(For the 85" Model) First and foremost, if you're a tech person who is searching around for a TV with inky blacks and 480hz refresh rates keep going, do not pass go, do not collect 200$. This is not your TV.
I was creating a home theater room in my house (Something I've wanted since I was a kid.) I wanted the biggest TV I could afford while still getting a picture that would be enjoyable to look at for hours at a time. I decided on this one as I was able to get another 10 inches for the same price as most of the 75" TV's I was looking at.
So this was my journey. Amazon delivered this behemoth for free, and the delivery folks brought it right into the room I needed it, and placed it right in front of where I was installing it (Going above and beyond as their instruction was to put it inside the entry way.) I tipped them for their trouble. I got a wall mount for an 85 inch TV and took down the little one for the 55" that was on the wall before. I mounted it on the wall making sure to get all 4 screws in the studs as this TCL TV weighs in at just under 100 pounds. My wife and I were then able to lift the TV and get it on the wall. It's huge so have the space to maneuver.
It clipped into place with no issues. The picture out of the box is a little off. This is what worked for my eyes. I bumped up the color saturation slider by 5 and then I went into the advanced section and adjusted the black level slider down by 7 or 8. This made the colors pop and the contrast look measurably better.
So here's the caveats. If you're paying under a grand for an 85" TV there's going to be some corners cut. For me they're a non issue. 1) I feel the built in google TV interface is too slow to be usable. I plugged my Apple TV in immediately. It picked it up, and detected the TV can do dolby vision and switched into that mode automatically. It looks great and works fast. 2) I did not even bother to listen to the built in speakers on the TV. Built in speakers at ANY price point are disappointing, I didn't even bother. I grabbed a Visio M series 5.1.2 sound bar with wireless sub and surround speakers. It works perfect (after some latency adjustments and configuration).
This weekend after getting all this hooked up, the family and I parked our butts on the couch in our new home theater room (well it's a futon for now still saving up for the home theater furniture.) and watched 3 movies. One from the 80's (On Blu Ray), one from the One from the late 90's in Ultra HD 4k, and one brand new movie on the apple TV app. All three movies looked fantastic, the TV in combination with my Apple TV box and the Vizio sound bar created the exact feeling I was looking for.
If you know what your needs are and you know that when you're buying this TV it's not a mini-led, crazy expensive TV and know not to expect that, this TV will likely be perfect for anyone looking for a big, cost effective panel that performs very well. I would say the quality is on par with my 2021 model Samsung Q70B that cost quite a bit more when I bought it on release year and it was also 20 inches smaller.
| Brand Name | TCL |
|---|---|
| Item Weight | 35.9 pounds |
| Product Dimensions | 3.2 x 48.3 x 29.9 inches |
| Country of Origin | China |
| Item model number | 55Q650G |
| Batteries | 2 AA batteries required. (included) |
| Color Name | Black |
| Special Features | Flat |
| Standing screen display size | 55 Inches |
| Aspect Ratio | 16:9 |
