PICTURE QUALITY. It did a very good job displaying fine detail. There was some slight loss of fine texture likely due to noise reduction processing. Color accuracy was very good, with flesh tones and other image content looking natural. Contrast—the difference between the darkest blacks and brightest whites—was good, so images had depth and dimension, typical of most models we test. The brightness level was good, making it a suitable choice for most rooms. Black levels were generally good, though not as dark as better performers on the darkest scenes. There was distinct banding (unnatural contours) on scenes with subtly shaded light-to-dark areas, such as a sky during sunset, rather than a smooth transition in the shaded areas. Film mode operation for HD film-based content was only good, as was deinterlacing performance. There were visible jaggies along the edges of objects during motion scenes on movies, and jaggies were also visible when converting 1080i video content to the display's native resolution.
VIEWING ANGLE. This TCL has a narrow viewing angle overall, below-average performance among TVs for this attribute. Only those seated directly in front of the screen will see the best picture quality. When we viewed the TV from the sides image quality degraded significantly. The picture showed a moderate loss of color, so flesh tones looked a bit washed out, along with a strong color shift. 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, very good. This TCL UHD TV delivers very good 4K picture detail, with only decent HD-to-UHD upconversion. All native 4K content we played on this model, including movies and test videos, showed very good detail when played back via the TV's HDMI input. However, when viewed from up close, some of the fine image detail showed slight coarseness along the edges of objects in the scene, so the clarity of the finest details fell short of the better UHD TVs we've tested. This model also supports video streaming of 4K programs via both Netflix and YouTube (among other sources), and again, images were clean and finely detailed. This TV supports video streaming of 4K programs via both Netflix, and YouTube. Image quality was similar to what we saw via HDMI, but here we also detected a touch of noise reduction processing, which affected the clarity of fine texture. Using the TV's USB port, we were able to play back 4K videos stored on a flash drive which were encoded in the HEVC, VP9 formats, and MP4 formats, and high-resolution photos were displayed in full 4K detail, along with a touch of added image over-sharpening which wasn't distracting. When playing 1080p movie content from a Blu-ray disc, we found the TV's HD-to-UHD up-conversion processing fell short of the best we've seen, with edges along diagonals of image content showing more jaggies than we expect. All four of the TV's HDMI inputs comply with the latest HDMI 2.0 and HDCP 2.2 specifications that support play back for 4K video at 60Hz, and copy protection, a requirement for compatibility with 4K movie play back devices such as a 4K Blu-ray player.
MOTION BLUR. This TCL TV has good motion performance, with some blurring on our motion tests. This is better than average for LCD displays with the basic 60Hz frame rate. This model does not include a blur reduction feature.
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. The screen is dark so it does a good job reducing glare from ambient light and maintains contrast even in a bright room.
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. With movies, dialog was generally clear, though a bit muffled, and remained well balanced with respect to background music and other sounds. Bass was lacking, as was treble detail, and the overall sound was a bit thin and closed in. The speakers produced a good volume—so this model should play sufficiently loud in typical room environments and without obvious distortion—a plus if you'll be using this model in a large room or noisy environment. Also, at higher volume, dynamic compression kept the sound from distorting, but also limited the clarity of peaks in loudness, which was a bit distracting on some audio content. If sound quality matters to you, you might want to add a soundbar or other external speaker system.
EASE OF USE. Overall, it was fairly easy to setup and OK to do routine things. On first power up there is an on-screen guide that helps you through setting up the TV. The remote's buttons are labeled with non-standard icons, which can be confusing. The remote's major function buttons were sufficiently large and have high-contrast labeling, making them easier to see and navigate.
STAND ASSEMBLY. The TV's base does not come pre-attached, so some assembly is required. Mounting the support stand to the TV is straightforward, though the stand requires the assembly of one part before mounting. The TV's stand extends to the far ends of the display, which means the table top you'll be setting the TV on will need to be at least as wide as the display itself.
INTERNET FEATURES. This TV provides advanced Internet capabilities via its "Roku TV" portal with access to a library of applications. Movie streaming services include: Netflix, Amazon, Hulu Plus, Vudu, YouTube, HBO Go.
CONNECTIONS. This model has four HDMI inputs—one supports MHL (Mobile High-definition Link), one composite input and no component input. It also has three USB ports, an optical digital audio out, a headphone out, an Ethernet port. WiFi wireless networking. DLNA, to access files within your home network. Casting, to control the TV from a smartphone that has the suitable app installed. Screen mirroring, where the image on your smartphone or other compatible device can also appear on the TV. Note: HDMI and other cable connections made to the rear-facing panel will protrude beyond the panel's slim depth.
INCLUDED IN THE BOX. A quick start guide. A remote control with batteries. 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 the quality of 4K streaming from Netflix or YouTube (if the service is supported by the TV), and 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.
