Handheld television

Portable device for watching television

A handheld television is a portable device for watching television that usually uses a TFT LCD or OLED and CRT color display. Many of these devices resemble handheld transistor radios.

In 1970, Panasonic released the first TV which was small enough to fit in a large pocket; called the Panasonic IC TV MODEL TR 001 and Sinclair Research released the second pocket television, 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 1982, Sony released their first model the FD 200, which was introduced as “Flat TV” later renamed after the nickname Watchman, a play on the word Walkman. It had grayscale video at first. Several years later, a color model with an active matrix LCD was released. Some smartphones integrate a television receiver, although Internet broadband video is far more common. Since the switch over to digital broadcasting, handheld TVs have reduced in size and improved in quality. Portable TV was eventually brought to digital TV with DVB H, although it didn't see much success.

These devices often have stereo 1⁄8 inch (3.5 mm) phono plugs for composite video analog mono audio relay to serve them as composite monitors; also, some models have mono 3.5 mm jacks for the broadcast signal that is usually relayed via F connector or Belling Lee connector on standard television models. Some include HDMI, USB and SD ports. Screen sizes vary from Some handheld televisions also double as portable DVD players and USB personal video recorders.

Portable televisions cannot fit in a pocket, but often run on batteries and include a cigarette lighter receptacle plug. Pocket televisions fit in a pocket. Wearable televisions sometimes are made in the form of a wristwatch.