Audiovox VE-640 Ultra Slim Drop-Down LCD Color TV Editorial Review: The Audiovox VE-640 6.4-inch LCD drop-down stereo TV is an ultraslim television that mounts under a shelf and doubles as a security monitor. The VE-640 is well suited to watching your favorite show while working or cooking. Its slim proportions and drop-down swivel screen enable you to mount and watch the VE-640 almost anywhere. With stereo sound, a full-function remote, a cable-ready 125-channel tuner, and an onscreen display, this TV offers all of the technical and convenient features you need for a small set in your kitchen or office. You can retract the LCD screen out of view when the unit is not in use.
Customer Reviews: Awful, Disappointing This product is very disappointing.
* I tested the picture by setting the device on top of its box and plugging it into the cable. It was grainy and periodically the color went out of whack for a second or so.
* It's dimensions show that it will fit under a standard cabinet, and it will, only if you don't need to plug in the power or the cable TV wire. There is no recess for the cables, so they stick out the back, adding about an inch to the depth.
* There are three mounting brackets with the package. One is a set of metal screws that go down through the cabinet into the top of the unit. That's good, but they are the shortest screws in the kit. The other two, the medium and longest lengths, look like wood screws. They mount **up** through the unit into the bottom of the cabinet. If you screw it in more than the depth of the cabinet shelf, then the screws stick up through the cabinet. If you don't, then there's only a partial amount of the cabinet shelf supporting the device.
* There are separate wires for the radio. Its competitors have the antenea's inside their units, so there are no extra wires to mess with or to try to hide.
* While it sounds like a reasonable screen size when looking at the details, when you get it out of the box, it is *really* small.
* I immediately regretted the lack of a DVD player.
So, after getting the thing out of the box, reading the directions, and trying to mount the thing to my cabinet, I just put it back in the box, and went to Target and bought a 10" Trutech (KLV3112) that has an integrated DVD.
The Trutech has a recess for the cables to go so it *will* really fit to a standard cabinet. There are no extra wires for the radio; the picture looks nice. It installed in about 10 minutes (literally) with absolutely no problems.
Zero stars if they had it! Wow... I was attracted by the price and turned off by the constant problems. Although the Video is decent straight on that's about all it offered.
Problems:
1) Sound - cut out all the time, on all 4 of these I've had, including my current one. I believe this is a model deficiency. Even when it's working (unplugging usually "resets" the sound) it's not the best sound, the speaker can't come close to filling the kitchen at normal listening levels and if you crank it up, it gets tinny really fast.
2) Move more than a few degees off of perpendicular and the video suffers. A few more and you can't see anything. Same goes for horizontal viewing... yes, sitting down at eye level looks okay, but standing up warps the view. Only the cheapest LCDs are this bad
3) The remote. It seems neat at first (a credit card size), but the buttons are bubble type and don't offer any real feedback when they are pressed. Kind of easy to lose even with the magnet on the back
4) The Controls... oh man, where do I start. Every single one of these I've had has failed in some way on the controls... couldn't store the channels, setting the time is pointless because it stays on the defalt time permanently, the lcd flashes, etc..
I've had to learn to live with all of the above because I'm stuck now. I had the sound problems and control/LCD problems on every single one I've had. I'm on the 4th... I finally gave up.
For starters Audiovox Customer Service sucks wind. Just plan on frustration if you buy this. The first one I returned to Amazon and to their credit, they sent me a brand new replacement. Too bad the quality was so horrible that the second new one failed worse than the first. I literally couldn't get it to keep any settings more than 5 minutes. That one I ended up having to send back to Audiovox (of course all of these were on my dime for shipping). Audiovox sent me back what was obviously a refurbished replacement... grrr... You don't spend this kind of money and want someone else's "fixed" return! Well, this one wasn't fixed and was just as bad as the first two. After sending this one back I just gave up... what's the point? Now I have a TV where the sound goes out almost daily (for those in the same boat - pull the power and plug it back in). The clock is permanently stuck at 12:40, and I pray my cable company doesn't change the channels on me or I'll have to go through the 3 hour nightmare to set everything up again. I try to leave it alone as much as possible.
This is the WORST piece of "technology" I've bought in recent memory and the "customer service" is non-existent. I wish I had my money and time back. I'll never buy another Audiovox item again and I've told everyone I know to avoid them. Since I work at one of the world's largest technology companies that's not a small or unimportant group.
Short-Term Review of VE-640 VE-640, purchased from Pop Pop Office machines through Amazon.com,was delivered 6 days after placing order (4 days before the first expected delivery date). I have had it only 5 days. Hooked it up initially to a rabbit ear antenna with reasonably good reception for channels 7 and above, poor reception for channel 4 & 5, and no reception for channel 2. Changed over to cable with excellent results. FM and AM also work well. I am very pleased with the unit so far, and will see if it remains operational over the next year, or fails as indicated by several of the other reviews.
Poor warranty coverage - damaged product I received the Audiovox VE-640 as a Christmas gift, but my kitchen was being remodeled, so I was just able to get it installed. The antenna jack on the back of the unit was defective/damaged and the piece broke off when the cable company tried to screw in the cable line. Audiovox only provides a 90 day warranty on the product, which seems ridiculously short, and refuses to stand behind their product even when the unit is defective. It's going to cost me about $100 to repair it, plus the cost for the cable guy. I'm not a fan of Audiovox anymore and don't recommend their products.
Display stops working in less than 12 months Purchased in May of 2003, diplay stopped working within 6 months. Warranty only 90 days for parts and labor, not typical for TV's. Retailer will not repair. To repair, Audiovox requires repair payment $135.00, almost half of a on-sale replacement. Better to purchase a traditional TV that hangs from under the counter.
Closer Look
