Portable Digital Television - Is the Time Right to Buy?

Quite some time ago we published an article called "Portable Television - the Achilles Heel of the Digital Switchover." The problem was that portable didn't fit into any plans for the great digital switchover taking place in the UK from 2008 to 2012.  Almost 2 years later this article looks at how things have moved in the digital portable world.

There were no portable digital televisions being produced.  Any existing television needed a set-top box to convert any digital signals - hardly convenient for a true portable television and probably not much use for the portable television you keep in your kitched or bedroom. Perhaps the biggest problem was that digital television requires better aerials than those used for analogue.  Most house mounted aerials would be OK but a good many would have to be replaced in order to receive digital signals.

Almost 2 years later the situation has changed.  For a start it's pretty difficult to find a traditional CRT television on the shelves of any high street electrical store.  Everywhere you look you will find some pretty amazing flat screen models.  Many now include digital tuners do you can receive free view right out of the box.  Quite a few also include built in DVD players.  The technological advance in the last couple of years is dramatic.

So the answer to the question, "Can I buy a digital portable television?" is an emphatic, "YES".

Unfortunately, that is not the whole story.  All of the portable digital televisions now on sale should work fine as long as they are connected to a good roof top aerial.  If you want to be truly portable - camping or caravaning for instance - things become more difficult. 

For a start you are going to need to carry a separate aerial.  In all probability you will need to use an active booster aerial.  These contain electronic circuitry to increase the signal provided by your aerial.  It all adds up to more things to carry and more power supplies needed.

There is no doubt that great strides have been made in digital television design and technology.  Just how portable digital televisions are going to be now rests with a similar advance in the design and technology of portable telvision aerials.