Review on Haier HLT71 7 Inch Handheld Model by Edwin Kreps

Before purchasing this particular model I looked through many written reviews on here so thought I would like to thank you and share some thoughts on this portable TV. At this price point, with this screen size, this isn't going to be anyone's mainstream TV. It is designed for casual use, unforeseen weather conditions, listening to games in the workshop and the like. (1) If you expect excellent image quality at this price, you will be disappointed. It's worth seeing and good, but certainly nothing special. Color rendering is not bad but there's this very cheap LCD panel that's slightly grainy, which degrades the picture quality. I guess if you're like me and you're buying this for casual and emergency use then you wouldn't care, but if you imagine you're going to spend hours in front of it every week you should probably spend some extra money to get something with a bigger one screen and better picture quality. Like many LCDs, it also suffers from very poor viewing angles. You want the TV to be below you, not at eye level or above. It works best on your coffee table, kitchen table, or desk, which isn't surprising since you still have to sit just a few feet away from it. (2) The built-in audio is a bit tinny, as expected, given the size of the speakers. But I was glad it was loud enough. Aside from weather-related emergencies, I'll use this for example, in my workshop, where I mostly listen to the game anyway, and it's loud enough for that. It has a headphone jack. (3) I live in suburban Washington DC and get a lot of channels just using the small antenna that comes with the box. Judging by all the comments here, your mileage may vary, but I haven't had any reception problems at all. Setting it up is pretty easy. You simply choose air or cable and scan automatically. The instructions are poorly written, but whatever, just flip the little switch on the side and you're good to go. It captures channels well and doesn't break or pixelate at all. (4) I like that it has full-size RCA jacks on the side, as well as a full-size coaxial RF input. So no picky adapters are lost. To store or travel with the TV, you end up unscrewing the antenna and attaching it to the top, which is a bit fiddly, but it's really worth putting up with to get a real full-size cable gland. The remote control is small but basic with regular buttons that run on regular batteries and I found it good enough even across the room (too far away to do much more than listen to it). This is the main difference between this TV and those that come with small remote controls, that use hard-to-replace watch batteries. (5) This model comes with a car adapter included, which is another big reason why I bought it from others. When you need such a small portable TV partly for emergency weather, being able to charge it or even run it from your car if you need to is a big deal, so I'm surprised not every manufacturer offers this. The world is full of TVs that are better, but for casual use and extreme weather it's hard to beat for the price. I'm pleasantly surprised at how much I got here considering how little I paid for it. Next time the cable fails or the power goes out, I'll be happy to sit with this little guy. but for casual use and emergency weather it's hard to beat for the price. I'm pleasantly surprised at how much I got here considering how little I paid for it. Next time the cable fails or the power goes out, I'll be happy to sit with this little guy. but for casual use and emergency weather it's hard to beat for the price. I'm pleasantly surprised at how much I got here considering how little I paid for it. Next time the cable fails or the power goes out, I'll be happy to sit with this little guy. if the cable fails or the power goes out, I'll be happy to sit with this little guy. but for casual use and emergency weather it's hard to beat for the price. I'm pleasantly surprised at how much I got here considering how little I paid for it. Next time the cable fails or the power goes out, I'll be happy to sit with this little guy. if the cable fails or the power goes out, I'll be happy to sit with this little guy. but for casual use and emergency weather it's hard to beat for the price. I'm pleasantly surprised at how much I got here considering how little I paid for it. Next time the cable fails or the power goes out, I'll be happy to sit with this little guy.