It has long seemed to me that the era of televisions is irrevocably gone. Around various devices with screens, from a smartphone to a laptop, literally at arm’s length: take it and watch your YouTube anywhere.
After a week of testing the AKAI TA65BU700 from the 2024 model range, I am ready to admit that I was very wrong. I just haven’t had a TV that can replace this cinema for the money, both in terms of sound and screen size.
The box with the observer fits into the frame only if you use the ultra-wide lens on the iPhone. Power!
AKAI TA65BU700 has distance 65 inches or 164 centimetersif we speak in human language. At first I thought: “too big for the rooms“, but I admit – all week I literally forced myself to leave the house, work and continue to live a full life. The fact that it takes truly titanic tendencies to tear yourself away from watching 4K movies and playing games on such a gorgeous screen.
In addition to honest 4K, AKAI TA65BU700 can boast:
▸ GoogleTV 3.0 shell with Google Play Store and Google Assistant
▸ one of the most powerful processors Cortex A75 with Dolby Vision/Atmos support
▸ provide MEMC with frame interpolation for smooth images in dynamic scenes
Plus, the included remote control has backlighting for all buttons, and if desired, it can be turned into a karaoke microphone thanks to the soft ear pads.
Let’s show you this, without exaggeration, home entertainment center in all its glory, because from now on I know for sure: A large-screen TV with powerful sound is unlike any other form of visual entertainment. and in 2024.
AKAI is something new? No, the old ones should remember
Previously, we knew AKAI from VCRs.
If the word AKAI didn’t stir anything in your soul, congratulations: you are too young and did not live through the end of the 90s, when a music center, cassette player or VCR of this Japanese brand was an unattainable dream. If you met AKAI in some technical school, it was immediately clear: the person is successful and has achieved everything in this life.
And AKAI was also a sponsor of the football club Spartak, Moscow in the 1990s. But that’s just by the way.
Many years have passed since then. AKAI has changed owners, subsidiary music companies and equipment manufacturing divisions have appeared, but the brand itself has continued to maintain its brand and produce high-quality household appliances.
Specifically, AKAI TVs appeared in Russia relatively recently. The equipment is assembled nearby, at a plant in the Leningrad Region, which is probably why the price tag on these TVs is so tasty.
This is not Chinese cheapskatea manufacturing brand with a century-long history in Japan.
There, the attitude towards quality is sensitive, so I am confident that during assembly on the territory of our country, control over the procedure is as strict as possible.
Appearance and characteristics
Hanging such a large TV on the wall is quite a challenge.
The appearance of a TV can be assessed primarily by the thickness of the frame around the screen, and in this regard, the AKAI TA65BU700 is simply excellent.
The screen is framed with metal strips of several millimeters. Given the distance of 65 inches, it seems that there are no frames at all. That is, naturally, the eye does not notice them. Even lower, a thicker bar, looks maximal.
TV frames without stands included 1445.7 x 834.2 x 78.7 mm. The weight is moderate, about 17 kg.
The included stand is made of solid metal, AKAI TA65BU700 stands on it confidently and does not wobble, despite its size.
This is what the TV looks like on the pump. But I immediately decided to hang it on the wall.
At the back you can find a scattering of connectors:
● 4 HDMI inputs
● 3 USB inputs
● RJ-45 connector
● optical input
● 3.5mm headphone jack.
● two antenna connections
● CI/PCMCIA slot
Connectors for connecting anything.
Several connectors faced sideways for convenience.
Most of the inputs are facing downwards, but for convenience, one USB, one HDMI, antenna connectors and a CI/PCMCIA slot are located on the side. So there are no problems with connecting devices.
Important: HDMI is version 2.1, which provides 48 Gbps of bandwidth instead of the usual 18 Gbps of HDMI 2.0.
In the living room with a TV there is a remote control, which is held on the AKAI TA65BU700 via Bluetooth. The remote control is not small, but convenient: the buttons are pressed with a clear click, there is quick access to some entertainment services, they cannot be reconfigured.
The blue thing is a foam pad that fits over the remote, turning it into a karaoke microphone.
The remote control also comes with AAA batteries, so you don’t need to buy anything extra.
When installing the TV, it was decided to hang it on the wall to create a cinema-like effect. The back of the AKAI TA65BU700 has four threaded holes that are compatible with most wall mounts.
The TV is quite thin at the top and becomes “plumper” towards the bottom.
I chose the Resonans PWH82, which allows you to slightly adjust the angle of the TV.
I warn you right away: it is almost impossible to hang the AKAI TA65BU700 alone, but these are minor details. Together with a friend we managed to handle this unit, let’s quickly turn on this panel and look at the picture.
Setting up what’s inside
Nowadays, the TV’s hardware is crucial: you seem to have taken a “smart” TV with Android on a tablet, as expected, but it is impossible to use it because of weak hardware. How many times have I seen this, when the TV “thinks” when exiting to the previous screen or when launching applications.
In AKAI TA65BU700, the processor is responsible for performance with two Cortex A75 cores 1.3 GHz and two A53 1.15 GHz. It is considered to be one of the most powerful processors that can be found in modern TVs. Add 2 GB of RAM and you get a device that responds to any command from the remote control in the literal sense of the word lightning fast.
In this case, GoogleTV 3.0 is used based on Android 11, with search and installation of various applications from Google Play. Important note: there is no reliable store on the TV: the user must select the device and then explore it in the application.
Applications of all categories are available:
▸ Entertainment: video services like Kinopoisk and Okko
▸ Music and audio: Internet radio and music services
▸ Video players and editors: VLC and online TV channels
▸ Tools: TV browsers, file managers
▸ Lifestyle: screensavers, smart home apps
▸ Sports: applications for other online broadcasts
▸ News and magazines: information TV channels and websites
▸ Work: calculators, archivers and batteries
▸ Education: Installing development apps for kids
▸ Health and Fitness: online fitness classes, yoga
▸ Contact: Telegram, email and Google Meet client
▸ Business: Electronic Signature Apps, AnyDesk
The choice is quite rich, and all applications in these categories exactly meet the standards, will be installed and will work. So the lack of a full-fledged Google Play Store, in which everything is mixed, is not critical.
Of course, it is possible to install APK files AKAI TA65BU700 both from a flash drive and through file managers that can be connected to Yandex Disk or Dropbox. So KinoPub appears without problems and in a few clicks.
KinoPub is working. Verified.
By default, YouTube, a video service from Amazon, is already installed on the main screen, and if desired, you can also install Apple TV. There is more than enough internal memory for applications – there is 16 GB of it.
On Apple TV, you need to sign in with your Apple ID to access your personal movie collection.
The technical characteristics of the screen are as follows:
● matrix type: VA with DLED panel.
● resolution: 3840 x 2160 pixels.
● Peak Brightness: 250 nits.
● contrast ratio: 6000:1
● refresh rate: 60Hz.
The VA matrix has some advantages over IPS, in particular, it better preserves color brightness at an angle. The backlight is uniform, there are no highlights or dips over the entire screen area.
The brightness is sufficient for comfortable viewing during the day, although the black color is certainly not the same as in TVs with a QLED matrix. Nevertheless, one can only find fault with the advisory black, because for its money this parameter of the AKAI TA65BU700 completely suits me.
Image settings.
The TV display allows you to select a color temperature from several presets, as well as adjust the noise reduction level. There is support for ALLM and MEMS technologies.
◼︎ ALLM will come in handy if you plan to connect a gaming console to your TV. This technology activates a “game mode” when the signal processing delay lasts up to several milliseconds.
◼︎ MEMS (Motion Estimation/Motion Compensation) is a dynamic image quality stabilization technology. The goal was to make the picture on the screen smoother and the image details clearer.
The karaoke function works in the Youtube and Youtube Music applications, as well as when playing tracks and videos via HDMI. To activate this function, simply press the button with the microphone image on the remote control, and then in the window that appears, configure the karaoke mode settings to your liking.
For sound, there are two built-in speakers with a total power of 24 W. The sound is very good – loud and quite rich. At high levels, it does not wheeze or distort.
For rooms or even the main hall in the house, the built-in sound in the AKAI TA65BU700 is more than enough, so no additional soundbar is needed.
Conclusion, how much does it cost?
AKAI TA65BU700 turned out like this pre-flagship A model that combines a moderate price with good hardware, a large display and very decent sound. This TV will be an alternative choice for those who want to install a home theater made of natural materials, but are not ready to pay thousands of rubles for a QLED matrix.
I will highlight the main advantages:
▸ large diagonal 164 cm
▸ loud, rich sound
▸ good matrix without highlights
▸ very thin frame
▸ Install APK
▸ fast HDMI
▸ price
Of the minuses, I can note insufficient brightness for displaying HDR content. That is, there is HDR support, but the brightness reserve is slightly insufficient (perhaps I just spoiled HDR on the screen of my iPhone).
Otherwise, it’s a great TV with noise insulation and a separate feature in the video panel that transforms into a microphone for karaoke. Considering that karaoke was invented in Japan, by the Japanese company AKAI, I’m almost not surprised by this feature.
Today, the AKAI TA65BU700 with a 65-inch diagonal costs 53,990 rubles. In this price segment, prices with a large processor and screen size are hard to come by, so I recommend paying attention to this model, which will make you binge-watch your favorite movies and bring back the habit of gathering in front of the TV with the whole family in the evenings.
📸 All photos in the article:
Source: Iphones RU
I am a professional journalist and content creator with extensive experience writing for news websites. I currently work as an author at Gadget Onus, where I specialize in covering hot news topics. My written pieces have been published on some of the biggest media outlets around the world, including The Guardian and BBC News.
