I just bought the 5" handheld ATSC/NTSC LCD TV by Insignia (Best Buy) on Ebay. After trying out the TV, I have to say that the reviews on this TV posted here and on other web sites about this TV are mostly true - the reception is pretty weak (on both analog and digital reception) , particularly using the telescoping antenna it has. It's true that the TV has many good features such as a remote, but it's not of much use when you can only receive a few channels. The reception improves a great deal, however, when using a larger amplified antenna - of course I'll carry around my large outdoor antenna when using the TV while traveling in the street. So the TV is a mixed bag, and I'm would think Insignia would have a recall or a free kit to improve this serious reception problem. The redeeming thing about this TV is that it's being sold on Ebay for around $60 (lots less than the $200 suggested price at Best Buy).
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HANDHELD ATSC/NTSC LCD TV'S BY INSIGNIA
- Thread starter alg2468
- Start date
I got mine (the 7" one) on eBay and had similar problems. I'm at college at UVA, and it chokes on one station's PSIP and won't show anything for it, but NBC29 and WHTJ (PBS) are both reasonable with it. At home, it has reasonable reception though not fantastic, it of course misses out on the sole VHF digital, but looking at the analogs really gives away the poor reception of the unit.
My biggest problem with it is that I can't figure out how to manually tune it to a channel that wasn't detected in a scan. Assuming that function is not included, it was a serious oversight on the part of whoever designed it, because with reception that poor, you need to be able to actually tune the channel to see what your signal is.
- Trip
My biggest problem with it is that I can't figure out how to manually tune it to a channel that wasn't detected in a scan. Assuming that function is not included, it was a serious oversight on the part of whoever designed it, because with reception that poor, you need to be able to actually tune the channel to see what your signal is.
- Trip
I agree with tripinva, there's no function for adding channels on the remote - an idea may be to get a universal remote and try to program it for the TV and see if the menu on a universal remote can do this. And it helps if you connect an outdoor antenna to the set before you autoprogram channels, too. I called Insignia today and they said the reception is great on the set compared to other handheld sets ( I find that a hard to believe) but not as good as a larger home TV. I think the problem is a lack of a sensitive tuner, and all that can be done is try using a stronger antenna. For the price its offered for on Ebay, it's not too bad a value, but pay the $200 at Best Buy and it's a big ripoff.
If these TVs are like other hand-helds I've seen, I believe what they told you. On every TV I've seen, the antenna is near useless and the tuner is not too sensitive. Generally, I've had to attach a set of rabbit ears to get anything but the strongest of channels, which kinda defeats the whole purpose of a hand-held TV.
I thought portable TVs, such as the old 5" B/W types or Sony Watchman TVs were considered impractical? I say that because I have an old Sony Walkman with the VHF TV tuner for channels 2 to 13. I know it will be useless soon because it doesn't get the audio of the two VHF digital stations in this market, digital 10 of New Haven (WTNH-DT) and digital 12 of Waterbury (WTXX-DT).
I have the 7" Insignia portable -- and would have to agree with much of what the rest of you has written.
From what I can tell, the tuner in this set is actually pretty good -- but the built in telescoping antenna is a major weak point. When I hook it up to an unamplified 2-bay bowtie antenna, it works very well. Unfortunately, that eliminates one of the major benefits of having a portable antenna, since a 2-bay bowtie is something of a pain to haul around. Still, it does retain one other advantage -- in the event of a power outage, I've got a TV that will continue working even after the digital transition.
From what I can tell, the tuner in this set is actually pretty good -- but the built in telescoping antenna is a major weak point. When I hook it up to an unamplified 2-bay bowtie antenna, it works very well. Unfortunately, that eliminates one of the major benefits of having a portable antenna, since a 2-bay bowtie is something of a pain to haul around. Still, it does retain one other advantage -- in the event of a power outage, I've got a TV that will continue working even after the digital transition.
KML-224 said:
I sure hope that isn't the case! The old b&w Sony Watchman I have here at school has come in very handy during severe weather, and I'm hoping that Sony will introduce a digital generation of those sets. Right now, this is my biggest complaint about the digital transition, obsolete Sony Watchmans!
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