RCA L2501BC 2.5-Inch LCD Screen TV
Hugely irritating TV set
This RCA portable TV is a good-looking, generally well-performing handheld which delivers an image on par or exceeding those of its competitors. It's worth noting that this particular set boasts an active-matrix LCD screen, rather than the passive-scan screens typical with sets of this genre. This allows for bright, vivid colors regardless of which angle at which you view the image display.<br />Now for the bad part. Portable TV sets eat through batteries like no one's business, and a fresh set of four AAs will last you no more than 2 hours, at best. As you might expect, the batteries also increase the weight of your handheld by quite a bit, so many owners (including myself) may think it more viable to plug the set in with a standard AC adapter (or, if in a car, a cigarette-adapter type). This solution might work temporarily--possibly even for several months--but will eventually result in the sudden, permanent death of your TV. As one reviewer noted, one day the screen will simply not turn on, leaving you with a blank, cold screen to stare at. You can send the set in to the manufacturer for repair, provided you pay for UPS shipping ($10) and don't mind waiting two months for them to return your RCA handheld back to you with a nice, ugly 'R' for &quot;refurbished&quot; permanently engraved into the back. Once repaired, you might think (as I did) that the TV was now fixed to prevent further AC adapter incompatibility. That, of course, is not the case; after working for several more months, my TV set has returned to wherever electronics go when they die.<br />If you don't mind purchasing hundreds of alkaline batteries for your handheld, or had the foresight to purchase NiMh rechargeable batteries and a charger, you'll also have to consider reception issues as well. Just because this set may work well in one area doesn't necessarily guarantee good performance in another; as I learned from travelling, the strength of TV signals vary greatly from region to region. In Southern California (where the main networks are VHF), for instance, the RCA had no problem delivering a clear image without any additional assistance; in Northern California (mainly UHF), even the most insistent hand-wringing (extending the attenna, twisting it every which-way) couldn't yield an image without considerable static. The best advice: If you intend to buy, try the RCA out first-hand in your local electronics store, or wherever they carry it.<br />A few minor additional issues: the included headphone jack is mono, not stereo, which explains why you'll only hear sound coming out of one side of your headphones. The antenna screw tends to come loose, particularly if the region where you use the set requires a lot of antenna-twisting. Thirdly, don't expect to use this handheld outside in the daytime; the screen lacks enough contrast to display an image against the brightness of sunlight. This is not a flaw, just a general characteristic of all portable TVs.