Casio TV-970 2.3 in. Handheld TV
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Similar in Portable Televisions
- Aspect Ratio: 4:3
- Display Type: Color
- Radio Tuner Built-in: Without Radio Tuner
- TV Type: Handheld
- Weight: 0.42 lb.
- Screen Size: 2.3 inch
![Home Roam Portable 7\](http://di105.shoppingshadow.com/images/di/44/64/5a/5635714d3742692d744c3066442d6e47304c41-80x80-0-0.jpg?p=x6J5JkKuev&a=1&c=1&l=3057240&t=05%2F26%2F12%2009%3A04%3A39%20AM&r=3&d=159.0&rt=mr "Home Roam Portable 7\")
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The Casio TV-970: Mediocre, but Worth the Price
Pros
Portable, easy to carry around, lightweight
Cons
High battery consumption, poor sound quality, headphone sound only comes our of one speaker
Recommended it?
No
The Bottom Line:
I would only recommend buying this TV if you find a good deal on the price. Otherwise, skip this brand and look for another one.
I bought the Casio Portable TV-970 the day after Thanksgiving at a massive Best Buy after-Thanksgiving sale (or "Red Friday" as some people like to call it). The Price of the TV was about $75 and Best Buy offered a $20 rebate that was mailed to me a few weeks later. I have been somewhat satisfied with this little portable television. It basically serves its purpose of being a "little" TV, but doesn't do much more.
Video Quality
The Video quality of this television is neither very good nor very bad—it is mediocre. The display size of the TV is 2.3 inches diagonal, which is good enough to make out the pictures somewhat clearly, but does not provide too much clarity or detail. When watching the portable TV, I can make out the faces of the actors on my favorite television shows and even read the subtitles displayed when watching foreign soap operas. But it was hard to make out the colors too clearly. The brightness dial on the right of the TV helps to adjust the clarity of the video to make it visible (if the video content is dark, the brightness can be turned up, and if the video content is bright, the brightness can be turned down). The technology that is used in the screen is STN passive matrix, or Supertwist Nematic, which is the same technology that is used in most mobile phones and PDA's today. It somewhat looks like the little color LCD screens that you find on the back of digital cameras, although not as clear and detailed.
Sound Quality
The sound quality of this television is also mediocre. The television uses one mono speaker (of course, since it is a portable television) that is located on the top. I'm not sure why they would pick the speaker on the top of the TV. The sound is projected upwards instead of towards you, so it is hard to hear and just sounds unnatural when listening to the television. Also, the sound quality is very unclear and cannot be very loud…almost sounds like a little portable radio with one speaker. I think the sound cannot achieve a higher volume because of power consumption problems if this were to happen. Also the television comes with a headphone jack located on the top of the device. I've had problems where when I can hear sound coming from only one of my headphone speakers (my left ear) and not the other. I'm not sure if this is a problem with only my TV or if it is a problem with every Casio 970, but I really find this annoying. I would like to watch TV in public without affecting other people, so I use the headphones in these situations. But then, I feel like I am death in one ear since sound only comes out of one ear. I think this has something to do with the fact that the TV is mono, but I'm sure that Casio could have designed a work around to solve this problem. Maybe I should just buy mono headphone speakers!!!
Reception
Reception is below average. It's often hard to get reception to a lot of channels when the antenna is pointed in the wrong direction or when I am inside certain buildings. Regular plug-in TVs that aren't portable general have better reception than portable TVs. The TV comes with two modes, of course, the UHF and the VHF. Usually adjusting the antenna to point in different directions helps improve reception for certain channels. The antenna is kind of like the antenna for certain radios. It is a metal silver one that is able to extend out for about a foot and a half long.
Portability
One thing I can praise the TV for is its portability. It is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand and at only 6.9 oz, it's really light. You can carry it in your purse, backpack, and even in your pocket. I've taken this TV all over the place and it's fun watching it when you're bored and have nothing else to do because it's easy to bring with you wherever you go.
Battery Life
The TV's battery life does not last as long as it says in the TV details description. This description states that it is suppose to run on batteries for up to 4.5 hours. But usually, the batteries die out around 1 hour of use! So, if you plan to use this TV, please bring extra batteries! I find that rechargeable batteries work well with this TV, since it uses so many batteries and would bring you to the poor house if you don't use rechargeable batteries. NIMH batteries, which I use, are recommended.
Design
The TV is made of plastic (that's why it's so light) in a brownish silver tint. The volume and brightness dials are located on the right hand side, while the UHF and VHF mode switch is on the left hand side. The speaker is located on the top and you can put the batteries in from the bottom. The design looks fairly good and I think this is a plus for the TV.
Video Quality
The Video quality of this television is neither very good nor very bad—it is mediocre. The display size of the TV is 2.3 inches diagonal, which is good enough to make out the pictures somewhat clearly, but does not provide too much clarity or detail. When watching the portable TV, I can make out the faces of the actors on my favorite television shows and even read the subtitles displayed when watching foreign soap operas. But it was hard to make out the colors too clearly. The brightness dial on the right of the TV helps to adjust the clarity of the video to make it visible (if the video content is dark, the brightness can be turned up, and if the video content is bright, the brightness can be turned down). The technology that is used in the screen is STN passive matrix, or Supertwist Nematic, which is the same technology that is used in most mobile phones and PDA's today. It somewhat looks like the little color LCD screens that you find on the back of digital cameras, although not as clear and detailed.
Sound Quality
The sound quality of this television is also mediocre. The television uses one mono speaker (of course, since it is a portable television) that is located on the top. I'm not sure why they would pick the speaker on the top of the TV. The sound is projected upwards instead of towards you, so it is hard to hear and just sounds unnatural when listening to the television. Also, the sound quality is very unclear and cannot be very loud…almost sounds like a little portable radio with one speaker. I think the sound cannot achieve a higher volume because of power consumption problems if this were to happen. Also the television comes with a headphone jack located on the top of the device. I've had problems where when I can hear sound coming from only one of my headphone speakers (my left ear) and not the other. I'm not sure if this is a problem with only my TV or if it is a problem with every Casio 970, but I really find this annoying. I would like to watch TV in public without affecting other people, so I use the headphones in these situations. But then, I feel like I am death in one ear since sound only comes out of one ear. I think this has something to do with the fact that the TV is mono, but I'm sure that Casio could have designed a work around to solve this problem. Maybe I should just buy mono headphone speakers!!!
Reception
Reception is below average. It's often hard to get reception to a lot of channels when the antenna is pointed in the wrong direction or when I am inside certain buildings. Regular plug-in TVs that aren't portable general have better reception than portable TVs. The TV comes with two modes, of course, the UHF and the VHF. Usually adjusting the antenna to point in different directions helps improve reception for certain channels. The antenna is kind of like the antenna for certain radios. It is a metal silver one that is able to extend out for about a foot and a half long.
Portability
One thing I can praise the TV for is its portability. It is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand and at only 6.9 oz, it's really light. You can carry it in your purse, backpack, and even in your pocket. I've taken this TV all over the place and it's fun watching it when you're bored and have nothing else to do because it's easy to bring with you wherever you go.
Battery Life
The TV's battery life does not last as long as it says in the TV details description. This description states that it is suppose to run on batteries for up to 4.5 hours. But usually, the batteries die out around 1 hour of use! So, if you plan to use this TV, please bring extra batteries! I find that rechargeable batteries work well with this TV, since it uses so many batteries and would bring you to the poor house if you don't use rechargeable batteries. NIMH batteries, which I use, are recommended.
Design
The TV is made of plastic (that's why it's so light) in a brownish silver tint. The volume and brightness dials are located on the right hand side, while the UHF and VHF mode switch is on the left hand side. The speaker is located on the top and you can put the batteries in from the bottom. The design looks fairly good and I think this is a plus for the TV.
