HD PICTURE QUALITY. HD picture quality falls short. Reproduction of fine HD image detail is excellent. Color accuracy is acceptable, but below that of most models. Overall contrast is fine but near-white highlights are overly peaked, and contrasty. Black levels are acceptable, though not the deepest, so dark scenes won't look hazy (though quality does degrade as you move to the sides - see viewing angle). This is among the brightest models we've tested (with the backlight control turned up), so the picture is well suited for a very sunny room. A lower 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 does a very good job producing a smooth transition without distinct, coarse bands. There is slight display non-uniformity that creates brighter cloudy areas most noticeable on very dark scenes (or in the black bars of a letterboxed movie). Severity can vary from model to model. Film mode operation for HD film-based content is only good with visible jaggies along the edges of objects during motion scenes on movies. Deinterlacing on the other hand have excellent performance with no visible jaggies when converting 1080i video content to the display's native resolution.
ULTRA HD PERFORMANCE. Overall UHD performance is decent and HD-to-UHD upconversion falls short. All native 4K content (non HDR) we played on this model, including movies and test videos, is presented in full 4K detail with excellent fidelity when played back via the TV's HDMI input. Via the USB port, high-resolution photos are displayed in full 4K detail. With regular HD content, the TV's HD-to-UHD up-conversion processing falls short, revealing some visible jaggies along the edges of diagonals when playing HD content.
HIGH DYNAMIC RANGE (HDR) PERFORMANCE. Though this TV supports the playback of HDR content its HDR performance is ineffective and lacks the enhancements in image quality expected from this capability. When playing HDR content, the TV does not trigger new picture settings that are optimized for HDR. Therefore, we can't optimize the HDR image without adversely affecting our optimized HD settings so we left the settings as is. In this mode the display does not have the peak brightness capability necessary (by HDR standards) to reproduce the extended contrast on content mastered for HDR. There is no significant contrast revealed between moderately bright and very bright highlights within a scene, while the brightness levels in the mid-to-lower tones, like those in an indoor scene, are somewhat limited.
VIEWING ANGLE. This RCA 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 view the TV from the sides, image quality got worse. The picture shows a moderate loss of color, so flesh tones look a bit washed out. Black levels visibly brighten, reducing contrast especially on dark scenes. When viewing the image from above or below eye level to the screen, the vertical viewing angle is good. The picture shows only a slight change in color, contrast, and black level.
MOTION BLUR. This RCA TV has good motion performance, with some blurring on our motion tests. This model does not include a blur reduction feature.
SOUND QUALITY. This model's sound quality falls short with below average performance. It's acceptable for typical programming, but shortcomings become obvious with movie soundtracks and music. Bass is lacking in depth and a bit in definition, but treble is nicely detailed, while the overall sound is on the bright side, thin, and closed in. The speakers produce a good volume range so this model should play sufficiently loud in typical room environments and without obvious distortion. If sound quality matters to you, you might want to add a soundbar or other external speaker system.
EASE OF USE. On first power up there is an on-screen guide that helps you through setting up the TV. The remote has a traditional design with a full number key pad. It also provides convenient direct button access to streaming services including Netflix. It lacks the ability to add custom labels to different input sources. Consider the TV's stand is 49 inches wide when choosing a table top to place it on.
INTERNET FEATURES. This Smart TV provides Internet functionality via its "SmarTVirtuoso" portal. Movie streaming services that can be downloaded to this TV, or are built-in, include Netflix and YouTube.
CONNECTIONS. This model has three HDMI inputs and one "component/composite shared" input (which means you can only use one type or the other at a time). It also has two USB ports, an optical digital audio out, a headphone out, an Ethernet port, a VGA video input, WiFi wireless networking; 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 special breakout cable adapters (included) that attach to the TV as single plugs.
INCLUDED IN THE BOX. A printed user manual. An electronic user guide via the TV's menu. A remote control with batteries. Breakout cable adapters (one component and one composite with stereo audio,).
