Axion AXN-8701 7-Inch Widescreen Handheld LCD TV with Built-In Tuner, Black

Customer Reviews

Average Customer Review:

Review 6 to 10 of total 385

Best product ever! I love it.,
by Happy Coffee, 2008-11-22

Pro: Great ATSC digital reception. Bright & sharp screen. Added external antenna for better reception. Easy to operate. Remote control. Built-in battery. Back stand for sitting still on any flat surface. Car cord is included.
Con: Analog signal reception is a little weak. Remote control can't do volume up/down. Can't charge internal battery with the car cord.
Conclusion: Very good performance. BEST value product. A must-buy for coming holiday season.

Super Little TV,
by Russell F. Carlson, 2008-12-03

I live in a rural area and thought I would have a problem with DTV reception. I was wrong. This TV brings in DTV signals very well. Analog signals are fine, but, obviously, they are going away. the included antenna has to be used in a window if one is inside. Never been a problem. Buy yourself some extra f-connector extensions and turnarounds, they all help.

Very nice almost-HD desk TV, blows away the Haier,
by gman33, 2009-04-25

I just got this set a few days ago and despite some notable flaws, I'm very happy with my purchase. I initially bought and quickly returned the similar Haier model sold on Amazon, and I can say emphatically the Axion is a far better unit (I'll come back to a comparison later in this review). The Axion appears to be identical to the Accurian now sold at Radio Shack for $200 (often on sale for about $50 less) and a discontinued Insignia. Along with the Haier, they are in a class of what I'd call throwaway sets, in the sense that if they ever break, they'll cost more to fix than they're worth, and I wouldn't expect any of these sets to last 10 years.
I'm using my Axion as a desk TV. I'm using a 50 ft. RCA extension (A/V cables) I bought on eBay for about $15 hooked up to my DishNet receiver. I have the set plugged into a a pair of Logitech powered speakers I got on Amazon for $10. If you're using coaxial, the picture won't be quite as sharp as with AV cables, and you'll lose the stereo signal.
Most of the Amazon reviews I've read seem to focus heavily on over-the-air reception. I got mine as an open box unit on Amazon's Warehouse Deals and it came without the external antenna, so I'm only able to use the one that's built in. I'm getting all major locals, roughly the equivalent over-the-air reception as with an RCA Ant 3500 antenna I have on my wall. I live in San Francisco and never got good over-the-air reception pre-digital, so I'm pretty happy with the tuner, although I don't expect to use it much.
Compared to the Haier, the picture quality on the Axion is light years better. While not HDTV, the picture is bright with vivid colors. The Haier has many more adjustments, but the set seemed to lack contrast, and colors always looked washed out. A few things about the Haier that were better were on/off and volume controls on the remote (the Axion has neither, believe it or not), and a much better battery (about 2 1/2 hours vs. about 1 1/2 hours). The Axion would benefit from color controls. The color setting on mine is too much, leaving skin tones looking unnaturally red.

A few additional notes:
If you're hooking it up to a satellite or cable box, play with the picture settings on the box. I have mine set to SD (standard definition) Zoom. Under normal settings, I was getting 3/4" bars at the top and bottom of the screen, reducing a 7" set to a 5-incher.
Would also recommend getting a screen protector. There's a few 7-inchers selling on Amazon but I haven't gotten around to ordering yet.

Update on May 3:
I exchanged this for one that had an external antenna and am getting exceptional over-the-air reception, far batter than what I'm getting from my satellite receiver. And it turns out the above-mentioned problem I'm having with red skin tones is as a result of poor satellite reception through AV cables. I'm not sure if the included 3-to-1 cable adapter degrades reception. I suspect it's a matter of digital (over-the-air) vs. analog (av cable) connections. I tried using an av cable amplifier but it didn't help much. Not the TV's fault though.

May 3 Update Part II:
I just switched from the AV composite cable to coaxial and the picture quality is much better. The red tones I was complaining about are greatly reduced. Volume is louder, but it's in mono. I was able to get a stereo signal using the AV cables. I'm no expert but I believe the 3-to-1 AV cable is causing some signal degradation.

Great Little TV,
by Fishychips, 2008-12-02

Needed to replace my OTA portable TV that will be a doorstop in February 09. I balked at the price of this unit, but decided to get it anyway. After some fiddling with the menu and antenna(s), I was able to pick up the same channels as my digital converter box. The picture is sharp, the color great, and the sound is very good. FYI, there is a hole in the bottom for a tripod mount as well as a fold-out prop stand in back. Overall I am happy with this purchase and look forward to years of good use.

Good things come in small packages.,
by Ronny Barrickman, 2009-01-05

Ordered this tv after reading other favorable reviews to replace an analog tv for the kitchen. Right out of the box it picked up all the local chanels I had gotten before and several some I hadn't recieved on the old set. I did have to use the optional antenna for best results. All in all it seems to be a good buy. The picture is really clear and the color is right on. So now I'm ready for the digital switch come February.