handheld television

A Handheld television is a device that usually uses a TFT color LCD as a display. Many of these devices resemble handheld transistor radios. These devices often have stereo 1/8" phone plugs for composite video~analog mono audio relay to serve them as composite monitors; also, some models have mono 1/8" jacks for the broadcast signal that is usually relayed via F connector on standard television models. Screen sizes vary from 1.3" to 5". Some handheld televisions also double as portable DVD players.

Size spectrum

Portable These TVs cannot fit in your pocket, but often run on batteries.

Pocket These TVs fit in your pocket

Wearable These TVs sometimes are made in the form of a wristwatch.

History

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Sinclair Research released the first TV which was almost small enough to fit in the pocket; called the MTV-1. Since LCD technology was not yet mature at the time, the TV used a minuscule CRT which set the record for being the smallest CRT on a commercially marketed product.

Later in the 1980s, Sony released the first model of the Watchman; a pun on Walkman. It had grayscale video at first. Several years later, a color model with an active-matrix LCD was released. Nowadays, some cell phones have an integrated television receiver feature.

Notable brands and models for handheld televisions

Similar types

Some handheld televisions are wearable; a few models are in the form of a wristwatch.

Notable handheld television retailers

Radio Shack

External links

History of the pocket TV

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