Amazingly compact, portable color TV from Casio delivers the goods
Written: May 24 '04 (Updated May 24 '04)
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Pros: Decent Color, Fantastic Controls, Pretty Long battery life between charges
Cons: Rough reception at times, zoning in on certain channels.
The Bottom Line: A fine choice for an affordable, portable color TV.
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| Ronrego's Full Review: Casio EV-680 3 in. Handheld TV |
I have been buying portable, compact TVs for my family and I since the mid-1980s. Long gone are the heavy, boxy, weak-reception black-and-white models that dominated things before the 1980s. Like most electronics, what once cost in the $300-$350 range, now is $150 and below. With discounts and some gift certificates, I purchased this model on Buy.com for about $120.00.
The model has a pretty good picture, considering how hard it is to zone in on quality reception on-the-go. We are spoiled by our cable/satellite/digital connections today - when we are forced to focus on an antennae based reception, we are more apt to become critical. That being said, most times the picture does come in quite well. If you want to use this in the car, I would instead suggest you buy a portable DVD player, you are just not going to get the same level of reception when moving around.
Picture stays firm even while lightly walking around a home. Can get VHS or UHF, but most UHF stations have gone kaput (sorry Weird Al Yankovich). For some reason, it does get a few channels better than others (here in New York City, Channel 4- WNBC never seems to come in well on these little machines).
Controls: The controls on this model are vastly improved over previous year models I have purchased (granted, they were not Casio). Tuning is an arrow lever that will move the channel from left to right, or vice-versa. TV will stop as it zones in on a channel - this auto-focus on a channel is quite convenient. Volume and bright dials are on the right side of the small unit, out of the way (unlike some other models I have used) and easy to control.
There are also handy audio-visual, AC/DC plugs and an earpiece placeholder to allow you to further personalize your viewing pleasure. (Does the guy next to you on the train really want to hear "days of our lives" while he rides on the train next to you.
For the price, this is a nifty little machine. Again, as we are using a mobile antennae-based system, things are not as clear as we would hope (before we know it we will be able to watch TV on our cellular phones and will eventually get nostalgic for these little TVs.) The color is pretty good (don't expect plasma-like colors or crispness). If you feel the need to purchase a small little TV, I would certainly recommend the Casio EV-6808.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 150
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Epinions.com ID:
Ronrego
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Location: Queens, New York City
Reviews written: 42
Trusted by: 4 members
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