Does anyone have one? I went to get a Sony 55” yesterday and saw this as well. It was 1/2 the price and picture looked just as good. I am also a believer in you get what you pay for. So I did nothing yet.
TCL 4K TV
- Thread starter BigFoot
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The first one we bought though died a 2 days later, we returned it and they replaced it. We have had the replacement one for about 1.5 years and no problems. It is nice having the Roku built in. We got an extra remote off of eBay so my wife and I each have one.
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- #3
Is the picture really nice in a home setting John?
I'm not a video expert by any means. This TV replaced an old crt that we had forever. We are very happy with how it looks. We paid $450 and no other 55" deal seemed better.
Our living room is only 13' wide and we wall mounted it. We have friends who have to envy.
Thehe picture was better than the insigna or Sanyos. The backlighting isn't the most even. If you look closely you can see some darker and lighter spots.
We do have the setting on brightest as this seems to be best. The TV doesn't have a lot of picture settings. I read that there is an app you can get that let's you fine tune everything but we have bothered since we are satisfied.
Our living room is only 13' wide and we wall mounted it. We have friends who have to envy.
Thehe picture was better than the insigna or Sanyos. The backlighting isn't the most even. If you look closely you can see some darker and lighter spots.
We do have the setting on brightest as this seems to be best. The TV doesn't have a lot of picture settings. I read that there is an app you can get that let's you fine tune everything but we have bothered since we are satisfied.
I forget what website I used but when I got my TV, I just googled “best picture settings for Samsung blah blah”. I forget what my model number of the TV is. But just google best picture settings for your TV and there will be a few websites that will tell you EXACTLY how to set the picture, contrast ratio, brightness, etc.
What you see in the store is almost never what it will be like in your home unless you know exactly how to set everything. These websites have it down pat. For a dark room use these settings, for a bright room use these, if your TV is in front of a window use these, if it is behind a window use these, if you are playing a game use these, if you are watching a movie use these.
I know it doesn’t help you with the quality of the TV in question, but it’s good info for any TV you buy. Just google how to set it up properly.
What you see in the store is almost never what it will be like in your home unless you know exactly how to set everything. These websites have it down pat. For a dark room use these settings, for a bright room use these, if your TV is in front of a window use these, if it is behind a window use these, if you are playing a game use these, if you are watching a movie use these.
I know it doesn’t help you with the quality of the TV in question, but it’s good info for any TV you buy. Just google how to set it up properly.
Sorry my last post read like it was written by an 8 year old. I wrote it on my phone while I was out.
Scott, I did a lot of research before I bought it. The biggest complaint was lack of setting options and the speakers being subpar.
Here is a link to the tv settings and it also has the link to the app: TCL S405 LED TV Calibration Settings
As far a the speaker goes: I'm not an audiophile. I just want to be able to hear what is going on. In our room we rarely turn the volume above 8. If you are one who wants feel the bass during the movie you may want an external surround sound system. This would be overkill for us but it is an option if this is important to you.
When I returned the first tv I talked to the store manager and aske if this was common. His reply was that the return rate was about the same as Sony and less than the vizo and insignia.
The wife corrected me on the TV price, we paid $400. Now I see that they are cheaper. We have no regrets in our purchase and wouldn't hesitate to recommend one.
Scott, I did a lot of research before I bought it. The biggest complaint was lack of setting options and the speakers being subpar.
Here is a link to the tv settings and it also has the link to the app: TCL S405 LED TV Calibration Settings
As far a the speaker goes: I'm not an audiophile. I just want to be able to hear what is going on. In our room we rarely turn the volume above 8. If you are one who wants feel the bass during the movie you may want an external surround sound system. This would be overkill for us but it is an option if this is important to you.
When I returned the first tv I talked to the store manager and aske if this was common. His reply was that the return rate was about the same as Sony and less than the vizo and insignia.
The wife corrected me on the TV price, we paid $400. Now I see that they are cheaper. We have no regrets in our purchase and wouldn't hesitate to recommend one.
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- #7
I ended up buying a Sony. I wanted to spend less money but I always end up with a Sony. 
SO you're a Sony guy
.
I hope it works out for you. Enjoy!
. I hope it works out for you. Enjoy!
I'm a believer in buying on the TRAILING EDGE of Technology.
Items are a lot cheaper when they are NOT State of the Art.
I'm shopping for a 55" TV that will do 1080p.
I see these for as little as $400, compared to $2400 for a 4K-UHD TV.
This will replace my 720P x 32" which is my current main screen.
The 32" will be redeployed elsewhere in the apartment, probably to the far wall in the kitchen.
Is there really that much 4K content to watch out there?
What I have seen are mostly demo videos that show Drone shots of mountain passes and forests, that's about it.
Nothing that I want to watch is available in this format.
So in the meantime, I will save $2,000 and enjoy my streaming in 1080p.
Items are a lot cheaper when they are NOT State of the Art.
I'm shopping for a 55" TV that will do 1080p.
I see these for as little as $400, compared to $2400 for a 4K-UHD TV.
This will replace my 720P x 32" which is my current main screen.
The 32" will be redeployed elsewhere in the apartment, probably to the far wall in the kitchen.
Is there really that much 4K content to watch out there?
What I have seen are mostly demo videos that show Drone shots of mountain passes and forests, that's about it.
Nothing that I want to watch is available in this format.
So in the meantime, I will save $2,000 and enjoy my streaming in 1080p.
I have been looking for a tv for the bedroom, and had coincidentally fallen on reviews of TCL as a good "budget" offering. I don't need the bells and whistles for viewing in the bedroom, and only need to connect one thing, so my overall requirements were quite low. One of my daughters ended up buying me a 32" w/ a built-in ROKU for Christmas, which was good timing, as I was going to go shopping for one myself this past week while I had time off.
It's a fairly simplistic TV, but the picture is not bad at all for the price they sell for. I'd recommend it, for what it is.
I know the OP has been resolved, but I thought I'd chime in for sake of anybody else on the hunt for a new TV.
It's a fairly simplistic TV, but the picture is not bad at all for the price they sell for. I'd recommend it, for what it is.
I know the OP has been resolved, but I thought I'd chime in for sake of anybody else on the hunt for a new TV.
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- #11
My biggest reason for wanting 4K is gaming. The graphics put out by the PS4 Pro is unbelievable.
Which one did you end up purchasing?
I'm close to pulling the trigger on this one:
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/sony-5...-smart-4k-ultra-hd-tv/5947110.p?skuId=5947110
I'm close to pulling the trigger on this one:
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/sony-5...-smart-4k-ultra-hd-tv/5947110.p?skuId=5947110
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- #13
Dang, I can get a 65” 4K LED Samsung for just a couple hundred more than I paid for my 55” Samsung Plasma back in 2013
We have a TV in the basement, a 10 year old 46" Sony that is starting to go into standby mode whenever it feels like it. Which can be after an hour or not for another three days. But it can't be a good sign.
I am intrigued by reviews of the 55" TCL mentioned here. I saw a 49" more "basic" TCL at Costco yesterday for about $350 and the picture looked very good compared to nearby Samsungs and LGs. I know that is all about setup and brightness for that environment, but am thinking that pre-Super Bowl is a good time to replace a failing TV. I don't need all kinds of features for that TV, which is used mostly for when I am on the elliptical or playing pool, or my son is playing XBox. Don't want to spend a fortune on it. Any other recent experiences people have had in the $600 or less range?
I am intrigued by reviews of the 55" TCL mentioned here. I saw a 49" more "basic" TCL at Costco yesterday for about $350 and the picture looked very good compared to nearby Samsungs and LGs. I know that is all about setup and brightness for that environment, but am thinking that pre-Super Bowl is a good time to replace a failing TV. I don't need all kinds of features for that TV, which is used mostly for when I am on the elliptical or playing pool, or my son is playing XBox. Don't want to spend a fortune on it. Any other recent experiences people have had in the $600 or less range?
I ended up with a 40” Samsung for our bedroom about 18 months ago. We now have 3 Samsung’s. The 40”, a 52” in the living that we have had for probably 10 years or more and a 65” in the basement that is about a year old. I like the picture quality and when you buy them on sale (as in Black Friday) it feels good. I also prefer to buy South Korean over Chinese. But that’s just me.
Amazon is blowing out the TCLs apparently ... the 55-incher is $370 today, which to me seems like a screaming deal. I may have to sit on my hands to avoid not buying this
Don’t beat yourself up too much over it. With electronics technology changing so rapidly prices for TV’s will continue to decline over the years even as they get better and do more. Also, it looks like there is increasing competition from China which will also keep prices low, even for those made outside of China.
oh I'm not ... more of an impulse control thing 
