Saw this on display at the local Sam's Club and decided to give it a try. Looking to upgrade from a Vizio G42VL Galleria Features are:

1080P (1 HDMI, 2 Component)
No tuners
VGA (1280x1024)

Picture quality seems as good as the Vizio on 720P and 1080I but seems to have ghosting on black backgrounds that fades away.

PS3 looks good with 1080P output only one movie to test it with Talledega Nights. None of the games so far support 1080P so no different than the Vizio for gaming with the PS3.

Cost is a couple hundred more than the Vizio 42" Galleria I may keep it but there seems to be more feature loaded LCD coming in the near future. By the way I think the Galleria housing looks a lot better.

I just saw this model yesterday at my local Sam's Club and was very impressed with the picture quality and price.
While it didn't look as good as the Sony Bravia 1080p sitting a few feet away, it was close, and at only 40% of the cost, (over $1,700 cheaper than the 46" Sony), I'm certainly willing to overlook the minor, (and yes, the difference was minor to my 20/10 eyes), differences.
I have not seen any good / great reviews on Akai in the past, so, if I hadn't seen this brand new model for myself, I probably wouldn't have given this T.V. a second thought.
My plan is to buy this T.V. the moment it gets restocked at my Sam's Club.

Cheers,

Kdvditters.

Enter a world of Full HD, with the stunning Akai 42" 1080p LCD HDTV!

1080p resolution – which equals to 1,920 x 1,080 pixels displayed – is the most technologically advanced, and "true" form of HD resolution currently available. 1080p monitors are theoretically capable of displaying every pixel of the highest-resolution HD broadcasts. This means smaller, more densely packed pixels on the screen, resulting in an incredibly clear, sharp picture.

Progressive-scan (the "p" stands for progressive) formats present all of the lines of resolution sequentially in a single pass. This produces an extremely smooth, clean image, ideal for watching sports, action movies or other fast-moving content.

Future-proof your home entertainment system with an Akai LCT42Z6TA Full HD 1080p TV!

Key Features
# 1920 x 1080 native resolution for Full HD 1080p performance
# Built-in ATSC/Clear QAM tuner for HD broadcast reception
# High brightness and contrast ratio for amazing color depth
# 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio for a complete home theater experience
# HDMI input to provide seamless, high quality audio and video into other HDMI-equipped home theater components

Specifications
# 42" LCD display
# Aspect ratio: 16:9 widescreen
# Resolution: 1920 x 1080
# Full HD 1080p
# Contrast ratio: 800:1
# Brightness: 500 cd/m2
# Response time: 8ms
# Viewing angle: 176 degrees H/V
# HDTV
# ATSC/NTSC/Clear QAM TV tuner
# Zoom and Freeze
# Channel Recall
# Two 5W speakers
# Audio tone control: Base/Treble/Balance
# Sound effect: ACD (Acoustic Cinema Enhancement)
# Sleep timer
# Languages supported: English, French, Spanish

Connections
# Two Antenna in (F-Type)
# RCA Composite in
# S-Video in
# HDMI in
# Two RCA Component Video in
# Five RCA Audio in
# VGA in
# PC Audio in (stereo mini jack)
# Audio line out

Includes remote control and user manual

Dimensions with stand: 30.2"H x 10.6"D x 42"W
Dimensions without stand: 25.6"H x 4.9"D x 42"W
Weight with stand: 74 lbs
Weight without stand: 67 lbs

Warranty: one year parts and labor, in-home service

I have had this set for a week now. It is a decent set that looks very good on bright scenes with a true HD source, and nearly flawless for 1080P blueray playback. I do however have to complains about the sets black level. Actually, it's more light grey than black. Because of this, I may wind up returning it. Maybe I'm just to picky though, as you certainly kind find much else to compare it to in this price range. Also, minor audio hum coming out of the speakers all the time, at a very low volume.

I did alot of looking and comparing before settling on the Akai 42" flat panel. I first saw this at Fry's, was ready to buy there but discovered Sam's had it for a hundred dollars less. This is my first large HD monitor and so far after a few days of use I'm pretty much pleased with it.

There is an issue of slightly uneven black shading in very dark, almost black scenes that might require correction. This would seem more to be an issue involving the backlighting scheme or the panel itself.

I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced this issue and if an exchange might have solved the problem. Other than that the display is delightful and looks good with a PC on the VGA input, so good that I'm thinking of a machine in the living room just to feed the Akai for those times when we aren't watching HDTV.

Beware!

I went to order this with Second Act and found that it had only one HDMI input I asked to cancel order within 2 hours. It said it said it will ship within 3 to 5 days. In their reply to cancel my order, it said it will charge 15% re-stocking fee and $95 shipping fee and said it was shipped. What a scam!

What can I do with these crooks?