Stamford, Conn. – Philips Consumer Lifestyles
launched its first portable DVD combos with built-in ATSC DTV tuners.
The company, however, doesn’t plan this year to
offer portable DVD players or portable TVs with Mobile ATSC tuners because
Mobile ATSC broadcasts are available only in a limited number of markets, giving
it limited appeal to national retailers, said customer marketing
director Roy Carpenter.
Other brands with portable DVD/ATSC-TV combos include
Naxa and Coby. Neither offers models with Mobile ATSC reception. Naxa offers
two clamshell-style DVD/tuners, two non-clamshell models with stand, and a
boombox-style model, Naxa’s website shows. Coby offers a boombox-style model, according
to the B&H Photo online store.
For its part, Philips is launching two
clamshell-style DVD/ATSC combos, both with swiveling 7-inch 16:9 LCD screen but
one with HD display with 720p resolution. Both come with separate stand-mounted
telescoping rabbit ears to allow for more flexibility in placing the antenna
for best reception, Carpenter said. The antenna base includes a magnet, making
it useful for tailgate parties, he said.
The Coby and Naxa models features built-in
telescoping antenna.
Philips’s HD model is the $179-suggested PET749. The
$149-suggested PET729 features 480p screen but adds FM tuner. Both deliver up
to three hours of viewing time on their internal rechargeable batteries. They
play MP3 CDs and JPEG-encoded CDs, and they’re compatible with DVD+/-R and
DVD+/-RW discs. Both are shipping.
Philips also shipped a new portable ATSC TV without
built-in DVD player. The 9-inch model, retailing for a suggested $149, is
tablet-shaped. It’s not Philips’s first portable ATSC TV.
