PRODUCT REVIEW: Axion AXN-8705 is a good value, decent TV

Axion AXN-8705 7" LCD TV (Axion America photo)

UPDATE, 12:45 a.m. THURSDAY:  I've updated the battery life below.

Since the DTV transition two years ago, finding a good backup TV set in case of emergency has been difficult.

Back in the days of analog, small black-and-white TVs at low prices were seemingly omnipresent, and while they were nothing special, in power outages, they were handy.  But with the new way of broadcasting firmly in place, those little relics are all but totally useless now.

Enter the range of small, lightweight LCD sets like the Axion AXN-8705.  At 8.25” wide, 5.25” high and just over an inch deep -- and weighing about a pound, maybe less -- it's certainly compact.  But how does it work?

Amazingly well, as it turns out.

While it comes with a telescoping antenna built in and a magnet-base external unit, your best option is to connect your home antenna (or cable) to the set, and that's done by simply pulling the built-in antenna out of the top.  All the adapters you need are included.

The remote is tiny but actually fairly easy to use.  Battery for said remote is the ubiquitous CR2025 button cell, it's included.  Unfortunately, it doesn't turn the set on and off; you have to use the switch on the side of the TV itself, but that's a minor quibble.

When you plug the TV into a wall outlet, it does two things:  You can watch TV, and it also charges the battery.  Charge time from dead to full is about three hours, and you can expect right at two hours of use on battery power.

Setup is simple; when the set is first turned on, it asks to scan for channels.  The tuner is, at least with a good antenna connected, quite sensitive.  In my office (which is connected to the weaker antenna in my house), I pulled in 18 channels (16 digital, 2 analog), which is more than my best converter box can accomplish.  All are clear, but none are HD, due to the 480x234 maximum resolution.  You do, however, get a 16:9 picture where available.

Sound quality is only fair through the tiny built-in speakers, but excellent with headphones.

The on-screen menu is easy to navigate and settings are simple to adjust.  You can make all adjustments on the TV itself (using the handy buttons on the face) or with the remote.  Either way, it's not at all hard to customize things, or even to add channels after the initial scan.

Also included is an adapter so you can connect a DVD player, camcorder or game system; this is a nice feature, and one that may prove useful.

So, what does it cost to get one of these little sets?  I hope you're sitting down:  Our local Kroger store in Owensboro (Wesleyan Park Plaza on Frederica Street) sells these TVs at a regular price of $99.99.  However, this week, for Kroger Plus shopper's card members, you can buy the Axion AXN-8705 for just $34.99!  Needless to say, that's a deal you shouldn't pass up if you can get there.