A recent LA Times article is already mourning the loss of battery-powered handheld mini televisions, although the future of mobile television actually appears brighter than ever.

The Los Angeles Times' Jim Puzzanghera suggested in an article yesterday that battery-operated handheld or portable TVs will be a casualty in the transition to digital broadcast television. In an almost elegiac tone, he noted that because these little TVs have not received a similarly little battery-powered DTV converter box, they will become so much junk when the switch from analog is made next February.

ATSC tuner-equipped handheld televisions didn't really begin to sell until last year, and the selection has grown somewhat. Unfortunately, the still-small portable ATSC market lacks brand name support. The selection of devices is limited to those made by commercial brands like Haier, and Insignia, or even more dubious labels like Supersonic.

This lack of big-name support highlights the limited growth potential for that market. The Consumer Electronics Association's most recent data showed that only around 8 million homes owned a handheld television. Today's Nielsen statistics, on the other hand, estimate the number of mobile phone video users in the United States to be at 4 million and increasing.

A recent study conducted by IDC found that 38% of people consider their mobile phone the most essential item in their daily life. When the country's two biggest mobile phone carriers offer on-the-go television programming, its potential userbase becomes immense.

An even better option in terms of screen size and affordability is the laptop ATSC tuner. USB, and Expresscard tuners do not typically exceed $120 in cost, and come with the added benefit of DVR and program guide software which in many cases add nothing to the overall cost.

Neither of these options have been shown to consume dramatically more battery power than, for example, a vintage Sony Watchman.