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[Dave_at_Home]

I didn't know that the 8 Series will be 8K. Damn. I'd wait for the 8 Series instead, but 65" is too big for my space.

A 65" would be too large to fit on my media cabinet, on which my current TCL sits.

Spoiler

I wouldn't even worry about 8K. Outside of VR, the need for higher resolution displays are a waste of time in someones personally living space. LG conducted a study with some Hollywood studios on 8K. They wanted to prove that 8K was necessary and studios should start preparing for the next generation. Turns out, oops! Nobody could really tell a difference between 4K and 8K on an 85' LG 8K OLED! Really wish manufactures would stick to 4K for a while, but they always need to sell you the hot new thing. Also, 8K panels are harder to push light through due to the pixel density being so high. This means higher power consumption, lower light output, more heat, and potentially more blooming. Lets see if TCL can address these issues in the 8 series.

 

[BluRayHiDef]

I wouldn't even worry about 8K. Outside of VR, the need for higher resolution displays are a waste of time in someones personally living space. LG conducted a study with some Hollywood studios on 8K. They wanted to prove that 8K was necessary and studios should start preparing for the next generation. Turns out, oops! Nobody could really tell a difference between 4K and 8K on an 85' LG 8K OLED! Really wish manufactures would stick to 4K for a while, but they always need to sell you the hot new thing. Also, 8K panels are harder to push light through due to the pixel density being so high. This means higher power consumption, lower light output, more heat, and potentially more blooming. Lets see if TCL can address these issues in the 8 series.

Why would pixel density effect light penetration? Pixels are arranged next to each other, not in front of one another. So, shouldn't the depth through which light from a backlight has to travel remain constant regardless of resolution?

 

[Dave_at_Home]

Why would pixel density effect light penetration? Pixels are arranged next to each other, not in front of one another. So, shouldn't the depth through which light from a back-light has to travel remain constant regardless of resolution?

8K has four times the pixel density of 4K (obviously), so with that the backlight is having to work that much harder to punch the light through. I guess a good thought experiment would be something like this. Imagine two windows right next to each other with equal sunlight shining through. Both windows have a mesh screen on top of them. One of the windows mesh screen is four times more fine than the one next to it. Which mesh screen do you think will allow more light through?

Edit: This problem is actually worse on OLED since they are self-emitting. Smaller the pixel, less light output. With LED back-lighting you can better overcome this issue.

 

[BluRayHiDef]

8K has four times the pixel density of 4K (obviously), so with that the backlight is having to work that much harder to punch the light through. I guess a good thought experiment would be something like this. Imagine two windows right next to each other with equal sunlight shining through. Both windows have a mesh screen on top of them. One of the windows mesh screen is four times more fine than the one next to it. Which mesh screen do you think will allow more light through?

Okay, I understand now. However, I think that TCL's Vidrian technology will combat this issue by placing the LEDs much closer to the layer that contains the pixels. It's explained in the following video @ 7:35.

 

[Dave_at_Home]

Okay, I understand now. However, I think that TCL's Vidrian technology will combat this issue by placing the LEDs much closer to the layer that contains the pixels. It's explained in the following video @ 7:35.

Yeah, I've seen the CES coverage. Vidrian is certainly very promising. If it reviews well and the price is right, I may have to make a 65' work in my living room.

 

[BluRayHiDef]

Amazon's delivery date of the 55R635 changed from August 21st to August 17th. So, I canceled my previous order and re-ordered for the earlier delivery date. Now, I can expect it on Monday. Great.

 

[LordOfChaos]

However, there is a caveat: the TCL 6 Series of 2020 will not be able to support 4K-HDR @ 120Hz but will be able to support only a maximum resolution of 1440p-HDR @ 120Hz.

This I'm curious about - next gen consoles may run some games at 1440, but they'd usually upscale it internally before outputting to the TV, which just thinks its a 4K signal. Will they be able to set a native output resolution for 1440p instead? If not, this might be limiting, forcing you all the way down to 1080p for VRR.

There's a lot more mini LEDs than there are dimming zones - is this a limitation of the controller? A fully high end set I imagine would have control over each one as a zone, thousands rather than 128.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

I got a tv in 2017, so I won't get another one till maybe 2023 (I get a new one every 5-6 years).

But at such awesome prices, I'm for sure going to look into TCL tvs next time. Costco Canada finally carries them the past couple years.

I'm not a huge nit picker for ultra specs, but when I'm at Costco and see a 65" Samsung or LG at $1200 and the TCL 65" is $700, that's a big enough difference to buy a TCL if it's close enough.

TCL reviews seem pretty good so when I see such big price gaps I think twice..... something's wrong. These TCLs must be like a shitty Westinghouse TV you see refurbed at a Factory Direct store??? But it seems TCLs are legit good value at that price.

 

[BluRayHiDef]

My order is scheduled to be delivered Tomorrow, but it hasn't been shipped yet.

 

[BluRayHiDef]

It's here.

 

[splattered]

It's here.

Crossing my fingers you get a good panel man! Check for clouding etc ... i got lucky with 3 of these a few years ago and didn't have to return/exchange any of them.

 

[BluRayHiDef]

Crossing my fingers you get a good panel man! Check for clouding etc ... i got lucky with 3 of these a few years ago and didn't have to return/exchange any of them.

It's updating now. I'm going to install Neflix and VUDU and playback some HDR content to see if there's any clouding. I'll also install YouTube and playback some DSE test videos.

 

[Phunkydiabetic]

I got a tv in 2017, so I won't get another one till maybe 2023 (I get a new one every 5-6 years).

But at such awesome prices, I'm for sure going to look into TCL tvs next time. Costco Canada finally carries them the past couple years.

I'm not a huge nit picker for ultra specs, but when I'm at Costco and see a 65" Samsung or LG at $1200 and the TCL 65" is $700, that's a big enough difference to buy a TCL if it's close enough.

TCL reviews seem pretty good so when I see such big price gaps I think twice..... something's wrong. These TCLs must be like a shitty Westinghouse TV you see refurbed at a Factory Direct store??? But it seems TCLs are legit good value at that price.

Canada doesn't seem to get any of th e new 6 series TCL's though. All they were selling was the bottom tier models and the 2018 617. Not sure why.

 

[OmegaSupreme]

It's updating now. I'm going to install Neflix and VUDU and playback some HDR content to see if there's any clouding. I'll also install YouTube and playback some DSE test videos.

This tv is on my radar along with the new vizios. I'm looking forward to your impressions of the PQ.

 

[LordOfChaos]

Canada doesn't seem to get any of th e new 6 series TCL's though. All they were selling was the bottom tier models and the 2018 617. Not sure why.

They are selling the new mini LED 6 series in Canada

https://www.bestbuy.ca/en-ca/product/tcl-6-series-55-4k-uhd-hdr-qled-roku-os-smart-tv-55r635-ca/14671247?irclickid=RjkROKX2fxyOUKQ07OwzdzZ-UkiQziVvtXwvTc0&ref=affiliate&utm_content=64065&utm_source=IR&acmp=Hatch&utm_term=641751&irgwc=1

BluRayHiDef love to hear your impressions of the new THX tuned game mode too

 

[Phunkydiabetic]

They are selling the new mini LED 6 series in Canada

https://www.bestbuy.ca/en-ca/product/tcl-6-series-55-4k-uhd-hdr-qled-roku-os-smart-tv-55r635-ca/14671247?irclickid=RjkROKX2fxyOUKQ07OwzdzZ-UkiQziVvtXwvTc0&ref=affiliate&utm_content=64065&utm_source=IR&acmp=Hatch&utm_term=641751&irgwc=1

BluRayHiDef love to hear your impressions of the new THX tuned game mode too

Oh snap. Finally a new model of 6 series in Canada!

 

[BluRayHiDef]

They are selling the new mini LED 6 series in Canada

https://www.bestbuy.ca/en-ca/product/tcl-6-series-55-4k-uhd-hdr-qled-roku-os-smart-tv-55r635-ca/14671247?irclickid=RjkROKX2fxyOUKQ07OwzdzZ-UkiQziVvtXwvTc0&ref=affiliate&utm_content=64065&utm_source=IR&acmp=Hatch&utm_term=641751&irgwc=1

BluRayHiDef love to hear your impressions of the new THX tuned game mode too

Crossing my fingers you get a good panel man! Check for clouding etc ... i got lucky with 3 of these a few years ago and didn't have to return/exchange any of them.

I'm going to give you guys an update in about a half hour in the form of a video of the TV in action.

 

[BluRayHiDef]

Crossing my fingers you get a good panel man! Check for clouding etc ... i got lucky with 3 of these a few years ago and didn't have to return/exchange any of them.

BluRayHiDef love to hear your impressions of the new THX tuned game mode too

It looks like I got a good panel. There's no banding, no screen-uniformity issue to the extent that it can be considered Dirty Screen Effect, and no blooming beyond what you'd expect from any LED LCD. I won the lottery. I'm currently uploading a video of it and my TCL 55R617 playing Project Power; I noticed that the R635 (the new TV) sports higher levels of brightness, more intense colors, and better blacks. The difference between it and the 55R617 are very noticeable. So, I guess I'll be taking my 55R617 to my mom's house later this week to give it to her as I planned.

 

[Gamer79]

I recently bought series 8 TCL, suffice to say after 3 days I returned it due to screen suddenly turning red. Sister also bought one before and also got quality issues they got rid of it as well.
They are bang for the buck and features wise they are impressive but still long ways to go in terms of quality compared to Sony, Samsung, LG. Just my two cents.

Bought mine refurbished 3 years ago and not issues!

 

[BluRayHiDef]

Here's a video of my two TCLs playing Project Power in Dolby Vision. Obviously, the video won't provide an in-person view of these TVs' picture qualities, but it's the best that I can do. The 55R617 is on the left and the 55R635 is on the right.

 

[BluRayHiDef]

You probably can't tell from the video, but the R635 is brighter, has more vibrant colors, and better blacks. It's a noticeable upgrade from the R617.

 

[MR ARCADE FOREVER]

It's here.

Please let us know your opinion!

 

[BluRayHiDef]

Please let us know your opinion!

Read above.

 

[BluRayHiDef]

One downside that I have noticed is that the 55R635 has worse off-center viewing angles than the 55R617; when looking at the screen from an angle, the corners look grayish when displaying black. However, the effect doesn't bother me, so I'm still happy with it.

 

[VisualFidelity]

I'll NEVER get an OLED. The peak brightness levels are atrocious, especially for SDR content.

 

[The Pweep]

Ordered my 55 last week Wednesday. Was supposed to deliver tomorrow Tuesday. Got the update this am won't deliver until Thursday. Bummer.

 

[OmegaSupreme]

Your blacks seem a bit crushed on the new set? Could be the angle at which you're filming it.

 

[BluRayHiDef]

Your blacks seem a bit crushed on the new set? Could be the angle at which you're filming it.

Seems fine to me.

 

[Dave_at_Home]

One downside that I have noticed is that the 55R635 has worse off-center viewing angles than the 55R617; when looking at the screen from an angle, the corners look grayish when displaying black. However, the effect doesn't bother me, so I'm still happy with it.

As long as you're happy with it that's all that matters. Waiting on Vidrian myself. If it doesn't do it for me than LG CX will be the next TV.

 

[Mister Wolf]

Don't buy a new TV without hdmi 2.1. If the prices are too high then wait for them to become cheaper.

 

[Phunkydiabetic]

Your blacks seem a bit crushed on the new set? Could be the angle at which you're filming it.

Recording it obviously adds another variable but I can definitely see black crush on the new set. The scene at the loading docks where the trucks are pulling away it is very noticable there. I'm sure settings can be tweaked to lessen the crush but it is quite obvious.

 

[Dave_at_Home]

Recording it obviously adds another variable but I can definitely see black crush on the new set. The scene at the loading docks where the trucks are pulling away it is very noticable there. I'm sure settings can be tweaked to lessen the crush but it is quite obvious.

This is also something that can be fixed by TCL in a firmware update. Granted if it's really a problem and enough people complain about it.

 

[BluRayHiDef]

Recording it obviously adds another variable but I can definitely see black crush on the new set. The scene at the loading docks where the trucks are pulling away it is very noticable there. I'm sure settings can be tweaked to lessen the crush but it is quite obvious.

Explain the black crush in this shot, please.

All of the details are there but the shadows are darker, which is good, in my opinion.

 

[VisualFidelity]

Guys get the hisense H9G, the PQ is incredible much better than the TCL and its input lag is better than the 900h and 950h. 120hz panel, but no hdmi 2.1, which isnt a big deal unless you plan on gaming on a 3090 GPU. The new consoles will not be doing 4k 120fps lol.

 

[kittoo]

I wouldn't even worry about 8K. Outside of VR, the need for higher resolution displays are a waste of time in someones personally living space. LG conducted a study with some Hollywood studios on 8K. They wanted to prove that 8K was necessary and studios should start preparing for the next generation. Turns out, oops! Nobody could really tell a difference between 4K and 8K on an 85' LG 8K OLED! Really wish manufactures would stick to 4K for a while, but they always need to sell you the hot new thing. Also, 8K panels are harder to push light through due to the pixel density being so high. This means higher power consumption, lower light output, more heat, and potentially more blooming. Lets see if TCL can address these issues in the 8 series.

There is a video on YouTube, will try to find, where they put LG C9 4K OLED and Samsung 8K and ask people which looks cleaner and high resolution. Most of the time they chose LG. I think 4K is good enough.

 

[BluRayHiDef]

Guys get the hisense H9G, the PQ is incredible much better than the TCL and its input lag is better than the 900h and 950h. 120hz panel, but no hdmi 2.1, which isnt a big deal unless you plan on gaming on a 3090 GPU. The new consoles will not be doing 4k 120fps lol.

The TCL R635 hasn't been reviewed by official reviewers and therefore a comparison cannot be made between it and the H9G yet; we don't yet know the values for the R635's contrast ratio, luminance levels, input lag, or other properties. So, your assertion that the H9G has better picture quality than the R635 is unfounded.

 

[Phunkydiabetic]

Explain the black crush in this shot, please.

All of the details are there but the shadows are darker, which is good, in my opinion.

Compare that area to on both tvs. The 617 you are able to see all the detail on the ground in front of the trucks, which makes sense since they have their headlights on. The 635 doesn't show any of that, it's just a black blob, no detail at all. It looks like the headlights throw off like five feet of light then it stops. That's what was so glaring about it.

I'm sure tweaking the settings can fix that up, I doubt it's a flaw of the panel or something like that. Or, like I said in my original reply, recording it off screen is adding another variable to the mix and not representative of what you see with your eyes. Then again it's your tv, if you're happy with the picture what can anyone say , just enjoy it. All we can do is comment on the video you showed us, and from that video there is some serious black crush going on.

 

[BluRayHiDef]

I can confirm that the TCL 55R635 tops out at 4K-60Hz. If I set a game to run at 4K-120Hz, which is what I did for Resident Evil 5 on my PC, the TV will accept the signal but it will downgrade it to 60Hz. So, if it's any consolation, the TV can at least accept a 4K-120Hz signal, but it will not display the signal at 120Hz but will display it at 60Hz. Also, I tried Resident Evil 5 at 1440p-120Hz and it worked; the TV both accepted the signal and displayed the game at 120Hz (I confirmed this by pressing the "OK" button on the TV's remote, which prompted the TV to display a tab that listed the resolution, refresh rate, and the audio type). I didn't try this with a game that can be displayed in HDR, because I don't think that my computer can run any such game that I have at 1440p-120Hz (e.g. Mass Effect: Andromeda), though I guess that I should have tried (I'll try tomorrow, but I have to go to bed now).

 

[reptilex]

Why do these TV manufacturers only have completely stupid options, like 55" (yeah no sorry, don't have room for that), no bluetooth, no freesync (not everything is 2.1 compatible), no wireless screen sharing...in completely degenerate line with 50 different choices, none of which are decent.

I'm waiting for the manufacturer that will get TVs right (hope to god it's not Apple).

 

[VisualFidelity]

The TCL R635 hasn't been reviewed by official reviewers and therefore a comparison cannot be made between it and the H9G yet; we don't yet know the values for the R635's contrast ratio, luminance levels, input lag, or other properties. So, your assertion that the H9G has better picture quality than the R635 is unfounded.

my assertion is based on the user reviews that have the display and have posted pics/videos of it and also who have seen both.

 

[BluRayHiDef]

I've noticed that when my 55R635 displays a logo against a black background, that everything apart from the logo is completely black, including the edges of the screen (apart from some normal haloing around the logo). However, when it displays the black bars that are at the top and bottom of movies or certain shows, the bars glow a bluish color.

In fact, while switching from such content back to a menu or something else, the bars continue to glow while the space between them has become pitch black (but then obviously disappears once the TV has transitioned to the menu).

Hence, I think that this is a software issue, because the screen is very capable of producing black without the glowing effect in the areas of the screen where the black bars of movies and certain shows appear. I hope that TCL fixes this.

Note: My camera exaggerates the brighteness of the haloing around the image in the center and exaggerates the intensity of the blue bars.

Spoiler

 

[LordOfChaos]

 

[LordOfChaos]

 

[ShirAhava]

Guys get the hisense H9G, the PQ is incredible much better than the TCL and its input lag is better than the 900h and 950h. 120hz panel, but no hdmi 2.1, which isnt a big deal unless you plan on gaming on a 3090 GPU. The new consoles will not be doing 4k 120fps lol.

Yeah after checking out a few users reviews (real people not paid shills) I wouldn't go anywhere near this TV....the H9G is the best in its price range

 

[LordOfChaos]

Some more tests

 

[Rbk_3]

This doesn't seem like a major upgrade from your previous set. Why not wait until an affordable TV with HDMI 2.1 and VRR is on the market? This was a pretty sideways move all things considered.

 

[Phunkydiabetic]

Some more tests

And once again TCL fails with their local dimming algorithm. By far my biggest issue with the tcl's I've had were quality control. They seem to just dump everything on the market, regardless of how shitty panel uniformity and dse is. That is a quality control issue. The local dimming was a close second. At least on the 617 it was pretty shitty, but that is software.

You can have your 100+ dimmable zones but it means nothing if the software isn't up to snuff. A good example would be what Sony manages to do with it's relatively low zone count. Their algorithm is vastly superior and can accomplish more with less. I was hoping with TCL going mini led it would mean an improvement on their local dimming quality, but this (and a few other tests I've seen) show this isnt the case at all. What a shame.

 

[Paulxo87]

The hisense H9G would perhaps be a valid option for me but I do not understand why they do hot have a 75" variant of it. Looks like the x900h will be the choice for me this fall...

 

[Journey]

On paper it's great. If you're a console gamer you are not going to need 120hz at 4K so not a big deal. Will be interesting to see how it actually performs picture wise. If it can compete with the H9G for that low of a price then it'll be the set to get.


No it doesn't. It does not have an HDMI 2.1 port and so can't do 4K at 120hz. It has "features" of it which is nothing but marketing. allm, vrr can be done on 2.0

Seeing Dirt 5 advertised as running 4K@120fps and Halo Infinite multiplayer also 4K@120, I'm a bit confused about the bolded. Backward compatible games that were running 60fps will hit 4K/120, so you can play games like Ninja Gaiden Black at 4K@120fps with auto-HDR, I'm personally excited about this and will be upgrading my set to a C9 maybe.

 

[LordOfChaos]

And once again TCL fails with their local dimming algorithm. By far my biggest issue with the tcl's I've had were quality control. They seem to just dump everything on the market, regardless of how shitty panel uniformity and dse is. That is a quality control issue. The local dimming was a close second. At least on the 617 it was pretty shitty, but that is software.

You can have your 100+ dimmable zones but it means nothing if the software isn't up to snuff. A good example would be what Sony manages to do with it's relatively low zone count. Their algorithm is vastly superior and can accomplish more with less. I was hoping with TCL going mini led it would mean an improvement on their local dimming quality, but this (and a few other tests I've seen) show this isnt the case at all. What a shame.

I'm curious why there's 100+ dimmable zones when they have 10,000 LEDs? Is it a controller end limitation? Could it improve (don't count on it), or is it also physical wiring and cones to the zones?

I guess something did have to differentiate their higher end series in the end. Even the 8 series has 1000 control zones for 25,000 LEDs. At first when I heard Apple was going mini LED with its macbooks with 10,000 LEDs, I assumed each one of those would be a control zone, but now as I learn more about the technology I guess it's going to be some fraction of that. Does anyone do 1 zone per LED?