Greetings all. I hope i am not breaking any rules by posting pictures of my mini tv. I understand it is not a walkman, but it is portable. If so, i appologise. Anyway, it is a sharp c-315h handheld tv. Sharp released this one in 1991. At the time, they had spent millions researching LCD technology, and this was one of the fruits of there labour. It is the rolls royce of handheld tv's. Although many big name company's including sony made these handheld devices, none were as good as this one. I have been searching for one of these for a long time now, and i found this boxed mint one for a good price. The picture quality is amazing for such a small screen. Really happy with this one. Another addition to my (portable audio) collection.

Hi ya Derek, personally am fine to share a boxed quality unit with TV its only function no tape. Interesting now to know what was the height of LCD mini tv technology. I imagine it uses battery's up pretty fast.
Only two mfg. made LCD TV/cassette Walkman> I have the Sharp model made in 86 so yours certainly benefited from the additional years of technology advancement. Here is link to the walkman version LCD TV/FM Cassette.

SHARP JC-AV1

Thats pretty cool. I never knew it even existed. I take it the screen is black and white?

That is more like a sitinfrontoffman

quote:

Originally posted by JohnEdward:

SHARP JC-AV1

Topic closed after not only 4 months?

Hi ya Nicole, always love your humor. I like "SITINFRONTOFMAN"

Derek, yes the screen on my JC-AV1 is black and white.
I have a Sony WatchMan FD-2A black/white tv with the 2.5 inch "TUBE" screen. Good picture actually. Also have a very early one of first LCD color portable TV by Citizens 05TA size of small book called BOOKVISION.

I've always had a fasination with Portable TV's, expecially the CRT type. These weren't that popular in South Africa so weren't seen very often. I managed to find a NIB example of the Sony FD-210 off eBay which for a change was genuinely still sealed :-).

Very first Sony watchman above, very nice unit, have to dig out my Sinclair MTV1 microvision muiltband TV with 2" CRT pocket TV, does PAL and NTSC.

One I would like to find is a Seiko TV Watch, always wanted to get one of those.

SOME GREAT INFORMATION FROM WALKMANCENTRAL

The FD-210BE was one of the earlier Watchman models to be offered for the European market. As a manufacturer who is probably famed above all else for making high quality miniature versions of familiar electronic product, Sony naturally had an interest in producing a very small television set. The ultimate goal would have been to produce a set which could have been fitted in the pocket, gave a reasonable viewing time from standard batteries and would a produce a viewable picture anywhere without elaborate antennas. While the FD-210BE did not meet all these requirements, it was clearly a step in the right direction. Text copyright © Walkman Central. Unauthorised reproduction prohibited.

Strangely, Sony did not dominate the market for miniature television sets in England during the early stages of the development of the technology. Sinclair (a British company) had succeeded in producing a series of remarkably small sets, which were known as the Microvision series. First shown in the late 60’s, these sets were truly tiny, even if they did not offer the last word in reliability. The FD-210BE arrived during the period of the Mk. 2 Microvision. In comparison, the Sony set was considerably larger, but it was also much more of a “finished” product: better made and far more reliable. Text copyright © Walkman Central. Unauthorised reproduction prohibited.

The Mk. 2 Microvision used what was in effect a cut-down oscilloscope tube, complete with electrostatic deflection. The Sony set also used a cathode ray tube, though there were radical differences between this and what could be considered as a conventional design. To reduce the casework of the set to a shape that could be slipped into a pocket, whilst still offering a reasonable size of picture, the tube was “folded”, so that the gun and electromagnetic scanning assembly came in from the bottom rather than from the back. This allowed a thin, “flat” set to be designed, a major step forward. The novel tube was, of course, more difficult to drive than a conventional one, so the scanning circuits became very complex. There were many adjustments that had to be made to produce a sensibly shaped and reasonably square picture. Text copyright © Walkman Central. Unauthorised reproduction prohibited.

There is of course more to a television set than just the tube, and for a portable set the design of an efficient receiving section is paramount if a small antenna is to be used. Sony excelled in this area with the FD-210BE, producing a sensitive tuner that could produce a watchable picture even in poor reception areas. As a bonus, the tuner covered both UHF and VHF with UK and European sound standards, so the set was usable in most of the countries that employed a 625 line system. Power came from 4 “AA” sized cells, which lasted for a reasonable time, certainly long enough for an evening’s selective viewing. To save power, the set could be switched to “sound only” mode. The built-in loudspeaker was perhaps not the set’s best feature, but Walkman type headphones could be used instead, resulting in better sound quality. Text copyright © Walkman Central. Unauthorised reproduction prohibited.

Portable TV History Pictures show up in this link

The short "history" of Pocket-TV
A chronology on the development of pocket-size Televisions

From the sixties to the end of the nineties

1963: Space flight induces miniaturization

May 1963 cover


In May 1963, K.C. Kirkbridge dreams in the magazine Mechanix Illustrated about small TVs, miniature tape recorders and even about electronic computers in the size of a book. What drives all these reveries: the technology of the future of course - space travel. The problem: very limited cargo capacity. In order to be able to carry lots of stuff along, things have to become smaller (and lighter). Therefore, RCA works on the development of the first pocket TV. Unfortunately all details are strictly confidential. Or imaginary ...

1966: Flat Dreams, Prototypes and Micro-Visions

Popular Mechanics, february 1966

In its 1966 February edition the magazine Popular Mechanics reports about the breakthrough in flat screens: not only is it said to be in color, but also to be viewed from both sides! We have to thank Intertel Corporation in Los Angeles for these tubes. The Popular Mechanics editor Larry Steckler has really seen them, so he describes two tubes, one in color the other in black & white, each with a 6 inch diagonal. The color picture is created by mixing only two basic colors: red-orange and blue-green. Soon the first portable TVs will be available using this technology, at a price of between $150 and $200. The full article is available already now as pdf-file (1.2 MB).

Motorola TV Prototyp aus dem Jahr 1966

In the year 1966, an obviously highly motivated engineer at Motorola dares to tackle the pocket TV idea. A few pieces of information come out: 1-1/8 inch screen diagonal, 29 transistors, operated by 4 batteries, energy consumption 1.5 Watt (about half of it to heat the cathode ray tube). Sadly enough the engineer passes away before he could even convince his employer of the market potential of his invention. A nicely illustrated article (500 kB) from the daily paper The Columbus Dispatch describes the background research and possible uses of the apparatus, but unfortunately does not say when the tiny Motorola will be available at last.

Sinclair Microvision 1966

A inconspicuous ad from an unknown source reports about the Sinclair Microvision Pocket TV Receiver, the highlight of the Radio and TV Exhibition 1966. The size of the rather sharp-edged prototype is 10 * 6.5 * 5 centimetres. The set will be available next year, the article says.

1970: National Panasonic starts off

... take a look inside!

The National Panasonic TR-001 is the first "mini television set" ready for mass production, the visible screen's diagonal is about 35 mm. It weighs (including rechargeable battery pack) around 890 grams. The TR-001 is obviously not a success story, since Panasonic will only resume producing portable miniature TVs around 10 years later. For the European market the TR-001EU is launched, the few saved copies are considered as real rarities.

1977: Sir Clive Sinclair's entry / View to the future

(click for more information)


"In a few years pocket TVs will be as normal as transistor radios and pocket calculators". Without the inventor, entrepreneur and visionary Sir Clive Sinclair we would probably never have had a European-manufactured miniature TV. The first marketed product of his endeavors of many years is the Sinclair MTV1, a rather expensive multiple standard TV with conventional cathode-ray tube (made by AEG Telefunken) for the "premium market". Price: 200 Pounds or US$ 400. Listen to the inventor talk about his masterpiece in person.

Source: German magazine Funkschau 1977

Is a conventional cathode-ray tube the right device for a pocket TV? At the Internationale Funkausstellung 1977 in Berlin, Hitachi presents for the first time the Liquid Crystal TV, a rather bulky lab model of a TV with liquid crystal screen (source: Funkschau).

1981: Panasonic is back

Panasonic TR-1010

Travelvision is the name given by National/Panasonic for its "mini TV" with a 1.5 inch (35 mm) screen diagonal. The beginning of this production series is the TR-1000 with conventional cathode-ray tube, followed by five additional models. This Panasonic TR-1010 can be compared to the Sinclair MTV1 in terms of size and screen diagonal, however it lacks a multistandard tuner. In 1984, the TR-1030 and the CT-101 (with a color CRT screen!) close the era of the tradition of "cathode ray tube television sets" by Panasonic. Later on, large quantities of LCD TVs will follow, all coming with a so-called active matrix display.

1982: The first SONY "Watchman"

(click to supersize)

Not only at Sinclair's in England, did engineers realize that with a cathode-ray tube in its conventional form it would be difficult to build a "pocket-size" TV set with an attractive screen diagonal – a flat tube is in demand. A flat cathode-ray tube is not a tube with a flat glass surface like modern computer screens but a cathode-ray tube in an special flat version where the picture is displayed on the inner side of the tube. In other words, the screen is parallel to the electron gun. The Japanese electronics manufacturer SONY is the first one to market a mass-produced product: the SONY Watchman FD-210. However, the FD-210 is anything but compact: almost 20 cm high and about 9 cm wide.

1983: Sinclair puts his stakes on flat tubes / Casio comes out with LCD

(click for more information)

Now, Sir Clive Sinclair also knows how to deal with flat cathode-ray tube technology: the Sinclair FTV1 is finally to bring pocket television into every home. But the ambitious project fails, the FTV1 (alias TV-80) is a total flop. One of the reasons: as a power supply the FTV1 uses a special lithium battery which, according to the manufacturer, will last for about 15 hours of TV watching time. 3 batteries of this type cost about 10 Pounds Sterling in 1983 (about 20 Euro) in other words, a fortune !. Retail price of the TV set is about 80 Pounds.

(click for more information)

In June of the same year, the Japanese manufacturers herald the end of the cathode-ray tube in pocket TVs. The CASIO TV-10 is the first portable mass-produced TV with liquid crystal screen. The contrast of the surprisingly large display (67 mm diagonal) is rather poor, but the base for market and technology leadership in terms of LCD pocket TVs is set.

1984: EPSON present the first color pocket TV

(click for more information)

Only one year later, in August 1984, the long awaited pocket color screen comes into existence. Dr. Shinji Morozumi is one of the first pioneers in the research of active matrix liquid crystal displays. This is the base for the EPSON ET-10 (alias SEIKO T102), the first mass-produced pocket TV with a color display. The information sheet of this gadget discloses a lot of interesting details.

1985: Affordable color from CASIO and CITIZEN

(click to supersize) It is about time: in May 1985 the CASIO TV-1000 is launched in Japan, the first pocket TV with a Color-LCD from CASIO. It is only equipped with "passive" LCD technology, but consequently its price is a lot cheaper than the active matrix ET-10 from EPSON.

(click to supersize)

One month later, the competitors are also successful: the CITIZEN 05TA alias Bookvision courts the consumers' grace in June 1985. Somewhat more futuristic in design, but also with a passive Color-LCD and with foldable backlight unit.

1986: The smaller, the better

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The miniaturization process proceeds quickly: the CITIZEN 06 TA is to this date the smallest "complete" TV. The LC display is located in the lid of the apparatus, the actual TV picture being viewed reflected in a mirror. The unit on the left has the (optional) background lighting attached. Although the competitive CASIO TV-21 is even smaller and lighter it still requires an earphone for sound which also serves a dual purpose as an antenna.

1987: Gold digger mentality in Japan

(click for more information) (click for more information) For CASIO obviously a new era started because in the year 1987 the Japanese company launches a whole range of new models. Here are two of the more rare models: the CASIO TV-6100 ("New Age of Television") and the CASIO TV-800 ("Images in Living Color").

1990: The "Watchman" goes color / Designer models are entering the market

(click to supersize) Finally, SONY also realizes that customers demand mobile color TVs. In 1990, the Watchman FDL-310 is the first model of this kind made by SONY. Obviously they did not even try flat Color cathode-ray tubes but went into (active matrix-) LCD technology straight away.

(click to supersize) Next to function, design has also become an important purchase motivator. The Dutch Philips group is at the top end of manufacturers in this respect. Accordingly, the Philips 3LC2050 is rewarded in the year after its launch by a "Best of Category" award at the renowned iF Product Design Award 1991 in the category Entertainment Electronics.

1990: End of the classic "Watchman" with black and white flat cathode-ray tube

(clickto supersize)

End of an era: despite relatively up-to-date features (e.g channel search function) the SONY Watchman FD-280 is one of the last "tube watchmen". The variant with FM/AM radio is marketed as FD-285.

1995: High-End with all gadgets

(click to supersize)

In the upper price range, only the sky seems to be limit for the fantasy of inventors. This is impressively illustrated by the Philips 4PL040: a bright TFT-Display by Sharp with more than 100 mm diagonal, FM/AM radio, on-screen display, "dimmer button" to save energy and memory for 69 channels. The loudspeaker not only radiates upwards but also towards the front. All the controls for the radio (this also applies to the labelling) are mounted in such a manner that access is possible with the lid closed. By pressing a button, the image can be rotated 180 degrees (for roof mounting) and switched to 16:9 or 21:9 aspect ratio. The video input can accept PAL and NTSC signals, both 4.43 MHz (Europe) and 3.58 MHz (USA/Japan).

1999: Low-cost models secure market shares

(click for more information)

The active matrix technology is still rather complex to manufacture. In order to be able to offer pocket TVs with enhanced picture quality, the industry is still working on passive displays. The CASIO TV-880 represents this New Standard for LCD Image Clarity. Costs: 100 Euros.

Back to part 5 Any questions? Back to the English language homepage Sorry, this is the last part

What ever happened to the idea of having a TV Watch? I'm sure I remember something about that coming out when I was young.

The TV Watch was something like this, has anyone ever seen one?

TV Watch

I remember the Seiko TV watch, came with a big pack that connects to the watch. I think the pack was about the size of a Walkman pro.

A few companies seems to be making Phone / Video / MP3 player watches these days. I think that is the nearest i've seen. one example here http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/pro...k_online/8692721.stm

http://www.s-w-a-p.co.uk/

I thought members might like to see a couple of my hand held tv's too Here's my sony sports. these are pretty rare.

Here's the other. I bought this new. Threw the box away!!!! Its a TR 1010. Great picture. colour? Black and white!