Portable HDTV Set

[Too_Many_Tools]

I am looking to buy a PORTABLE HDTV set.

Are there any available...I can't seem to find anything but LARGE sets
that are anything but portable.

Also I would like to hear anyone's experience with a HDTV set that is
being used while traveling in a RV.

Thanks

TMT

 

[RobH]

I am looking to buy a PORTABLE HDTV set.

Are there any available...I can't seem to find anything but LARGE sets
that are anything but portable.

Also I would like to hear anyone's experience with a HDTV set that is
being used while traveling in a RV.

Thanks

TMT

Look on Amazon. These are all under $500.

Sharp LC-13B6U-S 13" AQUOS HDTV-Ready
Zenith Z15LA7R 15" Flat Panel HD-Ready LCD TV
Philips 15PF8946 15" HDTV-Ready Flat Panel TV
Sharp Aquos LC-15B9US 15" HD-Ready LCD

 

[Too_Many_Tools]

I should have mentioned that the set needs to be battery powered.

TMT

 

[afiggatt]

Look on Amazon. These are all under $500.

Sharp LC-13B6U-S 13" AQUOS HDTV-Ready
Zenith Z15LA7R 15" Flat Panel HD-Ready LCD TV
Philips 15PF8946 15" HDTV-Ready Flat Panel TV
Sharp Aquos LC-15B9US 15" HD-Ready LCD

"HD-Ready" means HD TV sets without ATSC (or QAM) tuners. The OP
didn't say, but I suspect that TMT is looking for a portable HD TV with
an ATSC tuner to pick up the local digital broadcast stations. I have
not heard of any such portable HD TVs with digital tuners on the market
yet. If the TV is for an RV, the only option may be to go for a portable
HD TV (15" widescreen is damn small however) and buy a ATSC tuner set
top box for it, but the ATSC STB will require AC power.

Alan F

 

[dg]

Look on Amazon. These are all under $500.

Sharp LC-13B6U-S 13" AQUOS HDTV-Ready
Zenith Z15LA7R 15" Flat Panel HD-Ready LCD TV
Philips 15PF8946 15" HDTV-Ready Flat Panel TV
Sharp Aquos LC-15B9US 15" HD-Ready LCD

Not to slam your suggestions, but man is it sad what is being passed off as
"HD". All the sets mentioned are 4:3 AR, the first on the list even has a
native res of 640x480! It seems like such a shame to start with such a
small monitor with low res and then lose so much real estate by displaying
16:9 HD on it. "Pimp my ride" put a 40"+ plasma set in a VW bus, I'd tend
to think a little more on that end of the size spectrum but not so extreme.

--Dan

 

[Wes Newell]

I am looking to buy a PORTABLE HDTV set.

Are there any available...I can't seem to find anything but LARGE sets
that are anything but portable.

Also I would like to hear anyone's experience with a HDTV set that is
being used while traveling in a RV.

I've looked all over for about a 20" HDTV with builkt in tuner and came up
empty, so I just decided to order an HDTV tuner for my PC. It's a heck of
lot cheaper too. This would seem to be a perfect solution for an RV.

 

[[email protected]]

| |
|> I am looking to buy a PORTABLE HDTV set.
|>
|> Are there any available...I can't seem to find anything but LARGE sets
|> that are anything but portable.
|>
|> Also I would like to hear anyone's experience with a HDTV set that is
|> being used while traveling in a RV.
|>
|> Thanks
|>
|> TMT
|>
|>
|
| Look on Amazon. These are all under $500.

NONE of them are genuine HDTV. These are just HD-ready or ED-ready.
NONE have an ATSC tuner so they require an external STB tuner to get
HD broadcasts (which will subsequently be reduced in quality to fit
the 4:3 screens they have).

Note that an external tuner may be fine for a large screen home theatre
system, but they are inconvenience for a portable.

The ideal portable TV will include a 16:9 screen, ATSC/NTSC tuner (for
North American markets), and correct handling of all ATSC formats to
be sure resolution is never any less than what that small screen can
show (it won't be anything like a large screen, but that is no cause
for dumb engineering that downgrades video below the 480 size before
displaying it). An integrated Blu-Ray DVD player would also be nice
when that technology finally makes it to market. The ability to also
handle 576i/p, 25/50 fps, DVB-T, world channeling, and 100-250v power
in the mains adapter, would be a big plus. Cable TV (QAM) would also
be a plus for many people.


| Sharp LC-13B6U-S 13" AQUOS HDTV-Ready

The aspect ratio is only 4:3. The tuner is only NTSC (no ATSC). Apparently
it can do "HDTV" only via video input, up to 480p (really just EDTV). but
it can do PAL and SECAM (maybe only via video in).


| Zenith Z15LA7R 15" Flat Panel HD-Ready LCD TV

This one is also 4:3. No mention of a tuner is given, but no mention of ATSC
certainly indicates it has no such capability.


| Philips 15PF8946 15" HDTV-Ready Flat Panel TV

Another 4:3 unit. Again, no mention of ATSC. This one does have an FM
(radio) tuner.


| Sharp Aquos LC-15B9US 15" HD-Ready LCD

I see no "LC-15B9US" but there is a LC-15B6US at Amazon. It says ED-ready
(not "HD-ready") and appears to be a larger screen version of the LC-13B6U-S.

 

[Too_Many_Tools]

I would have to agree....and so why I asked the original question to
see if I was missing something offered in the marketplace.

I guess one just needs to wait for the manufacturers to offer the
product for a market segment they have yet to address.

TMT

 

[[email protected]]

The DTV standard for over the air broadcasts requires a good and stable
incoming signal from the antenna. In the RV if you are parked and can
orient the antenna you should be fine. If you want to use it while
driving, it is not going to work. There will be too much 'ghosting' of
the incoming digital signal and the tuners won't handle it well.

I am not certain there will ever be a market segment for what you are
searching.

 

[Too_Many_Tools]

I consider it to be a faulty standard.

Do you remember the early portable CD digital audio players?

Remember the skipping?

Note that manufacturers had to build buffering and better pickups to
take care of the problem.

Same evolution with video.

Kids are in the back of the SUV/RV watching digital
televison...dropouts, ghosting, etc....guess what..manufacturers will
be forced to provide the service the customer demands.

Until then I and many others won't be spending money on DTV.

TMT

 

[Bob Miller]

I consider it to be a faulty standard.

Do you remember the early portable CD digital audio players?

Remember the skipping?

Note that manufacturers had to build buffering and better pickups to
take care of the problem.

Same evolution with video.

Kids are in the back of the SUV/RV watching digital
televison...dropouts, ghosting, etc....guess what..manufacturers will
be forced to provide the service the customer demands.

Until then I and many others won't be spending money on DTV.

TMT

Portable and mobile are a big deal and will be big business in most
countries. The recent IBC show in Amsterdam was 20% bigger than last
year mostly because of the interest in mobile DTV.

In the US we do have two ventures both targeting cell phone DTV,
Qualcomm and Crown Castle but soon you will hear of other ventures
targeting vehicles, laptops and other larger screens than cell phones.

Auctions to be held in 2008 will allow more such DTV that works mobile
and portable. Stay tuned. The disastrous DTV transition in the US has
held back progress but it will soon be of little interest as new
broadcasters come on line who do care about OTA DTV broadcasting unlike
the current broadcasters who live and die by must carry over cable.

Bob Miller

 

[Andy Cuffe]

The DTV standard for over the air broadcasts requires a good and stable
incoming signal from the antenna. In the RV if you are parked and can
orient the antenna you should be fine. If you want to use it while
driving, it is not going to work. There will be too much 'ghosting' of
the incoming digital signal and the tuners won't handle it well.

I am not certain there will ever be a market segment for what you are
searching.

It may be a few years before technology allows a cheap portable ATSC
TV, but it will happen. I think it's foolish to think people will
just stop wanting portable TVs because they're digital now. People
like their NTSC portable color TVs even though you can't get a very
good color picture most of the time and the screens are too small to
really enjoy it. It's certain that people won't want NTSC portables
after they stop NTSC broadcasting. Using a battery portable TV with
an AC powered receiver box makes about as much sense as using a
walkman with a rack component CD player.
Andy Cuffe

[email protected] <-- Use this address until 12/31/2005

[email protected] <-- Use this address after 12/31/2005

 

[Andy Cuffe]

I've looked all over for about a 20" HDTV with builkt in tuner and came up
empty, so I just decided to order an HDTV tuner for my PC. It's a heck of
lot cheaper too. This would seem to be a perfect solution for an RV.

A few years ago I had a JVC 'multimedia' TV that was basically a 20"
TV that could also sync to VGA/SVGA. At the time it was just a TV
that also made a really bad computer monitor, but one of those would
be great now. I wish I had saved it instead of selling it.
Andy Cuffe

[email protected] <-- Use this address until 12/31/2005

[email protected] <-- Use this address after 12/31/2005

 

[James Sweet]

A few years ago I had a JVC 'multimedia' TV that was basically a 20"
TV that could also sync to VGA/SVGA. At the time it was just a TV
that also made a really bad computer monitor, but one of those would
be great now. I wish I had saved it instead of selling it.
Andy Cuffe

We had several of those at work for compatibility testing, IIRC every
one of them failed.

 

[Too_Many_Tools]

I would agree....would you want your cell phone to come with a cord
that you had to plug into a stationary socket before using it?

HDTV will not be a replacement for NTSC until it does everything that
NTSC does now...everything.

And the public will not accept it until it does everything that it
replaces.

NTSC will be with us longer than anyone wants to admit.

TMT

 

[Andy Cuffe]

We had several of those at work for compatibility testing, IIRC every
one of them failed.

I repaired a HV shutdown problem with the one I had. I can't remember
what caused it, but it was something minor.
Andy Cuffe

[email protected] <-- Use this address until 12/31/2005

[email protected] <-- Use this address after 12/31/2005

 

[Brenda Ann]

I would agree....would you want your cell phone to come with a cord
that you had to plug into a stationary socket before using it?

HDTV will not be a replacement for NTSC until it does everything that
NTSC does now...everything.

And the public will not accept it until it does everything that it
replaces.

NTSC will be with us longer than anyone wants to admit.

I'd like to believe that, but I'm afraid that the FCC has other ideas.

I know I won't be buying an HDTV receiver any time soon, they're still WAY
out of my budget. I can buy a 27" NTSC set that looks just fine for what's
being broadcast for $175, it's 10x to 12x that for the cheapest HDTV ready
(without the HDTV tuner) set. Damn if I'll pay more than a week's wages for
a TV set, there's just nothing worth that kind of scratch to WATCH on them.

 

[Bob Miller]

It may be a few years before technology allows a cheap portable ATSC
TV, but it will happen. I think it's foolish to think people will
just stop wanting portable TVs because they're digital now. People
like their NTSC portable color TVs even though you can't get a very
good color picture most of the time and the screens are too small to
really enjoy it. It's certain that people won't want NTSC portables
after they stop NTSC broadcasting. Using a battery portable TV with
an AC powered receiver box makes about as much sense as using a
walkman with a rack component CD player.
Andy Cuffe

[email protected] <-- Use this address until 12/31/2005

[email protected] <-- Use this address after 12/31/2005

Will not happen! Over the next few years the standard for
portable/mobile will be set by broadcasters like Qualcomm, Crown Castle
and others all of which will be using COFDM based modulations that will
be extremely robust.

Anyone trying to use a junk modulation like 8-VSB would be crazy and
whatever product they tried to sell would be laughed off the market.

This is what COFDM can do in a market like New York City. 8-VSB still
does not work in New York even for fixed receivers on rooftops with
fancy powered and rotored antennas let alone mobile with half inch
antennas like Qualcomm and Crown Castle will offer.

www.viacel.com/bob.wmv

Japan will start a mobile COFDM cell phone service in a few months. The
antenna is an inch at best.

http://www.dibeg.org/news/news-4/news-e4.htm#dn058e

Bob Miller

 

[Andy Cuffe]

I know I won't be buying an HDTV receiver any time soon, they're still WAY
out of my budget. I can buy a 27" NTSC set that looks just fine for what's
being broadcast for $175, it's 10x to 12x that for the cheapest HDTV ready
(without the HDTV tuner) set. Damn if I'll pay more than a week's wages for
a TV set, there's just nothing worth that kind of scratch to WATCH on them.

HDTVs are actually a LOT cheaper than that now. You can get a 27ish
Sanyo set with a built in ATSC tuner for about $450 now. Not top
quality, but unless Sanyo is farming out manufacturing to Durabrand it
should be decent.
Andy Cuffe

[email protected] <-- Use this address until 12/31/2005

[email protected] <-- Use this address after 12/31/2005

 

[Brenda Ann]

HDTVs are actually a LOT cheaper than that now. You can get a 27ish
Sanyo set with a built in ATSC tuner for about $450 now. Not top
quality, but unless Sanyo is farming out manufacturing to Durabrand it
should be decent.

Sure don't have anything like that available at our PX or through AAFES
Online. Cheapest digital ready TV we have access to is $1000, 24" screen,
and has no digital tuner even available for it yet.