant, just outside of Phoenix, Ariz., the idea for a better outdoor television came to Dale Potts. From there MirageVision was born, a weatherproof, water-resistant television that could actually be seen outdoors during the day. "We own a 75-foot houseboat and for years we tried using several different LCD TVs on the top deck, but you could never see them during the day and because of the extreme heat in Arizona I'd have to replace them about every two years," says Potts. "With MirageVision we take an existing brand LCD TV, disassemble it, weather proof it and then use a special membrane that is breathable yet seals the TV's existing breath holes. We then pump up the brightness and contrast, thus allowing the TV to be viewed in bright outdoor sunlight. The MirageVision sell the outdoor television for about half of what our competitor's sets are selling for." The MirageVision flat screen LCD sets range from 24- to 55-inches and they're designed to withstand humidity, dust, insects and basically the environment that they're in. His company, Global Outdoor Concepts, Inc., has sold thou- sands of these televisions all over the world to houseboat owners as well as to home owners who enjoy watching HD television on their patios. Potts has also been successful selling his MirageVision TVs to resort hotels and other businesses, but it's his latest idea that he's the most excited about. "We now have a battery-operated, portable MirageVision 24-inch 'take-anywhere' outdoor HDTV," says Potts. "You can watch it on the bow or the top deck and be- cause it only weighs 50 pounds, which includes an (optional) built-in Blu-Ray player, you can take it home to the backyard when you're not on the boat." With the Blu-Ray you can get about six hours on a single charge and eight hours without it. It's built inside a portable cooler so it's easy to carry, very durable and the component are weather proof. With the 12-volt plug you can power or charge the unit with its built-in AC/DC charging system and it's not possible to over-charge it. Global Outdoor Con- cepts, Inc. does offer a 32-inch portable televi- sion as well, but with the deep cell battery that is needed, it nearly doubles the weight of the 24-inch version. For more information on the MirageVision outdoor HD televisions, visit the Global Outdoor Concepts, Inc. website at ww.globaloutdoorconcepts. com or call 702-533-8899. MirageVision Expect more from your outdoor TV house boat magazin