Casio EV-680 / Inexpensive TFT 3" TV
Written: Oct 16 '03 (Updated Oct 16 '03)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Sound: |
 |
|
| Ease of Use: |
|
|
| Picture Quality: |
 |
|
| Durability: |
 |
|
|
Pros: Good sound. GREAT price. Good battery life.
Cons: Washed out image. Questionable Construction. Mediocre reception.
The Bottom Line: As a current owner of the great EV-600, I was disappointed with the picture and reception of the EV-680.
|
|
|
| gadgetdude1's Full Review: Casio EV-680 3 in. Handheld TV |
As an owner of several portable televisions, my most recent purchase was the EV-680 from Casio. I found it for a great deal online, ($150), and figured it was well worth it, considering that I paid well over that for my first Casio TFT portable (The EV-600).
After purchasing the EV-680, my expectations were set very high. My EV-600 produced stellar color and image quality, and I figured that with the higher resolution that the EV-680 claimed, that it would produce even more impressive clarity than the EV-600.
I was mistaken. For a $150 portable tv, the EV-680 does it's job pretty well. Maybe my expectations were set too high by my old EV-600, who knows. In any case, the color was acceptable, though not breathtaking. Backlight placement and quality could have been improved upon, as it washed out the image even when reception was strong.
Please understand that this television is perfectly watchable. The EV-680 I purchased had 3 dead pixels (that happens often with TFT displays). Too much trouble to return it, so I made the choice to live the 3 dead pixels.
The annoying part is that one pixel is actually stuck on red and located close to the center of the screen. The other two pixels are black and much less noticeable.
Funny how my EV-600 had no dead pixels when I purchased it. It just shows that Casio had to resort to cost cutting to remain competitive in the portable television market. But at the expense of customer loyalty?
3 dead pixels and washed out color really are minor complaints. The primary issue I have had, is with the reception of the unit. In my experience, the majority of portable televisions have some reception issues, and the EV-680 is no exception. The overall impression that I get while changing channels, is that it is not as precise as previous Casio models (ie EV-550, EV-600, EV-660, EV-670). I'm curious whether or not the tuner portion is manufactured more loosely on the EV-680 than it was on previous tv's. The fact that it works pretty well in ideal locations has prevented me from returning the unit.
The good part is battery life seems somewhat improved over the older models. Maybe the less powerful (cheaper) backlight contributes to that. The sound is good, even when the picture is fuzzy. And you really can't beat the price.
Would I recommend this unit? It's not perfect, by any means. The construction is comparable to other $150 tvs. Yes, I would recommend it. It works as advertised.
If you've owned older Casio LCD TFT portables and expect the same quality as before, I think that you'll be disappointed.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 150
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
gadgetdude1
|
|
Reviews written: 2
Trusted by: 0 members
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.