Sony rolls out pair of portable Bravia TVs

Taking its Bravia TV line to handhelds, Sony this morning introduced two explicitly portable TV sets. Both the D500 with its 3-inch screen and the more pocketable, 2-inch G200 are built to catch Japan's 1Seg over-the-air digital TV format; they also support the standard's electronic programming guide, letting viewers take a quick glance at the schedule regardless of where they begin watching. Like their full-scale counterparts, the portable Bravias even include a mobile version of the Bravia video decoding engine, Sony says.

Aside from size, the two models are separated by storage: while the simpler G200 goes without any permanent storage, the D500 packs 2GB of flash memory to record as much as 10 hours of programming, including scheduled advance recording; it can even extend recording time to accommodate sporting events or other shows that run late, the company explains. The larger LCD of the D500 is also said to be more color-accurate (up to 74 percent of the NTSC range) and more resilient in bright sunlight. The two mobile Bravias both sport AM/FM radios and will reach the Japanese market on April 10th for prices of approximately $281 for the G200 and $356 for the premium D500. An American release is currently unlikely and would need to swap the 1Seg tuner for North America's MediaFLO format. [via Impress]

D500

G200