Akai is a brand that has been out of the limelight for a while, but it's back - with the clear aim of making an impression on the budget market. Alongside a small range of other affordable home cinema kit (LCD TV, DVD recorder and home cinema package) the company has launched its first plasma television - and it's a snip at just over £1,000.
On the outside, the 42in PD-P42VIT looks every bit the budget model. The screen's frame is plain and plasticky, a far cry from the de rigueur black and silver styling that so many mid-priced plasmas boast these days. The supplied desktop stand doesn't swivel, while the stereo speakers need to be attached to each side with clunky brackets (the upside of this, of course, is that you can always leave them off if you plan to use separate home cinema speakers - which we would usually recommend).
The remote control is no more attractive. A grey plastic monstrosity peppered with dour rubber buttons, it's completely uninspiring. And that's before you discover its irritating unresponsiveness.
Back to basics
As you'd expect from a screen at the cheaper end of the plasma market, the Akai isn't exactly laden with features. Most of the basics are here - adjustable picture and sound settings, several different aspect ratio modes - but auto tuning has been left out, forcing the user to separately tune in each terrestrial TV channel before rearranging them in the correct order. If you think that sounds like a drag, you should try actually doing it. Thankfully, though, it's a task that most people need only engage in once.
When it comes to connections, the lack of component video is a disappointment - even at this price. There are two Scarts (both of which are RGB capable) plus the usual S-video and composite video connections and a DVI PC input.
