When will handheld analog TVs stop being sold?
By Kevin C. Tofel 
posted Feb 4th 2006 2:38PM
posted Feb 4th 2006 2:38PM
We were nosing through tomorrow's newspaper ads today thanks to
our super secret time travel machine and noticed this Axion 3.5-inch handheld LCD TV on sale tomorrow at RadioShack. We
don't know much about it, but if you're interested, it's $50 off starting tomorrow, so it can be had for a C-note.
Nothing against "the Shack" or Axion, but as good a deal as this sounds, we wouldn't touch
it. Why would we spend a hundred dollars on a TV that won't be worth a hundred pennies in three
years?These handheld TVs were all the rage in the '80s and even the '90s, but the analog cutoff basically spells doom for the analog versions of these, no? Come to think of it, we really haven't seen any DTV versions of these that incorporate an ATSC tuner just yet. This is an interesting shift for the industry that manufacturers these li'l fellas: will they retrofit their plants to include ATSC tuners or will the handheld TV die a slow death until February 17th, 2009?
Hmmmm... aren't all TV's produced after 3/1 required to have digital tuners? Is that still valid on the books? If so, does it apply to handhelds like these? That requirement would probably kill the handheld TV market for a few years until prices and sizes drop considerably.
My mom just moved and wants a small TV for the kitchen... I think I'll be stuck getting her an analog set, which she'll have to replace in a few years.
Actually, the law is in effect now, but only for TVs that are 27-inches or larger. In March of 2007, it applies to all TVs, so at that point we should see some impact. Either way, I don't think I'd drop money on a handheld TV now because it will essentially be useles in three years.
Actually that portable TV at RS has a "composite video/audio input" so chances are you could hook up a STB to it (wouldn't be portable anymore) but it would still work in 3 years. Plus it has FM radio :P