small-LCD-screen flat panel TV, cable ready.

A much better option. The screen is optimized for a TV signal, and
has a much wider viewing angle. Some boat friends of mine went the
laptop TV card route, and were endlessly fighting over whose head got
to occupy the "sweet spot" in terms of viewing angle.

I have a Samsung 150mp and am very happy with it. Very electronically
quiet, doesn't foul up HF reception. Magnetically inert too. The
speakers are kinda tinny sounding, but a $10 set of computer speakers
produces "theater sound." Unlike a laptop there's no power hungry
Intel CPU, hard drives, etc.; it consumes only 35 watts, compared to
80 watts for my laptop. Also doubles as a monitor via a 15 pin cable,
but only 1024x768. Great way to play DVDs though.

It'll run on clean 12.3 volts +-5%, but high voltages will burn out
the flourescent tube system which lights the screen, because there's a
stepup transformer for it which overheats at high voltages. So, you
can get away running it on ship's 12 volts without a voltage
convertor-stabilizer thingie ($150), but not while charging or running
electrical equipment which introduces transients into your DC service
wiring. Best is to run it on AC thru an invertor, if 35watts is in
the high efficiency part of your invertor's power output curve.

Only caveat is small "wide screen" HDTV flat panels are just around
the corner, a normal aspect ratio flat screen TV is going to
obsolesce fairly quickly.