computer

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

History

In 1970, Japanese company Panasonic released the first TV that was small enough to fit in a large pocket, the Panasonic IC TV MODEL TR-001. It featured a 1.5-inch display, along with a 1.5-inch speaker.[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.

In 1980, Hattori Seiko's R&D group began development on color pocket LCD televisions.[2] In 1982, Seiko Epson released the Epson TV Watch, the first television-equipped wristwatch, with an active-matrix LCD television.[3][4] In 1982, 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.

In 1983, Casio released a handheld LCD television, the Casio TV-10.[5] In 1984, Epson released the ET-10, the first full-color, pocket LCD television.[6] The same year, Citizen Watch,[7] another Seiko Hattori subsidiary (along with Epson), introduced the Citizen Pocket TV,[2] a 2.7-inch color LCD TV, with improved picture quality compared to Casio's model,[7] and the first TFT LCD display.[2] By 1985, two other Seiko Hattori subsidiaries had also introduced TFT LCD handheld televisions, with Seiko's color micro-TV and the Epson ELF.[2]

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. The major current manufacturers of DVB-T standard (common throughout Europe) handheld TVs are August International, ODYS and Xoro.

See also

  1. ↑ Popular Science, April 1970, page 26
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Spin, Jul 1985, page 55
  3. ↑ The world's first television-watch, with an active-matrix LCD, Epson
  4. ↑ Michael R. Peres, The Focal Encyclopedia of Photography, page 306, Taylor & Francis
  5. ↑ "Frank's Handheld-TVs: Part 1".
  6. ↑ A HISTORY OF CREATING INSPIRATIONAL TECHNOLOGY, Epson
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Popular Science, May 1984, page 150

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