Future of screens

Atari Dogs · Post by **Atari Dogs** » Sat May 31, 2008 8:53 am

What is the future of portablizing with the US change form analog to digital signal tvs early next year?

Will everyone with a portable analog tv through out their tv? Will they put them up on ebay for 1 penny making the cost of a portable mainly the case and labor? Are there portable digital tvs? Will the cost increase due to the fact there are no available screens other than new digital ones? Should I plan to buy all the screens I can on e-bay and hoard them?

Ben Cebhrem · Post by **Ben Cebhrem** » Sat May 31, 2008 10:19 am

So far as I know, this change only affects what channels you can get over the air; it won't change cable, satellite, DVD players, VCRs, etc. Although I've never cracked open TVs in the past year that were brand new, supposedly all new TVs have also been sold with digital receivers; if that is true, and nobody has noticed a change in how their TV displays a signal, then it would seem to be a transparent transition.

Or in other words.... I don't think it will change a thing.

Post by **bicostp** » Sat May 31, 2008 11:43 am

You seem to be confused about the move to digital broadcasts.

The change only affects TV stations you can pick up with an antenna. Not video connectors, not most cable TV companies, nothing but over-the-air TV broadcasts. They're switching because there's far less demand for antenna TV than there used to be, and each station takes a massive amount of relatively low-frequency bandwidth. (Low frequency signals can travel farther with less energy than high frequency, and so would be perfect for cell phones and communications radios.)

The only portables that may be adversely affected by the DTV transition would be portables built around handheld TVs where the creators retained the ability to watch antenna TV stations on them. Even then, the games would still function normally. They just wouldn't be able to watch TV on them without a converter anymore.

Get the facts here:
http://www.dtv2009.gov

EDIT: Besides, almost everyone uses screens that don't even have tuners in the first place.

Atari Dogs · Post by **Atari Dogs** » Sat May 31, 2008 1:35 pm

bicostp wrote:You seem to be confused about the move to digital broadcasts.

The change only affects TV stations you can pick up with an antenna. Not video connectors, not most cable TV companies, nothing but over-the-air TV broadcasts. They're switching because there's far less demand for antenna TV than there used to be, and each station takes a massive amount of relatively low-frequency bandwidth. (Low frequency signals can travel farther with less energy than high frequency, and so would be perfect for cell phones and communications radios.)

The only portables that may be adversely affected by the DTV transition would be portables built around handheld TVs where the creators retained the ability to watch antenna TV stations on them. Even then, the games would still function normally. They just wouldn't be able to watch TV on them without a converter anymore.

Get the facts here:
http://www.dtv2009.gov

EDIT: Besides, almost everyone uses screens that don't even have tuners in the first place.

But, where is the availability of the tv screens? If I want to use a portable tv as a screen, the tv will be analog, right? In February 2009 analog tvs will not work unless a converter box is attached. The only converter boxes I have seen are the size of dvd players. By definition a portable tv could not be attached to a fixed converter box; it would no longer be portable. Don't tell me someone will sit in there living room watching a 3 inch tv connected to a converter box when their 27 inch tv is right next to it. Therefore, the analog portable tv would have zero use as a tv. If something has no use, it will be thrown away.

So what will happen to the supply of screens?

Grandmasterjimmy · Post by **Grandmasterjimmy** » Sat May 31, 2008 1:47 pm

Ok, I think your a bit confused...

It's not going to be like a shockwave causeing all tv's on earth to stop accepting analog... TV stations just arn't going to use analog signals. The tv still accepts analog signals. Unless you plan on being able to watch TV on it, you have no problem. And anyway, theres a lot more screens than just portable TVs....

tom61 · Post by **tom61** » Sat May 31, 2008 2:12 pm

Atari Dogs, what the others are trying to say is that there has already been threads on this. I doubt you'll see many listed on eBay after Feb, as listing something this cheap would cost you money to list, unless you pad the shipping. On top of that, most TVs of this sort don't have A/V in. I would, however, keep a look out for such TVs at fleamarkets, as they're likely cheap now there.

Post by **bicostp** » Sat May 31, 2008 2:46 pm

Atari Dogs wrote:In February 2009 analog tvs will not work unless a converter box is attached.

Analog TVs WILL WORK, they just won't be able to pick up the digital over-the-air video broadcasts. That has NOTHING to do with connecting a device to video inputs. "Digital" ONLY applies to the TV SIGNALS you pick up with an antenna. If you get regular analog cable, you can connect it using a couple wires and it will tune channels just fine.

Therefore, the analog portable tv would have zero use as a tv. If something has no use, it will be thrown away.

But if it has a video input, it CAN be used as a video display for game consoles.

Also, remember, we take consoles that are designed to plug into the wall and make them portable. Who says we can't do the same with a DTV tuner box?

If they put composite video out (not just RF), it's plausible.

And if you're worried about the supply of pocket TVs drying up, you didn't listen earlier. Hardly anyone uses them anymore. Instead we use screens that just display video and don't include tuners at all. They're more compact, cheaper, more readily available, and draw less power. These include the Sony PSone screens (outlined in the book), LCD modules from AEI Components (a staple in Ben's newer, compact portables), and cheap fresh-off-the-boat eBay LCDs. None of them have tuners, and are therefore not affected by the transition to digital over-the-air broadcasts.

Again:

The only thing that is changing is how TV signals are transmitted to people who use antennas. It doesn't affect portablization in the least.

Atari Dogs · Post by **Atari Dogs** » Sat May 31, 2008 3:24 pm

Ok. I did not know there was a big supply other screens.

I have Ben's book and it starts off describing using portable tvs for the screen (and the PSOne screen). I know analog tvs will still work with converter boxes, cable boxes, as dvd players.