TCL Tv's
mantis
Posts: 17,365
in Electronics
Hello everyone,
I have been hearing some good things about the TCL brand as of late. I have not payed attention to them. I carry LG, Sony and Samsung, Sunbrite TV's. I saw no need to explore other brands as the brands I have satisfy my needs.
Anyway they have these new 7 8 and 9 series TV's which are supposed to be pretty damn awesome. I was considering ordering one and test driving it.
Any thoughts experiences with the brand?
I have been hearing some good things about the TCL brand as of late. I have not payed attention to them. I carry LG, Sony and Samsung, Sunbrite TV's. I saw no need to explore other brands as the brands I have satisfy my needs.
Anyway they have these new 7 8 and 9 series TV's which are supposed to be pretty damn awesome. I was considering ordering one and test driving it.
Any thoughts experiences with the brand?
Dan
My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time.
My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time.
Comments
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The feedback I've seen always suggests questionable reliability more than performance- Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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Maybe for a cheap bedroom TV or a workout room. I wouldn't have it as my main viewing set.
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I'd pick a Vizio first.
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I'd pick a Vizio first.
Did you know Vizio got bought out by Walmart? Yep. Future models will require you to login to your Walmart account to complete setup. As if they don't harness enough personal info on your shopping habits. I was part of beta testing for that. -
So it was all your fault....
😂😂😂 -
The decision was made before I tested. I expressed my strong dislike for that and indicated I would probably avoid the brand because of it.
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Haven't seen a TCL at home but I read a review of lower cost TV options and they said the same thing about TCL as they did about Hisense. It's hit-or-miss from a picture standpoint. Some are a great value and some are not.
I have a Hisense that I am surprised how good it looks for what I paid for it. YMMV -
I understand TCL may still be the second largest selling TV brand globally and they have manufactured panels for other companies. But then Samsung and LG manufactured panels are also used by others. There is a degree of sharing that goes on in that industry.
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The higher end TCL and Hisense models might fall just short of the equivalent higher end brands performance, but they are no slouches. I bought the 2nd from the top and 3rd from the top (for a secondary TV) Hisense at Costco and so far it has been fantastic and it was $300-500 cheaper than the equivalent top name brand.
I will preface my comments by stating I don't take my TV as seriously as my audio purchases. I want something that performs well while watching sports, but it doesn't need to be the most current, cutting edge piece of gear. I never buy the bottom models, usually the 2nd from the top.
I don't watch Blu-ray discs and I don't subscribe to 4K streaming services, etc. Some Amazon streaming comes in 4K, etc. Something that performs well is fine. Again not the bottom of the pack.
The biggest thing is to decide if you want an Amazon or Google based TV. I opted for Google.
I suppose the reliability might be a concern, but I will say every piece of Samdung I've owned has been a reliability nightmare. I will NEVER buy anything Samsung again.
We had Vizio for about 6 years prior to the new Hisense and it was again the 2nd or 3rd from in the top line. The Android remote pad gave out early on, but other than that it is a good, reliable TV. Still using it as a 3rd TV, but using the Android app to stream only (Netflix and Amazon).
So far over a year in and both Hisense TV's work very well. TCL and Hisense are very similar that's why I chimed in.
I continue to have issues with my Samsung computer monitor. I have to unplug the HDMI cable constantly to get a picture.
YMMV
H9"Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Puritan Audio PSM136 Pwr Condtioner & Classic PC's | Legend L600 | Roon Nucleus 1 w/LPS - Tubes add soul! -
TCL & Hisense have upped their game, especially in their higher models.
Can go wrong with either. -
I have two older mid-line models and they're both going strong at three and five years, have been moved rooms and houses so they haven't had a set up and leave in place life. No issues with them at all for what it's worth. The newer QM7/8/9 series do look nice, I almost regret not going with an 85" TCL in the basement.
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I have two older mid-line models and they're both going strong at three and five years, have been moved rooms and houses so they haven't had a set up and leave in place life. No issues with them at all for what it's worth. The newer QM7/8/9 series do look nice, I almost regret not going with an 85" TCL in the basement.
I will make my way over to Best Buy at some point and get my eyes on them and the remote in my hand.Dan
My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time. -
This might not be relevant to the higher end models, but here goes. I have 3 TCL TVs. Number one is a 55". More than 5 years old. Used for Xbox gaming. Two is a 40". Son's dorm room. 3, 32" mounted in my garage. Sees temps ranging from 100 degrees plus to less than freezing. Watching it right now. No issues with any of them. I'm not really a videofile, but all have worked flawlessly. I have no complaints.
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Hot take - don’t get too caught up in resolution and/or razor sharp images. Some of these screens now are so hyper-sharp that they look ridiculous. Consider that many 4k disc transfers are actually adding in film grain to create a more “film like” image.
I focus more on contrast and longevity. Virtually all new screens have no trouble with accurate color and brightness. I’ve had excellent luck with my daughter’s TCL (6ish years). In the rest of the house we’ve had excellent luck with Vizeo (multiple sets dating back 14ish years) and Samsung is excellent too - HT 75” going on 5 years.“Human beings are born with different capacities. If they are free, they are not equal. And if they are equal, they are not free.”
― Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn -
^ What daddy said.
TV's nowadays all have great picture and detail. That last minutia is not worth the crazy prices unless one has an unlimited budget, I'm out.
Most of my watching is sports with a couple O news channels.
With my watching habits I look for processing. Fast motion w/minimal blur and digitizing.
If one mostly watches movies... the TV world is your Oyster.
I just landed a 65" plasma built in 2013, with 3,500 hours of usage.
Will be ready for the Foosball Playoffs and the Super Bowl, minus the BS half-time SB show.
Last good half-time show we watched, in the Super Bowl, was Bruno Mars and... ain't a Mars fan cept one song. -
It is remarkable what picture quality is available these days for not much money even with the better known brands. A 50 inch Samsung QLED set for under $400, for example.
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_30550Q7FA/Samsung-QN50Q7F-50.html?tp=60890 -
I have two older mid-line models and they're both going strong at three and five years, have been moved rooms and houses so they haven't had a set up and leave in place life. No issues with them at all for what it's worth. The newer QM7/8/9 series do look nice, I almost regret not going with an 85" TCL in the basement.
DUDE! Where’d you come from lol. Long time no post.
@mantis I’ve also heard good things about TCL so I’d go for it.
Myself I’m still looking at a 77” OLED to replace my Panasonic plasma. TCLs 9 series is tempting however since I can get a larger one for the same price."....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963) -
Interestingly, RTings wrapped up their 100+ TV long term testing review with this video the other day:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ot1gr-YypY4
Key takeaways: TCL TVs were as reliable, or more reliable than some of the more expensive brands. Also, more expensive models from the same brand are not necessarily more reliable.
AND...burn-in for OLEDs is NOT a concern for normal use.
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This sale appeared on my phone today. Probably a good deal. Price is great. -
EndersShadow wrote: »I have two older mid-line models and they're both going strong at three and five years, have been moved rooms and houses so they haven't had a set up and leave in place life. No issues with them at all for what it's worth. The newer QM7/8/9 series do look nice, I almost regret not going with an 85" TCL in the basement.
DUDE! Where’d you come from lol. Long time no post.
@mantis I’ve also heard good things about TCL so I’d go for it.
Myself I’m still looking at a 77” OLED to replace my Panasonic plasma. TCLs 9 series is tempting however since I can get a larger one for the same price.
I'm a Sony Guy but like I said , just curious what all the fuss is about these new model TV's. I'll post about them if I grab 1 or 2 to test.Dan
My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time. -
Very interesting long term test.
Made me feel a tad better about OLED's but, not much.
Still a little apprehensive on the screen burn as we watch lots of news channels with the static banners. -
Fortunately, or unfortunately, those news channels have commercials these days for medications nobody's heard of or for supplemental Medicare coverage every three minutes or so, resulting in the screen not constantly showing the static content all the time.
I must admit I try to avoid watching too much back-to-back-to-back 4:3 aspect ratio content on an OLED screen. But, watching widescreen movies with the black bars at top and bottom hasn't really concerned me as much. -
^Interesting^
A Panasonic Plasma TV I'm buying from a fella, on AVS Forum, said his Plasma doesn't have any screen burn with 15,000+ hours of use. He showed that to be true in a video in the Screen Wipe mode. It's easier to see screen burn on a plasma TV while in the Screen Wipe mode.
Possibly true for OLED TV's?
Do the OLED tv's also have a Pixel Orbiter setting?
I've always used the Screen Wipe mode to help prevent the BURN.
Our plasma has over 30,000+ hours of usage with just the Screen Wipe technique not preventing some burn in.
Does help but dang, it's a pain to try and remember to do that after every viewing.
The seller's had his Pixel Orbiter setting enabled since new. His plasma was made in 2013.
Had no idea. Always kept my Plasma's settings on Default from the suggested settings from Cnet.
To obtain "The best possible picture"... Noise Reduction/Motion Smoothing (TruMotion/Interpolation select to Default).
Way cool, been Edumacated on something talking with that seller.
I'm switching my plasma's to Pixel Orbiter enabled from here on. -
My plasma has been in use 16 hours a day since 2011 and is still going strong.
I’ve been looking for another one for my garage mancave because they just hold up great.
Even also bought a bunch of insignia LED TVs over the years (for areas where good picture quality matters less than cost) and been very happy with them.
The LG C4 is on my short list and there are also Hisense and TCL TVs in the 98” range as well lol"....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963) -
OLED does a similar pixel shifting thing as plasma to help prevent screen burn in over a long period of time. When I had a Pioneer plasma set I did notice it would retain an image once in a while but simply using the set for normal full screen viewing would sort of quickly wash the retained image away.
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OLED has the same or better burn-in protection compared to any Plasma ever made. It is not an issue under normal use. Normal use meaning not watching 18+ hours of CNN on full bright setting, every day, for months and months. If that is your viewing preference, buy the cheapest TV because the image quality doesn't matter.
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^Good to know^.
Tanks, me feel more better about the OLED's. Can't beat the picture on those, absolutely fabulous.
Has anyone viewed the new see through "Transparent" OLED TV?
Do you actually see what's behind the screen when viewing?
Thoughts if that would be a good thing, is it just a gimmick for showing off?
If it produced a holographic 3D Image that would be cool to see.
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FWIW still rocking my C9 65 inch LG OLED from 2020 .. still works wonderfully and I stream 4k from Netflix etc and watch 4k movies on my Oppo 205 !! I someday may upgrade but not yet ………
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^Awesome picture on the C9^
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I've been pretty impressed with the streaming apps on the latest TVs including having voice search integration. The Sony Bravia 8 II I have can even stream MKV Blu Ray rip files from my NAS drives located a couple rooms away without signal dropouts. And 4K content with Dolby Vision and Atmos comes through on the Fandango app (used to be Vudu). I had heard a couple years ago that TCL was doing well with integrating streaming into their sets but I'm not certain about that.
