Profile of Envizen-Digital Portable TV and Digital Picture Frame, Model EF71001

What makes Envision-Digital's EF71001 interesting is that it's a digital picture frame that can be used as a portable digital TV.

The digital picture frame function is nice but it's the portable digital TV function that I'm interested in.

Overview

The EF71001 has a digital tuner and it's capable of displaying cable and satellite programming. It's small enough to tote around from room to room (10.2" screen), but it plugs into the wall which puts a constraint on this digital TV's portability.

Read review of EF71001

As mentioned before, the screen measures 10.2" diagonally. More specifically, it's 800 pixels horizontal by 480 pixels vertical.

This measures to a 5:3 aspect ratio, which is fine for old analog TV signals but it does present an issue when displaying wide screen (16:9) content.

The reason is because 5:3 is another way of saying 15:9. The means that the edges of wide screen digital TV programming will either be cut off or slightly squished horizontally. It's probably not very noticeable but it's worth mentioning.

Screen size is an adjustable feature on the EF71001. Compare Prices

Envizen-Digital lists the contrast ratio as 400:1 and the brightness as 300cd/m2. There isn't any picture enhancement technology.

What this means to you and me is simple - the EF71001 will perform similar to an under-cabinet TVs. The actual picture should be consistent with an analog TV connected to a digital converter box.

The EF71001 is receives local broadcast digital TV - no analog. It comes with a magnetic mount antenna, which is a nice feature since the antenna won't stand well on its own.

The antenna connects via coaxial/RF and it's approximately 5" tall.

Read review of EF71001

I like that the antenna will stick to metal. This is a small feature but it's huge in reception of a broadcast signal - the antenna wouldn't stand up well without the magnetic support which would make reception near impossible.

When I think of how the EF71001 might be used (office, kitchen, or study), it is apparent that this product needs a headphone jack. It does and I like that.

The EF71001 comes with a remote control that is comparable in size to a TV remote, which makes it a nice feature for people with big hands. I mention this because some portable TV/digital picture frame remotes are quite small.

My biggest dislike with the TV function is the 5:3 aspect ratio. I also wish the EF71001 had picture enhancement technology, a rechargeable battery, and a lower purchase price.

What makes the price bothersome to me is that Envizen-Digital doesn't include a car power adapter within the packaging even though they promote portability. It's sold as an accessory.

You can't upload digital pictures because the EF71001 doesn't have built-in storage. You must use either a USB device or your's camera's storage card in order to see digital pictures. It's a small inconvenience but I expect storage for the price.