Next Gen TZtouch size options

[Relax31]

Hi, I have a pair of 12" TZtouch2s (TZTL12F) (pic inserted below) and I really tried hard to find a way to take advantage of the Refreshin' Rebate program to upgrade to a pair of TZtouchXLs. Unfortunately, none were a good fit for my boat, physically. The only model that would fit was the 10" model, but I don't want to downsize to a 10" screen from my current 12" ones. The 16" model was too large and the 13" would have fit were it not for the controls to the right of the screen (i.e., they would have fit in a touchscreen-only configuration). I need (or strongly prefer) two MFDs for redundancy purposes as well as total screen space. So, unfortunately, I'm stuck with my old TZtouch2s because, essentially, I'm unwilling to downsize from 12" to 10" screens (or convert to a single MFD only).

For your next generation of MFDs, can you PLEASE release a 12-13" model that is TOUCHSCREEN ONLY, so they will fit in my boat? As you can see in the pic, I use the remote control (MCU004), so, I do not value having controls on the MFD itself ("hybrid control"). I much prefer to use all available device "real estate" for display only.

Thank you.

 

[Johnny Electron]

Very nice dash. I was definitely pass on the message to the developers. It drives me batty that the cut out can't be baselined for several series to prevent dash redos and allow easy upgrades. NN1 to Vx2 was exact same cutout and screw holes. Easy is just that.. I can't agree with you more. Thanks for the feedback and the photo. Thanks for buying Furuno and I promise while it is taking time, they are listening more and this forum area is a great area for them to reference.

 

[Relax31]

Hi Johnny, thank you very much for your reply! And thank you for passing my request along to the developers. As you said, from a sales perspective, it's best to minimize the obstacles in the path of the customer's upgrade cycle.

I did study the current options closely (in screenshot below, clockwise from L-R, my current TZT2s, 2x TZT13X, 2X TZT16X) and for a day or two was leaning towards the 16Xs, but that would have required cutting out my dash entirely and a lot of glass and gelcoat work in order to enlarge it, and ultimately I decided that was more trouble than it was worth.

Overall I've been very happy with my Furuno products (I also have some others not pictured in original post above) since first coming across the brand on commercial vessels decades ago. Hopefully a touchscreen-only drop-in (or close) replacement for my current 12" TZT2s is in my future

Thanks again!

 

[Quitsa]

I had the same issue trying to replace the 12 inch TZT2 at my tower helm and gave up and downsized to the 10" XL as the only option that would fit the available space. I had to fabricate a new panel even so.

From a marketing standpoint, I am baffled as to why Furuno did not design the TZTXL to fit the TZT3 cutouts. I would be sorely tempted to swap my TZT3 16" displays for XLs if it did not require so much work. A lesser issue is the lower brightness levels than the TZT3, which is also hard to explain since the other marine electronics manufacturers seem to be able to get brighter screens on their new models with equal or higher resolution. For example, the new Simrad NSS4 displays are about 25% brighter than an XL.

 

[Johnny Electron]

Sometimes system power is better saved or used other places like extra processing energy than given towards the LCD. The LCD and its backlighting are one of the largest consumers of power and heat production in an MFD. Color palette and viewing angle will make a big difference in the perceived “brightness”. Brightness is also very physically subjective to the human eye, for an example a larger display even at lower brightness may appear brighter than a smaller display at a higher setting, just because the display is larger. I always caution people from being too hyper focused on written specs. For example, Furuno always publishes "worst case" power usage when others publish "nominal" values. This many times makes us look worse than we could, but yet it is also ultimately safer for the customer, to do so. When it comes to displays, it is best to look at them in action and decide if that is what is needed for the application and weigh all the other factors before deciding. I can't say I have had anyone say the XL is too dim before. It does offer many color palettes for the charting that really make it viewable in about any conditions for indoor or outdoor.

I shared the post about sizes, and they said the future is not over. Maybe this will be something that gets better moving forward with retrofitting. I hope so. Thanks for the feedback and suggestions.