Roadstar Boombox TVD5004
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This unit can work off batteries, mains or 12volt car supply. In fact it is probably the best way to keep young kids quiet on a long journey as they can watch DVD’s and it even has two headphone sockets.
The dimensions are 30x27x18cm these are maximum figures as the unit is more oval than anything else. The screen is described as 5inch (13cm) the dimensions of the screen are 10.5x8cm. Obviously with a small screen you need to be near and I also found either level with or close to that as it appears very milky when viewed from well above or below.
I would suggest that the initial setup be done from a roof or loft aerial. This is not that quick as it scans other areas before the UK. I ended up with the five analogue channels for the UK. When I disconnected the loft aerial and plugged in the supplied rod aerial I was pleasantly surprised as although there was some reduction in picture quality the output was both watchable and listenable.
The radio is AM/FM with a small LED display showing the current frequency. The sound quality was acceptable although I wonder these days why DAB was not included.
Where this unit will really score is with playing DVD’s such as in a car on a long journey. There are twin headset so the only noise will come from the kids. It also means that either the Sat Nav or other such as music can be played for adults, this could even be a good play on the car radio. The ability to use the Boombox on 12volt is certainly a good selling point. It certainly could get rather expensive on dry cell batteries as it uses no less than 10 of them. While on batteries the supplied remote needs 2xAAA however as the unit when used for ‘watching’ is never likely to be out of arms reach on most occasions I think the 14 buttons and two knobs on the front of the Boombox can set/adjust/change everything adequately.
Nothing to watch on TV, no DVD to view, nothing on the Radio? Well then there is always audio as yet I have not mentioned the two excellent speakers that take up most of the visible surface area of the front and sides of the unit. Sound quality is good and don’t forget the ‘Aux’ inputs allowing you to use this as an amplifier for other equipment. However when in say the kitchen there is no reason why you cannot have good sounds playing while you work.
I was surprised how watchable the TV was when away from an aerial socket using just the supplied rod aerial, yes you will need to be in reasonable reception area and yes you will probably need to experiment with position. However should you own a caravan there is no need to miss you favourite programme while away from home. For me though the biggest boost is the ability to run from the car ‘cigar lighter’.
However the combination of power supplies and the range of what it can do comes at a price. The best I could find was £162.98 (inc delivery) link below.
http://www.atlantic2u.net/store/viewproduct.asp?idproduct=6000
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