Haier HLT71 7-Inch Portable LCD TV
From the Manufacturer (April 9, 2009)The Haier HLT71 portable LCD TV gives you the ability to enjoy your favorite television programs anywhere, any time–in your home or away. Watch the morning news without having to get out of bed, or while sun bathing in the back yard. Does someone else have dibs on the TV room? Pull out your HLT71, and you’ve got your own TV room. This handy little portable TV has a 7-inch LCD screen that switches between a 16:9 and 4:3 aspect ratio. It has a built-in ATSC/NTSC tuner with detachable antenna enabling you to receive crisp reception of your favorite channels – even after the digital-to-analog switch in June 2009. The HLT71 connects to other devices with an audio/video jack and coaxial output. Watch with others using the built-in twin speaker system, or plug your headphones into the included jack to enjoy your favorite programs without disturbing those around you. The rechargeable Li-polymer battery offers up to 2.5-hours of life between char (more…)
I am really thrilled with my purchase of this Haier HLT71 7-inch, ATSC 2009-ready portable LCD TV! I have never heard of this name brand Haier, and I had heard many nightmare stories about some of the other name brands having poor pictures on these little screens, so I thought I’d give this Haier a try.
I ordered this tv directly from Amazon and it came to me from a seller on Amazon who goes by the name ANTOnline. The seller sent this perfect and fast to start with, which is always a big plus with me. When I opened the box, the set looked very sleek and light weight, just perfect! The tv I received is exactly like the picture shows in this description, black (it is the picture that has the remote control next to the tv), with really simple control buttons on the front. I then looked at the directions, but realized, I didn’t need to read them at all! Everything is really obvious! The set has a little slide switch on the side to turn on the power. The antenna screws in really easy. It comes with a plug for the inside electrical outlet, and a plug for the car lighter, and a lightweight rechargeable battery! It has a little remote control which they made very easy to read! After screwing on the antenna (or you can attach your cable cord if you are using it in the house), I basically plugged it in, slid the power switch on, pressed the button to scan for setting the channels, and it does it quickly! In about 1 minute, it was set! I then tried the small battery, and it played perfectly without the electric power!
The picture is absolutely gorgeous, as it has the new atsc digital signal receiver built in! To see the local programs in digital on this little screen was fantastic! Colors are crisp, sharp and vivid, just like a big hdtv!
I have noticed that some reviews are giving this tv a low rating because it did not pick up any channels with the single rabbit ear that comes with the set. This tv picks up EVERY signal that is being broadcast in your area. Before you buy this tv, you should first go to a website called Antenna Web. On this site, you type in your address and it will show you exactly how many channels you can receive in your area and what type of antenna you will need to pick up the signals. Antenna Web said that in my area I could receive 8 signals, and the single rabbit ear that comes with this tv picked up all 8 channels. When I used a stronger antenna, I picked up 3 more channels. When I used my cable cord, I received over 60 channels, and when I used my cable cord with my box, I picked up 250 channels. Whatever I hooked up to the coaxial input on this tv, this tv picked up! If you live in an area that receives no broadcast signals or you need a high powered antenna to pick up anything, it is not the tv’s fault, but your broadcasters. So, if you want to be certain your tv is picking up the signals correctly, go to Antenna Web and check to see what channels you can get in your area and what type of antenna you need to pick up the signals. My single rabbit ear, picked up everything including the hi-def channels, and the reception was crystal clear. (Also, don’t forget to go to the tv’s menu, and hit the little satellite dish picture, then hit the appropriate air or cable before you scan for your channels. This way you’ll be certain your tv will receive the correct signals.)
The real plus for me on this tv, is the battery, because of so many electrical outages and bad storms, this is a must have item! The battery has a life of about 2-2 1/2 hours, perfect for a few shows while waiting out bad weather, or even for entertainment when traveling. The fantastic picture really blew me away. I just love the light weight of the tv, even with the battery, it’s like a feather! There is even a built in stand to put it on a table! The sound is incredible as well- two speakers and really loud! This is unheard of on these small sets! They even thought of including a plug in for headphones, if you have them (headphones are not included), for quiet listening or for travel! Whoever designed this perfect set, knew what they were doing!
I am giving this perfect little tv 5 stars for being able to see a sharp, vivid, gorgeously colored hi-def picture, and set up without reading a direction, but especially because I can play it in my house, in my car, or carry it anywhere with the rechargeable battery, all at a great price too!
UPDATE: Haier vs. Axion 7 inch portable tv’s
I am posting an update for anyone who is wondering what the differences are between these two portable tv’s. A friend of mine purchased the Axion, and she immediately brought it over to compare it to my Haier. Here is what I found:
RECEPTION: Antenna Web said I could receive 8 channels in my area. With the single rabbit ear antenna, Haier picked up all 8 channels. Axion picked up 7 channels, but one channel was very fuzzy. When attaching a cable cord, both sets picked up everything.
SOUND: For these small sets, the sounds were very similar, but when turning the volume louder, the Haier was louder and not as tinny sounding as the Axion.
PICTURE: Both have very nice pictures, with great color, but the Haier definitely has a more hi-def, sharper looking picture.
REMOTE CONTROL: Haier’s is easier to read, larger and has volume control, where Axion’s is smaller and has no volume control.
BATTERY: Haier’s battery is a plug in and lasts about 2 hours before needing charging. Axion’s battery is built in, cannot be removed and lasted a little less than 1 hour before needing to be charged.
Overall, the sets are very similar, my personal choice being the Haier, as I think the picture is sharper, the price is better and the battery lasts longer for my needs in bad weather. Haier also has way more picture settings and adjustments in the tv’s menu, but the pictures on both these sets are so great, I’ve never found a need to use them. The bottom line for me is the better picture and price give the edge to Haier, since the reception on these two sets is almost identical.
JUNE 12th,2009 NEWS UPDATE ON THE DIGITAL CHANGE:
I just read an article on the new digital change taking place titled CHANGE TO DIGITAL TV BROADCASTS ALREADY GETTING POOR RECEPTION. And they mean POOR RECEPTION literally. The article says the following: Many broadcasters across the country are transmitting the new digital signals with temporary transmission towers, just to meet the June 12th deadline. Permanent new towers are needed in order to move to a new higher frequency broadcast that should be easier for people’s antennas to pick up. Once the new towers are built, probably later in 2009, the stations will change to another channel, and everyone will have to re-scan their t.v.’s to receive all the new digital channels. Unlike the old analog signals, you will never have any snow or static on your set, you will either have a perfect picture or one that is totally unwatchable. At this time, with so many broadcasters transmitting with temporary towers, you need a powerful antenna to receive anything on your set. I thought this article very important to let everyone know that right now, a powerful antenna is needed for reception, but by the end of the year, the permanent towers should be built and running full power, and that means any antenna should pick up everything. More importantly, remember to scan again to re-program your tv channels after June 12th, and again later in the year, when all the permanent towers are up. This will get you all the stations that will be changing to a new channel with the new frequencies. I hope this helps everyone, so they’ll get the most channels out of their tv’s!
5.0 out of 5 stars
Awesome!
This unit is very good. I needed a portable TV I could bring to work at night to get local news and weather reports.
1.0 out of 5 stars
Useless Waste of Money
I’d give it zero stars if that were possible. With the included antenna connected, it receives one (of several) local stations.
Knowing that my current little portable TV used for emergencies will “expire” in February 2009 – I ordered one of these because they are set up for the new digital broadcasts. The first one I received didn’t pick up any channels and had no sound. I figured it had to be a damaged unit, so returned it to Amazon for a replacement and the second one is working fine. Picks up most of my local channels -Some with amazing clarity and others fuzzy, but I live out in the country, so I’m okay with that since it’s really just for emergencies. I’m amazed at the technology, seeing such a sharp, full color picture on that little screen. I’ve read from other reviews that the battery lasts about 2 hours, but hopefully that’ll get us thru a storm. Comes with AC cord, detachable antenna, triple video input cable, car plug-in, remote control (including batteries) and rechargable internal battery. Note, internal battery MUST be installed before it will come on. It’s got one of those tiny plug-ins like cordless phones, so make sure it’s connected. Overall, I would recommend it.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Performance & Expectations
It is a great little V set. Very sharp & clear imagery with good volume range. It performs to my expectations.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great portable TV!
This is a very lightweight, compact portable TV. Great picture and even works well with just the antenna. We bought this for our Macaw to keep her entertained.
Great little TV. The item I received differed from the one pictured, it was rubberized black and had better controls. I comes with a removable battery pack, 12v and AC adapters and a stick antenna.
We use it for keeping up with college football games while watching our daughters travel softball team.
The TV decodes everything. ATSC (over the air digital TV), NTSC (analog TV), regular cable TV AND even non-encrypted QAM cable TV (that was a huge plus for me).
I tried a Radio Shack 7″ that looks a lot like the Amazon picture of the Haier above; but this TV is MUCH MUCH better. The antennas with these TV’s are crap, get the silver sensor sold on Amazon and you will be amazed the channels you can pull in with this TV.
Good Luck.
1.0 out of 5 stars
Not a good buy
Don’t buy this. After the digital change all the channels break up on a consistent basis, even with an expensive high-end digital antenna.
2.0 out of 5 stars
Returned mine
I bought one of these for $99.00 on sale at my local Target store. I really liked the TV, but tried several times to scan for my local stations (Cincinnati) and could only get 4…
4.0 out of 5 stars
Happy
I was disappointed – I couldn’t receive any stations with the small antenna. I bought it for my boat and have a Shakespear analog/digital antenna – I was delighted, I got 20 clear…
5.0 out of 5 stars
Loved It!!
I have been looking for a product just like this all over stores and on the net, I live in Texas and in the DFW area and we get alot of storms out here and not to long ago we were…
4.0 out of 5 stars
Nice little TV
Brought this through the analog to digital conversion, and aside from rescanning a few times, it works great.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great TV for the Price-Must have Storm Item!
Well…our local TV station posted several links of various portable bat op TVs we could possibly buy to have here in strong storm and hurricane land.