Best Portable Digital TVs for Any Budget

Best Portable Digital TVs for Any Budget
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Portable TV has come a long way in the last few years. The quality and functionality has improved and the prices have come down to reasonable levels. In this guide we highlight five of the best portable TV options in terms of price and feature set. Whether you want a handheld TV for travel or just a convenient small option for the kitchen or bedroom you’ll find some great portable TVs here.

It is worth noting that reception varies wildly according to your antenna set up and your location, and the antennas supplied with these TVs are often not good enough to provide decent reception due to their size.

Axion AXN-8701 Handheld LCD TV

This is a 7 inch widescreen LCD TV and it offers a great range of features at a budget price. It has built in ATSC and NTSC TV tuners and an antenna for good reception. The brightness is adjustable so you can use it indoors or out and it has a built in rechargeable battery which offers 100 minutes of use. There is a built in speaker and a headphone port and there’s also an A/V input for external devices to plug into. It ships with a slim remote control, a power adapter and even a car adapter. It auto scans for channels since your reception will depend on your antenna setup and where you are located.

Haier HLT71 7-Inch Handheld LCD TV

Haier HLT71

This is another 7 inch portable LCD TV and it provides some stiff competition for the Axion we just looked at. You can choose a 16:9 or 4:3 aspect ratio. Once again it has built in ATSC and NTSC TV tuners and there is a detachable antenna. The A/V port allows you to hook up other devices and this TV also has a coaxial output. There are built in speakers and a headphone port and the rechargeable battery offers up to 150 minutes of use. It also ships with a remote control, a power adapter and a car adapter.

Viore PLC7V95 LCD TV

Viore PLC7V95

Once again this device comes in at 7 inches and it features an ATSC digital TV tuner. It has an external rod antenna. There are built in speakers, a headphone port and an audio output. There are also A/V inputs so you plug in other devices like DVD players. You’ll get at least 90 minutes from a fully charged battery and there is a power adapter supplied. There is also a full feature remote control. This device is a bit more expensive than the Haier or the Axion but it does offer the best resolution of the bunch. It also has a mini-USB connection and a 3-in-1 memory card reader so you can watch video clips, listen to MP3s or view photos from a wider selection of sources. This portable TV gets my vote.

Pegasus ST09-W Digital TV

Pegasus ST09-W

If you want a portable TV that is a little larger then check out this 9 inch model from Pegasus. It features a 16:9 aspect ratio and has built in ATSC and NTSC TV tuners with HDTV capability. There are also 2 built in speakers and a headphone port. It has A/V inputs including an S-Video port. It ships with a power adapter and a remote control. The big drawback here is the lack of a rechargeable battery so this will need to be plugged in which makes it best suited to a kitchen or somewhere around the house.

Tivax HiRez7 Portable Digital TV

Tivax HiRez7

The last option on our list is from Tivax and it is another 7 inch model with a 16:9 aspect ratio. It has a built in ATSC digital TV tuner and a magnetic antenna. There are built in stereo speakers and a headphone port option as well. The good thing about this TV is the USB and 3-in-1 memory card reader which allows you to hook up various sources to play a wide variety of digital files including JPEG, MP3 and AVI. There are also A/V ports and the rechargeable batteries provide 120 minutes of use. This TV also ships with a remote control, power adapter, car adapter and earphones. There is an optional docking station sold separately which would allow you to use regular batteries to run the TV (the docking station costs $23.53).

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