HD PICTURE QUALITY. HD picture quality fell short, overall. Reproduction of fine HD image detail was Excellent. There was visible loss of fine texture due to "noise-reduction" processing. Color accuracy was acceptable, but below that of most models. Very Good contrast—the difference between the darkest blacks and brightest whites—gave images convincing depth and dimension. Black levels were OK and maintained some contrast in darker scenes, but they fell short of the better TVs. The quality appeared worse as we viewed from the sides—see our Viewing Angle results, below. Image brightness was moderately low, dimmer than most—OK for a dark room but not the best choice for a bright room. There was slight display non-uniformity in our test sample—it appeared as brighter cloudy areas which were most noticeable on very dark scenes (or in the black bars of a letterboxed movie)—the severity can vary from model to model. Its reproduction of smooth edges on image content for "up-converted" HD-to-UHD images fell short with some visible "jaggies" (jagged edges); deinterlacing of 1080i video fell short with some visible "jaggies"; and film mode detection from 1080i content was Excellent.
4K UHD PICTURE QUALITY. Overall 4K UHD picture quality was Very Good, overall. In our UHD testing, we played native-4K movies and test videos (non HDR) thru the TV's HDMI input, and found their image detail was all there. For color, contrast and black level, the TV performed similarly to its HD picture quality.
HIGH DYNAMIC RANGE (HDR) PERFORMANCE. This TV does not support HDR (High Dynamic Range). As we began testing its HDR performance, we discovered that this TV doesn't have settings for optimizing specifically the HDR picture. We couldn't optimize the HDR image without adversely affecting our original (HD SDR) optimized settings, so we left the settings as is.
VIEWING ANGLE. This RCA has a narrow viewing angle overall, below-average performance among TVs. Only those seated directly in front of the screen will see the best picture quality. We examined the image quality at various viewing angles—its image quality notably decreased as we moved away from the center position. When we viewed the TV from the sides image quality degraded significantly. The picture showed a strong loss of color, so flesh tones looked very washed out. Black levels brightened significantly, and made dark scenes look hazy. We viewed the image from above and below center screen, and saw Fair vertical viewing angle performance, with significant changes in color, contrast, and black level.
MOTION BLUR. In our motion tests, this RCA TV had only Fair motion performance, with significant blurring. It does not have a special feature to minimize motion blur.
SOUND QUALITY. We got sub-par sound quality, with below average performance. It could be acceptable for typical programming, but its shortcomings would be obvious with movie soundtracks and music. In our listening evaluations, we found the bass (low frequencies) was notably missing. Treble (high frequencies) lacked detail. The overall sound was notably thin and closed in. This TV should be OK if the room isn't too noisy—we found the speakers could produce a Good volume level, but quality did degrade at the highest settings. Also, at higher volume, its dynamic-compression feature prevented gross distortion, but noticeably limited the clarity and naturalness of loud peaks. If sound quality matters to you, you might want to add a soundbar or other external speaker system.
EASE OF USE. Consider the TV's stand is 38 inches wide when choosing a table top to place it on. On first power up, an on-screen guide appeared—which you could choose to follow when setting up the TV. The remote controls the TV via an IR light beam which must be pointed at the TV. It has a full number keypad for entering channel numbers. It includes all the buttons we typically expect: power, channel up/down, volume control, mute, source input, menu, and exit. It also has dedicated buttons for streaming None.
INTERNET FEATURES. This TV provides internet functionality with a selection of applications.
CONNECTIONS. This model has four HDMI inputs (one supports ARC, Audio Return Channel) and one "component/composite shared" input (which means you can only use one type or the other at a time) one USB port, an optical digital audio out.
WHAT'S INCLUDED. You get with this TV: a printed user manual and a remote control with batteries.
ABOUT UHD TESTING: Ultra-high definition "UHD" can refer to both the TV and program content. While the UHD industry standard includes 4K and 8K, most UHD TVs and UHD content at this time are 4K. A 4K UHD image is presented as 3840 x 2160 pixels—four times the pixel-count of HD. We test UHD TV picture quality using 4K UHD movies, videos, photos, and test patterns to confirm these displays deliver performance to this format's full potential. We examine the TV's ability to reproduce 4K UHD image detail, as well as high dynamic range (HDR)—for TVs that support this capability. Image quality is tested using a UHD movie player connected to the TV's HDMI input, and from files stored on USB flash drive. 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.
