I want Toshiba’s Distinct Life battery-powered concept TV to become a reality

To those of us old enough to remember the golden age of the portable DVD player, Toshiba’s latest concept will come as more of a nostalgia hit than a novelty, but it’s interesting nonetheless. Among the impressive display of QLED, OLED and MicroLED TVs at Toshiba’s IFA 2024 showcase, one set in particular caught my eye.

The TV in question stood out from the rest, as it was both smaller and boxier than the slender flatscreens around it. At first glance, in fact, it looked more like a white briefcase than something you could watch Netflix on.

As it turned out, this white briefcase was, in fact, another TV – but with a twist. The Toshiba concept, preliminarily named “Distinct Life” is a 24in set with a built-in battery, making it portable … sort of. There’s a carry handle on the rear, and a four-degree backwards tilt that apparently improves viewing angles.

Now, this is quite far from the relatively slim profile of the portable DVD players of old, so you likely wouldn’t want to take it very far. And the battery (of an unspecified size) can only power around three hours of video streaming.

With such restrictions in play, the obvious challenge facing the Distinct Life is that portable media players have come a long way in the past couple of decades, and the best tablets now pair sharp, vibrant displays with double-figure battery life. So why would you want a portable TV that can barely stream Oppenheimer in its entirety?

While I don’t see a world in which you would ever want to forgo a tablet and invest in a portable, battery powered TV for your own amusement, I do think that there are circumstances in which project Distinct Life could be a useful addition to the home entertainment market.

When I was a kid, I used to like camping in the back garden with a lantern and a film on my portable DVD player. The thought that I could have been watching Jurassic Park on a 24in screen, instead of squinting at the tiny 5in screen, would have blown my tiny mind.

If kids camping in the garden is too niche, the other scenario that came to mind is much more ubiquitous across British culture. Three hours may be fairly short but it’s long enough to see you through the majority of films – and it should easily make it to the final whistle of most football matches, too.

Sure, most people flock to pubs during the World Cup and watch with a pint in hand but do you know what else Brits love to do in our brief window of summer? Barbecues. I could see plenty of people carting the portable TV outside, sticking it in the shade of an umbrella to keep the glare off, and kicking back with a beer and a flame-grilled burger while watching the England team try (and fail) to claim a tournament victory.

Both scenarios posited here are admittedly fairly thin as far as consumer markets go but I think they point to, at the very least, a small opening in which this portable, battery powered TV might just be able to nestle.

Generally, I treat concepts at tech shows like exhibits in a zoo: have a look and admire them for what they are, but never expect to be able to take one home with me. But in a rare turn, I think Toshiba’s Distinct Life TV has legs. It isn’t going to disrupt the TV industry in any meaningful way but it could be a fun addition to the selection. And maybe – just maybe – kids of the future will be able to scare themselves silly in their backyard tents, watching dinosaurs rampage around on a relatively enormous 24in portable, battery powered TV.