Nikkai LCD Digital and Analogue TV Reviewed

We fell across this little gem at our local Maplin store - A 7 inch analogue and digital TV with support for multimedia - for £70. Here's our review of this small telly.

What is the Nikkai LCD TV?

This compact little 7" TV is made under the Nikkai brand for UK firm Maplin has proved to be the perfect little find. Ideal for sitting on a desk in a home office to provide TV while working on the PC.

The Nikkai LCD TV has both an analogue and a digital tuner, so it's capable of getting the Freeview TV and radio channels if your aerial can get a decent Freeview signal. For those in areas that have not made the digital switch, it's also capable of getting the standard analogue signals of BBC1, BBC2, ITV, Channel 4 and 5, as well as from a Sky box RF out socket.

It's also capable of playing back media from a USB stick - handy for watching AVI files, watching a slideshow of photos or listening to music.

Here's a summary of what this TV, better known as the Nikkai JV-TVC707EA, has to offer:

Receive Freeview (DVB-T) channels as well as analogue TV
AV video input allows connection of a camcorder, VCR/DVD, or security camera
USB and SD/MMC/MS inputs
Playback MPEG4 (AVI) compressed video (DivX etc.)
Playback your MP3 music collection
Digital photo frame mode - view JPG photos, with 12-picture preview and rotate function
Supplied with indoor and 12V car power supplies
Integrated stand and removable pan and tilt mount
Use either supplied telescopic aerial, supplied DVB-T mini aerial or link to a main aerial feed
PAL tuner suitable for reception throughout Europe
7-day Electronic Programme Guide (EPG)
Fully featured remote control accesses the on-screen menu display
Internal stereo speakers and output connector for external speakers

Availability:

Available from Maplins - check prices online: Nikkai 7" flatscreen TV

Let's take a little look at what this telly can do in a little more detail...

Nikkai TV with remote control

The Nikkai TV comes with a telescopic aerial, which for us was not able to get a great signal, and we stood no chance getting Freeview where we live. The telly is also supplied with a more sturdy desktop base aerial (intended for cars, we assume), which got an acceptable analogue signal. The telescoping aerial can be removed, leaving a standard co-ax aerial socket for connection to a rooftop aerial. We plugged into an aerial socket, and hey presto - all of the analogue and all of the Freeview channels. Auto-setup made scanning for channels a breeze.

We've also been using the Nikkai as a digital pictureframe with images on a connected USB memory stick, and for playing back our small collection of TV shows in DivX AVI format.

It's also great with Freeview with a workable 7 day electronic programme guide

Nikkai TV EPG

Our thoughts

The Nikkai is pretty easy to use. Most of the functions are available from the buttons on either side of the screen, but everything can be driven from the remote.

Negatives? No - not really. The TV is not the most stylish unit in the world, but that's aesthetics. The only real down size is the audio - the speakers are fairly small, and on the rear of the TV, which means the sound is adequate, but not stunning. Compared with a larger TV, or even a TV on a PC with a decent set of speakers, the audio is a little tinny, and MP3 music playback was a little disappointing. Good news is that there's an audio out, so you can hook it up to a better set of speakers, or run the sound through headphones.

Otherwise, hard to fault - good clear picture, easy-to-use.

Nikkai LCD TV Specification:

Input: AV video (3.5mm jack with 3 x RCA adaptor)
Output: earphone jack
Power: DC 12-24V, 10W (car and mains power supplies included)
Dimensions: 230 x 135 x 35 mm
Weight: 556g

For more details of the Nikkai TV, go to Maplin.co.uk

Supplied with?

The Nikkai TV from Maplin is supplied with:

Telescopic aerial and desktop aerial
Mains transformer
Desktop stand
Remote control and batteries
Stereo headphones
12V car adapter
Instruction manual
AV connector
Co-ax aerial adapter

Supplied with the Nikkai TV

Need help?

Got a question about this little TV from Nikkai and Maplin? Ask away.