Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeffhs
Not really. There are still portable TVs to be had, though today's sets are ATSC digital and have very small screens (I've seen 7" battery/AC flat-panel sets by Haier and at least one other offshore manufacturer advertised in flyers in my Sunday newspaper). I'm sure one of these days some company will market a line of large-screen (15"+) HD digital portable TV sets; the problem at this stage of DTV's development, however, is still the fact that DTV signals are much weaker than analog ones, and that an outdoor antenna or cable is often required to get enough signal for the set to produce a watchable picture. The 7" HD flat-panels do have external antenna ports, but tell me honestly -- who wants to tether a small portable like that to a cable line?  |
Joey, a friend of mine, works for a local distribution company (actually an electronics import company...) and got to got to the CES in Vegas this year. He said the trend is going away from portable TV-only devices, and putting all of the features into the pad computers/pad media players. With built in-ATSC tuners the size of a chiclet, some of the Android and nEOS (some kind of other "open" operating system for enterntainment devices) pads had Netflix, off-air, and other entertainment sources for video built right in. So while they are still portable, TV's they ain't. You can watch TV, read your email, read your .mobi book, play your MP3's, capture video or pictures, play Mafia Wars, Geocache, and learn a foreign language with one of these devices, only 399 bucks with a service contract! 10" is the most common size so far, and you only have to go to Radio Shack or Circuit City online to see them. Rumors are that Walmart may also offer a feature-limited one for 199, with WiFi ability as basic, and other features as add-ons with a contract.
China is still cranking out portables, both digital and CRT-based for the developing world, which is getting smaller and smaller. Alibaba has at least two 12" B/W CRT portables listed, and numerous smaller CRT sets.
PS - if you ever get a chance to go to CES, jump on it. Joey got to meet a lot of big-time TV and movie stars, some from those "dirty movies"
Cheers,