2 years ago there was no such thing as a portable digital television. There were few digital televisions of any type � the onus was squarely on set top boxes to convert satellite or freeview terrestrial digital broadcasts to make them viewable on your television.

Almost 2 years later the situation has changed. For a start it's pretty difficult to find a traditional CRT television on the shelves of any high street electrical store. Everywhere you look you will find some pretty amazing flat screen models. Many now include digital tuners do you can receive free view right out of the box. Quite a few also include built in DVD players. The technological advance in the last couple of years is dramatic.

There is no shortage of portable digital televisions for sale. So what�s the problem?

Unfortunately, that is not the whole story. All of the portable digital televisions now on sale should work fine as long as they are connected to a good roof top aerial. If you want to be truly portable - camping or caravanning for instance - things become more difficult.

You are going to need a good aerial. That almost certainly means you are going to need a booster aerial. These electronically amplify the signal before it reaches your television. They can be quite bulky and absorb yet more power.

Portable digital television technology is advancing rapidly. Truly portable television now needs a similar advance in digital aerial booster technology. It�s going to happen. But it is not quite ready now.