HD PICTURE QUALITY. HD picture quality was excellent. Though we ultimately got the picture to display excellent HD detail, adjusting the picture settings was not a straightforward process (see ease of use). Color accuracy was excellent, so colors, especially flesh tones, looked very natural and lifelike. Contrast--the difference between the darkest blacks and brightest whites--was good, so images had depth and dimension. Black levels are excellent, with help from TCL's full array "Local contrast" feature, delivering very deep blacks that enhance contrast in dark scenes (though quality does degrade as you move to the sides - see viewing angle). This was one of the brightest models we've tested (with the backlight control turned up), so the picture remains quite viewable in a very sunny room. A lower backlight setting is recommended for a dimmer viewing environment. In scenes with subtly shaded light-to-dark areas, such as a sky during sunset, the model did a very good job producing a smooth transition without distinct, coarse bands. Film mode operation for HD film-based content was excellent, with no visible jaggies along the edges of objects during motion scenes. Deinterlacing was very good, with minimal jaggies visible when converting 1080i video content, such as from cable, to the display's native resolution.
VIEWING ANGLE. This TCL has a moderate viewing angle overall, decent, but not quite as good as the better-performing TVs we've tested. The optimal seating position for best picture quality is directly in front of this model. When we viewed the TV from the sides, image quality got worse. The picture showed a moderate loss of color, so flesh tones looked a bit washed out. Black levels visibly brightened, reducing contrast especially on dark scenes. When viewing the image from above or below eye level to the screen, the vertical viewing angle was very good. The picture showed minimal change in color, contrast, and black level.
ULTRA HD PERFORMANCE. Overall UHD performance is excellent with very good HD-to-UHD upconversion. All native 4K content (non HDR) we played on this model, including movies and test videos, was presented in full 4K detail with excellent fidelity when played back via the TV's HDMI input. Via the USB port, high-resolution photos were displayed in full 4K detail but added oversharpening reduced picture fidelity. With regular HD content, the TV's HD-to-UHD up-conversion processing was very good, with edges along diagonals of image content showing slight jaggies, just short of the best we've seen.
HIGH DYNAMIC RANGE (HDR) PERFORMANCE. HDR performance is effective. The display's high peak brightness capability helped enhance the realism of our 4K HDR test videos, while revealing excellent contrast between moderately bright and very bright highlights within a scene. It did a good job reproducing a greater range of nuanced shadow detail from black to white, with no obvious banding on areas of the image that have subtle shade variations. There was no visible loss of near-white shadow detail in the brightest areas. Very bright colored objects remained nicely saturated.
MOTION BLUR. This TCL TV has good motion performance, with some blurring on our motion tests. Though this model includes TCL's "LED Motion Clarity", a feature designed to reduce motion blur; we found it limited the display's brightness so we turned the feature off.
SCREEN REFLECTIVITY. Though not as mirror-like as on some models, this screen surface is glossy and therefore susceptible to reflections from a nearby lamp or window. It does a good job reducing glare from ambient light and maintains contrast in a brighter room environment.
SOUND QUALITY. This model has fair sound quality with below average performance. It's acceptable for typical programming, but shortcomings become obvious with movie soundtracks and music. Bass was lacking in depth and in definition a bit, but treble was nicely detailed, while the overall sound was on the bright side, a bit thin and closed in. The speakers produced a good volume range so this model should play sufficiently loud in typical room environments but quality does degrade at the highest settings. If sound quality matters to you, you might want to add a soundbar or other external speaker system.
EASE OF USE. Access to the TV's full suite of picture settings requires that you download the Roku app onto a mobile device. The HD picture has aggressive noise reduction processing turned ON by default (UHD picture was fine), a feature we could not access in the settings menu with the supplied remote. However, via a Roku app downloaded to your personal mobile device you can adjust both the noise reduction and gamma settings. Noise reduction should be set to OFF by default. On first power up there is an on-screen guide that helps you through setting up the TV. TCL provides a small, basic Roku remote with a reduced set of buttons that support onscreen navigation. It does not include a number pad, but does provide direct button access to Netflix, Sling, Hulu, and DirecTV NOW streaming services. The TV's stand is 47 inches wide.
INTERNET FEATURES. This TV provides basic Internet functionality with a limited selection of applications via its "Roku TV" portal with access to a library of applications. Movie streaming services include Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, HBO Go and HBO Now.
CONNECTIONS. This model has three HDMI inputs-- one supports ARC (Audio Return Channel), one composite input, and no component input. It also has one USB port, an optical digital audio out, a headphone out, an Ethernet port, WiFi wireless networking; DLNA, to access files within your home network; Casting, which allows you to send streaming content from your mobile device to the TV via your home network; Screen mirroring, where the image on your smartphone or other compatible device can also appear on the TV. Analog connections are made via a special breakout cable adapter (included) that attaches to the TV as a single plug.
INCLUDED IN THE BOX. A quick start guide. A remote control with batteries. Breakout cable adapters (one composite with stereo audio.). A detachable power cord. No printed manual is included.
ABOUT ULTRA HD TESTING: We test UHD picture quality using 4K movies, videos, photos, and test patterns to confirm these displays deliver performance to this format's full potential. We check the TV's ability to reproduce 4K image detail, as well as high dynamic range (HDR) for TVs that support this capability. Image quality is tested using a 4K movie player connected to the TV's HDMI input, as well as from files stored on flash drive plugged into the TV's USB port. We also check how well the TV can upscale HD movies to the display's higher UHD resolution while keeping artifacts such as "jaggies" along the edges of image content to a minimum. The best UHD TVs, and HDTVs, present high fidelity images that reveal the full quality of the best source content without degradation.
