Axion AXN 8701 REVIEWS, Axion AXN-8701 on Sale, 7-Inch Handheld LCD TV, Built-In Tune
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Axion AXN-8701 REVIEWS:
I bought this unit to replace an old black and white emergency TV. I plan to use this while I exercise and for travel. I have only used it a day, but am so far very impressed. Plugged it in to charge the battery and turned it on and it started scanning for channels. It gets all the channels that my big TV with a converter box gets. I have not yet even had to use the external antenna, the built in antenna is working great for me. The reception is great, all over my house, but I do live close to a major metropolitan area. (The analog signals it picks up are a bit fuzzy, but the digital are great.) If you are having trouble with the reception, don't blame this TV, blame your location and weak digital signals from the TV stations.
I love the portability of the unit. While watching a game, I can take it into any room of my house and I look forward to taking it outside to watch TV on my patio. The unit itself seems well-built and sturdy. I like the fold-out stand in the back and it has a tripod mount on the bottom. I have not yet tested the battery life, but the 100 minutes as advertised in the manual seems quite reasonable. Note, the car charger does not charge the battery.
As much as I like the TV, I can't give it five stars for these minor issues. I wish the options on the remote, such as the guide, where available from the unit's menu controls. The antenna is not adjustable toward the front, only side to side or back. And as others have noted, I wish the remote had volume adjustment, but it does have a mute. The unit does have brightness adjustment, but not color. A carrying case, or some type of screen protector, would be a nice addition. Would also like to see a foldable handle or something to make it easier to carry. I also have to knock the instruction manual for all its typos. Finally, I think it seems a bit expensive, just for a little TV.
If you are in the market for a portable digital TV, this one should work for you until other options become available. And again, don't blame this TV for the limitations of digital TV if you are having reception trouble. Any station that is fuzzy in analog will be all or nothing with digital.
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By Frazier Douglass "Avid Camper" (Madison, AL)
I bought this portable TV as a replacement for an old analog TV that I used when camping. After unpacking the TV, I was able to quickly read the instructions, review basic functions, scan for chanels, and watch programs. The color and clarity of digital broadcasts were outstanding; the picture quality of analog broadcasts was acceptable; the remote was easy to use; the speakers were acceptable; the compact external antenna works reasonably well; and TV controls were user friendly. It also has a convenient ear phone jack for improved sound quality.
Overall, I would rate the TV very high but I noted three limitations. The first and most troublesome limitation is station reception. Reception of digital broadcast signals is much more sensitive than reception of old analog signals. When I first scanned for stations, I was seated in a bay window dining area of my brick home. In this position, I was unable to lock onto several local stations with broadcast towers within 25 miles. I bought an external antenna from Radio Shack, but the antenna did not significantly improve reception. Then I decided to try the TV outside on my deck. In this location, channel reception was much better. Apparently the house structure (brick?) interferes with signal reception. Hopefully, reception will be ok in most campgrounds.
The second limitation of this TV is that it does not operate with disposable batteries. When electricity is unavailable, you use the internal rechargable battery that reportedly lasts about 2 hours. My past experience with such batteries leads me to believe that the length of charge will get significantly shorter after a few uses. Thus, I probably will not be able to watch very long in campsites with no electricity. Unfortunately, we must live with this limitation because there are no small portable digital TVs on the market at the present time that operate on disposable batteries.
The final limitation is a minor one. Although it is designed to accept a screw in platform or tripod, no such stabilizing device was included in the package. The TV is sold literally as a hand-held TV. Fortunately, the platform for my old analog TV fit perfectly and I am now able to set the TV on a table top or on the floor or my tent and watch hands free TV.
I bought this portable TV as a replacement for an old analog TV that I used when camping. After unpacking the TV, I was able to quickly read the instructions, review basic functions, scan for chanels, and watch programs. The color and clarity of digital broadcasts were outstanding; the picture quality of analog broadcasts was acceptable; the remote was easy to use; the speakers were acceptable; the compact external antenna works reasonably well; and TV controls were user friendly. It also has a convenient ear phone jack for improved sound quality.
Overall, I would rate the TV very high but I noted three limitations. The first and most troublesome limitation is station reception. Reception of digital broadcast signals is much more sensitive than reception of old analog signals. When I first scanned for stations, I was seated in a bay window dining area of my brick home. In this position, I was unable to lock onto several local stations with broadcast towers within 25 miles. I bought an external antenna from Radio Shack, but the antenna did not significantly improve reception. Then I decided to try the TV outside on my deck. In this location, channel reception was much better. Apparently the house structure (brick?) interferes with signal reception. Hopefully, reception will be ok in most campgrounds.
The second limitation of this TV is that it does not operate with disposable batteries. When electricity is unavailable, you use the internal rechargable battery that reportedly lasts about 2 hours. My past experience with such batteries leads me to believe that the length of charge will get significantly shorter after a few uses. Thus, I probably will not be able to watch very long in campsites with no electricity. Unfortunately, we must live with this limitation because there are no small portable digital TVs on the market at the present time that operate on disposable batteries.
The final limitation is a minor one. Although it is designed to accept a screw in platform or tripod, no such stabilizing device was included in the package. The TV is sold literally as a hand-held TV. Fortunately, the platform for my old analog TV fit perfectly and I am now able to set the TV on a table top or on the floor or my tent and watch hands free TV.
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I ordered this TV from Amazon to be used on rooftops and in attics to adjust TV antennas for optimum over-the-air reception of DTV channels. Very few battery operated DTV portables are available at this time, and this appeared to be the best choice. The problem is, this TV is *too* cute, and as soon as I had opened the box I heard "oh what a cute TV, it's PERFECT for the kitchen!" ARRGH! foiled again!
Indeed, the set is perfect for the Kitchen, and 12 miles from the transmitters, we receive all of the local channels with the supplied antenna stuck (magnetic base) to the refrigerator. Works GREAT!
I don't miss remote volume control (there is a mute), but am surprised that the remote does not have a "last channel" button! This oversight cost this fine set one star in my rating.