Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Overall, I'll give my TV a 3 to 4 stars out of 5. My TV is connected to a DirecTV standard cable feed - not HD; that costs too much and only 10 or so HD channels are available. The picture usually is fairly good. I think the DirecTV feed is the culprit because the picture my 6 year old Sanyo 32" regular TV is sometimes not that good - it was good before hooking it up to DirecTV. Anyway, the AKAI picture is best when hooked up to S-Video inputs. When playing DVDs, the picture is good.
It took a while to get use to flat panel TVs cause this is my first one. The viewing angle is 170 degrees or more, but the picture is best when standing in front of it, 10 or more feet away. There are many options to adjust the picture to suit almost anyone.
You must turn up the sound when playing DVDs. Sound quality is good, but better when playing CDs. I found that when looking at TV, I had to turn the treble way down to get good sound. You can play it loud and the sound remains crisp. DVD and CD copies play without any problem. The DVD mode is 480p. I think 720p or 1080p is real HD quality for DVDs - would've been nice for AKAI to include that functionality.
Likes... easy to use, built in DVD player, can use as any multiple source setting (TV, DTV, DVD, computer monitor, etc). The remote controls all features, plus the DVD player has buttons to control it too. The controls on the TV and the DVD player are sleek looking and easily manageable.
I ordered the TV Dec. 9th and got it Dec. 22nd - just before Christmas although Amazon.com stated it might arrive early January.
Gripes are all minor so far... when you turn the TV on, the "AKAI" logo with a bright blue background displays for a few seconds, then the TV tuner will kick into the last TV station you had it on. When you select a source (TV, DTV, DVD, computer monitor, etc), a bright blue background lights up the entire room.
Having to jack up the sound when playing DVDs, as mentioned above, is another gripe.
The user manual is OK at listing the immense number of features (all available through your remote), but lacks in depth explanations, plus explaining how to wall mount the TV. It does not tell how about watts, voltage or amps used either.
Also, DirecTV does not yet have an AKAI remote control code for this model yet. AKAI has only 5 codes available so far. So I have to use the AKAI remote to turn the TV on and off and to change the sound volume; then I use the DirecTV remote to change channels.
Another gripe is that the MTS sound mode may not work. Clicking that button on the remote control can switch the sound from mono (the default) to stereo. This feature will only work (if it ever does) in TV mode - that's what it will state on screen if you attempt to change MTS mode while in any source mode other TV. Since my AKAI is hooked up to DirecTV, it may be smart enough to notice that the cable TV source will provide stereo sound. I haven't tested this theory by hooking up the TV to an external antenna.
Oh yeah... call AKAI and register the TV. The competence of their support team (which is in the USA) is questionable. They could only lead me to the Peerless website to get info on wall mounts. They did not know that MTS mode is only available when the source is TV.
Read on only if you want to wall mount the TV...
Buy the TV before choosing and buying a wall mount. The TV is not VESA 75, 100, 200, or 400 compatible. The four AKAI wall mount holes are 16 1/8" apart width wise and 4" apart height wise. Four mounting bolts are included. The user manual briefly states you can use a Peerless wall mount. After I researched it, the TV can only connect to one or two standard, stationary Peerless mounts - unless you make a custom adapter. That's what I did... more on that below.
I bought a Premier Mounts AM2 articulating wall mount before I ordered the TV. Got it cheaper at Beach Audio. It is VESA 75, 100, and 200 compatible. My walls have steel studs. The wall I mounted the TV on does not have studs 16" apart, so I had to use the type of wall mount I got. Anyway, buy toggle bolts to install any wall mount if your walls have steel studs. Why? The TV is heavy (40 lbs... 35 lbs. without the stand). The AM2 wall mount is about 10 lbs.
Since my AM2 mount is not compatible with the AKAI wall mount holes, I had to buy two 22" long steel straps from Home Depot (part #044315348709 found in the lumber section). I cut the straps to 16 1/2" and then drilled four holes in each. I drilled two holes to make it VESA 100 compatible (at 4" apart, centered on the strap) and two holes to make it fit the 16 1/8" AKAI wall mount holes (also centered). I also had to buy four #8-32 bolts (3/8" long), nuts, and locking washers to connect the straps to the wall mount. Connect the straps to the wall mount with the bolt heads facing the TV.
Note that the DVD player bulges out somewhat in the back of the TV. The wall mount holes on one side of the TV are very close to the DVD player, so take your time and take all measurements not once, but at least twice to ensure your custom made adapter will fit right. Two vents also stick out a little above (but to the left and right of) the top wall mount holes. So again, carefully measure where you have to drill holes so your straps won't touch those vents.
Also note that the straps are not totally rigid. That's OK cause they can still handle the load, plus your bolt heads need a little room. Thus, your straps will have a slight curve when you mount the TV.
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Product Description:
The Akai LCT3201AD combines a vibrantly colorful 32-inch HDTV and DVD player in one stylish and amazingly slim package. The slot-loading DVD player is located on the right side of the set, and it's compatible with both DVD movie and CD audio discs. You'll enjoy 480p, 720p and 1080i high-definition viewing right out of the box thanks to the built-in digital ATSC tuner, which pulls HD signals right from the airwaves. You can also connect the set to an optional receiver or cable/satellite set-top box using either the HDMI or component connections. A standard analog NTSC tuner receives standard-definition (SD) programming.
The LCT3201AD has a 1366 x 768-pixel resolution, 176-degree wide viewing angle, and a super-fast 8ms (millisecond) response time, which minimizes blurring of moving images and is especially helpful for sports and action movies. It also offers a 550 cd/m2 (candela per square meter) brightness rating and a 1000:1 contrast ratio. (The higher the contrast ratio, the greater a TV's ability to display subtle color details and not get washed out by ambient room light.)
The 2D comb filter separates chrominance (color) from luminance (brightness) information in the video signal for independent processing to improve picture resolution and minimize distortion. This set also performs 3:2 pulldown detection and reversal, too--a handy feature for watching progressive-scan movie programs in their native 24-frame format. To adapt 24 frames-per-second movies to 30 fps video, frames in the original movie must be duplicated; 3:2 pulldown digitally corrects this duplication by removing the redundant information to display a frame-accurate picture.
The bottom-mounted speakers produce 7 watts of power per channel for 14 total watts of power. It offers the following connection options:
Composite AV (RCA): 1 in
S-Video: 1 in
Component video: 1 in
HDMI: 1 in
PC VGA: 1 in
RF: 1 in
Digital audio: 1 coaxial out
Tech Talk
HDMI is a lossless, uncompressed, all-digital audio/video interface to link any audio/video source (such as a set-top box, DVD player, or AV receiver) with your TV--all over a single cable. It provides up to a 5 GB per second bandwidth for transmitting pure digital video and audio signals with no degradation in the transfer. It can carry up to eight discrete audio channels, making it compatible with 7.1-channel surround sound systems. Signals are encrypted with HDCP (High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection) to prevent recording. HDMI is fully backward-compatible with most DVI connections.
Component video (also called Y/Pb/Pr) features a three-jack video input, which provides separate connections for luminance (Y), blue color difference (PB) and red color difference (PR). This results in increased bandwidth for color information, resulting in a more accurate picture with clearer color reproduction and less bleeding than you would get with S-Video or composite (RCA yellow video plug) connections. You will need a separate RCA left/right audio cable for sound.
What's in the Box
LCD HDTV with slot-loading DVD player, stand, remote control (with batteries), printed operating instructions
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