The TCL 6 series is upon us! (55R615, 65r615)
- Thread starter Broadbandit
- Start date
Are the prices on these affected by tariffs (yet)? My current TV will be gone soon and I'll need a replacement, but don't have the cash for another month maybe.
Just hoping I don't get surprised by a price hike at the last minute.
Just hoping I don't get surprised by a price hike at the last minute.
Had the TV for 5 months? Remote batteries died.
I've had remote last several years.. What the..
I've had remote last several years.. What the..
I have a question that I'm hoping someone can help with (or at least verify that I'm not going insane).
I have the 55R615, and I've noticed some strange 'blurring' issues while watching Blu Rays (or streamed movies from the Roku apps), and even while playing RDR2 via 4K setting.
This is the only review that I've seen that's mentioned it: https://www.reviewed.com/televisions/content/tcl-6-series-tv-review
They say this:
'While this might actually sound like praise for the 6 Series' picture quality, the biggest difference I noticed between watching The Mountain Between Us in 4K/HDR on the $4,000 LG E8 OLED and this TV—after black level—was motion performance.
Because Blu-rays play back at 24fps, they sometimes struggle to play with total smoothness on 60 Hz TVs like the TCL 6 Series. During the movie's shaky, jarring plane crashes and action scenes, there were times I found myself distracted by blurring and juddering, especially during trickier camera pans.'
I especially notice this during scenes where the camera is panning at a constant speed. Something just feels...off. It's almost like it's blurring the edges of the things that are moving in the scene. This is especially apparent in RDR2 with foliage in the distance. Hell, even if I look at certain things on the radar while spinning my camera around, they have a slight 'blur' effect on them. I'm pretty sure this is my TV and not the game, since I've watched people streaming RDR2 via PS4 Pro on Twitch, but I don't notice this blurring issue (however, I don't know if they're using a 4K TV or not).
I don't think it's any of my settings, as I've turned off all LED Motion Clarity and, even used the Roku smartphone app to turn 'Noise Reduction' off.
Does anyone else notice this issue? Have you been able to do anything to reduce and/or remove it once you noticed it? Any help is appreciated. Thank you.
Edit: Something else I forgot to mention is that for some reason, I've only realized this issue recently even though I've had the TV about 4 months. I don't think it's been there since the start...could this have been a firmware update that caused this?
I have the 55R615, and I've noticed some strange 'blurring' issues while watching Blu Rays (or streamed movies from the Roku apps), and even while playing RDR2 via 4K setting.
This is the only review that I've seen that's mentioned it: https://www.reviewed.com/televisions/content/tcl-6-series-tv-review
They say this:
'While this might actually sound like praise for the 6 Series' picture quality, the biggest difference I noticed between watching The Mountain Between Us in 4K/HDR on the $4,000 LG E8 OLED and this TV—after black level—was motion performance.
Because Blu-rays play back at 24fps, they sometimes struggle to play with total smoothness on 60 Hz TVs like the TCL 6 Series. During the movie's shaky, jarring plane crashes and action scenes, there were times I found myself distracted by blurring and juddering, especially during trickier camera pans.'
I especially notice this during scenes where the camera is panning at a constant speed. Something just feels...off. It's almost like it's blurring the edges of the things that are moving in the scene. This is especially apparent in RDR2 with foliage in the distance. Hell, even if I look at certain things on the radar while spinning my camera around, they have a slight 'blur' effect on them. I'm pretty sure this is my TV and not the game, since I've watched people streaming RDR2 via PS4 Pro on Twitch, but I don't notice this blurring issue (however, I don't know if they're using a 4K TV or not).
I don't think it's any of my settings, as I've turned off all LED Motion Clarity and, even used the Roku smartphone app to turn 'Noise Reduction' off.
Does anyone else notice this issue? Have you been able to do anything to reduce and/or remove it once you noticed it? Any help is appreciated. Thank you.
Edit: Something else I forgot to mention is that for some reason, I've only realized this issue recently even though I've had the TV about 4 months. I don't think it's been there since the start...could this have been a firmware update that caused this?
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Does Game mode Degrade the PQ at all? Can someone explain this to me?
For gaming I sometimes turn on "action smoothing" which gets rid of the judder during camera and character movement. This isn't a popular option for some (certainly for specific genres) since game mode has to be off to use it and there will be some added input lag. I personally find the trade off worth while though since the judder and blurriness are completely gone. It provides a legitimate impression of 60fps.
I keep it off for TV/movies and turn on the "natural cinema" setting which seems to look right.
Sorry to bump this thread, but I just got an R615 and I'm having a really hard time getting surround sound to work. Does anyone know the right way to set up audio to a sound bar via HDMI-ARC?
Here's my setup:
PS4 Pro>TV HDMI 1 port
HDMI-ARC port on TV>Vizio sound bar HDMI-ARC port
PS4 output set to Bitstream (Dolby)
TV "S/PDIF and ARC" setting set to (Dolby D)
I've also tried every setting under that, including Auto Detect and it just refuses to produce sound through my rear speakers. I even did a speaker test to make sure they worked and they do.
Any ideas? I don't like using optical straight from my PS4 because it sometimes crackles or I get some audio cut outs, but using HDMI-ARC has never given me any issues with my old Bravia. Suddenly I replace it with the TCL and byebye SS. :/
Here's my setup:
PS4 Pro>TV HDMI 1 port
HDMI-ARC port on TV>Vizio sound bar HDMI-ARC port
PS4 output set to Bitstream (Dolby)
TV "S/PDIF and ARC" setting set to (Dolby D)
I've also tried every setting under that, including Auto Detect and it just refuses to produce sound through my rear speakers. I even did a speaker test to make sure they worked and they do.
Any ideas? I don't like using optical straight from my PS4 because it sometimes crackles or I get some audio cut outs, but using HDMI-ARC has never given me any issues with my old Bravia. Suddenly I replace it with the TCL and byebye SS. :/
Heads up for those on the fence Best Buy now has the 55in version for 499 .
In case you need another one or have been on the fence for this amazing TV
In case you need another one or have been on the fence for this amazing TV
You might have a defective remote. I haven't changed mine since the tv launched.
I'll third this; I still have the same Roku batteries in my remote that came with the TV when I bought it like 5 months ago.
Rise from your grave!
Seems there's a 75" 6-series coming in about a month, exclusively at Best Buy.
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/tcl-75...d-tv-with-hdr-roku-tv/6319339.p?skuId=6319339
As always, go vote for Rtings to review it.
https://www.rtings.com/tv/suggestions
Seems there's a 75" 6-series coming in about a month, exclusively at Best Buy.
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/tcl-75...d-tv-with-hdr-roku-tv/6319339.p?skuId=6319339
As always, go vote for Rtings to review it.
https://www.rtings.com/tv/suggestions
Still the best bang for the buck, I'd wait out and see all these units go on clearance soon because of CES.
Expecting my Roku speakers to come in today which Wirecutter recommended for this TV:
https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/roku-tv-wireless-speakers/
Will let you know how they are. I debated between these and a Soundbar and settled on these because the Wirecutter suggests they're basically seamless w/ this TV.
https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/roku-tv-wireless-speakers/
Will let you know how they are. I debated between these and a Soundbar and settled on these because the Wirecutter suggests they're basically seamless w/ this TV.
Interested in your review. I was thinking about replacing my old 1080p Vizio with TCL and these would be a great option for my upstairs setup. I don't have room for a soundbar unless it mounts to the bottom of the TV.
I believe I heard TCL say during the press conference that this update would be available within the current quarter.
I don't have an issue. I think it depends on the set and how lucky you are. I do not regret spending $969 for the 65" @ Best Buy one bit. Games look great on it, especially for a budget 4k/HDR/Roku tv.
I figure this will come with the upcoming Roku OS 9 release for the sets. Can't wait for mine to get updated.
This is going to sound stupid, but.. go to settings, power, and do a full restart on the TV. It should be better not perfect.
I get up to 2s of lag sometimes and then a reboot fixes it until the next time...
Goes against the value of TCL but I have the Sonos Beam and its amazing for its size, very compact. Are you wall mounting or using a stand? The Beam fits neatly right underneath the TCL's stand. But then again, its $400 for a soundbar.
Ok thanks will give it a try! I always forget to restart occasionally
The banding on the 65R617 I bought last month is pretty prominent. It's an amazing TV, though. It doesn't bother me but it's definitely a thing.
If I have a 55" Sony X800D from 2016. I'm assuming this is better but not so much that I would need to upgrade to a 65"...right?
Mine is flipping awesome!
My 617's screen looks very similar to this. It's not great and I can see the banding in your image and tell it shows up during normal use. Still, the TV overall performs to well to care really at the end of the day. Maybe I'd care more if it was my main TV.
Don't look up what it is and you'll be perfectly fine, nobody notices it, only people who look for it will see it.
You won't regret the 6 series of you're on a budget. It's like 78% of OLED for less than half the price. If you're not a perfectionist then you'll really enjoy this set. Everyone I know always complements my TV.
Yeah I want a big TV that my games can look great on that has HDR etc. And then purchase an OLED later this year or next. Now we have 2.1 incoming I want to see how that settles.
Wall mounting. I do have a small shelf under it which could be used. Right now it is used for decorative purposes, just need to convince the wife the sound will be with it ;)
Well Sonos makes gorgeous devices. You can buy a mount that attaches to your TV mount or Jerry rig one yourself. That's how I have my Playbar mounted at my place.
Finally got my Roku speakers in last night, the one's reviewed here, and so far I'm very happy with them. I also bought the speaker stands that Roku encourages you to buy, but bought them from Amazon,a nd I'm a little hit or miss on the stands... They don't really seem to be made specifically for the speakers, and I kinda had to do some guess work to figure out how to get the mounts together to get them secure. Also the stands have a place for wires to go through them, but the shaft isn't wide for the power plug that goes into the back of the speaker, so I'm jsut using zip-ties instead. But, aside from that.
Setup was amazing, the easiest speaker setup I've ever done.
The speakers are wireless, so after you plug them in, you go to your TV and hold the home button down for 5 seconds, which then pops up a dialog to add new device to the TV, and you choose speakers. From there out, everything's basically automated, with all you have to do is hit "Ok" on the remote once every couple minutes to do the whole setup. You honestly do nothing, from syncing the remotes (it comes with two remotes, one table top remote and another handheld remove similar to the remote that ships with the TV, but with a mic built in and slightly larger buttons).
So far the quality is good, the sound direction is good. I have only tried it with normal TV, but even my wife was impressed by the added bass, which can all be configured.
We like it most for dialog. The dialog options on the TV can really boom the dialog, and we mostly watch dialog based comedies (parks and rec, the office, etc), and the dialog comes out loud and crystal clear. I actually set it back to the medium setting because it was a little too loud and too tinny on the highest setting. If I were playing a game I think I'd set it to normal.
I love that a single remote controls everything, and it's not like you have "TV volume" And "speaker volume" you just have ... volume. So, it's one volume indicator, the same one the TV has, and it controls your speakers, which the sound comes out of (there is a setting to use TV + speakers, but I'm not sure how that works, maybe it uses the TV as a center channel? I dunno). We used to run the TV at like 24 - 30 on the volume, but now we have it between 10 - 14 especially with the dialog turned up. There's also a sound normalization setting that normalizes volume so you don't have super loud commercials... My wife is going to watch Dirty John tonight from Bravo streaming, which is notorious for having SUPER LOUD commercials so I'll see how that does.
The wireless sync seems flawless so far, no delay or anything at all, not during video or even when navigating the UI where you can really tell when something's off... it all seems 1:1.
The speakers are pretty large, larger than my previous surround speakers, heavier, with more weight to them.
I'm not an audiophile, I'm chiefly looking for something that "just works" and these just work. As a ~$200 speaker system I'm very happy with them so far. Haven't tried any other features like bluetooth streaming or something, probably never will.
CCing you for this
Setup was amazing, the easiest speaker setup I've ever done.
The speakers are wireless, so after you plug them in, you go to your TV and hold the home button down for 5 seconds, which then pops up a dialog to add new device to the TV, and you choose speakers. From there out, everything's basically automated, with all you have to do is hit "Ok" on the remote once every couple minutes to do the whole setup. You honestly do nothing, from syncing the remotes (it comes with two remotes, one table top remote and another handheld remove similar to the remote that ships with the TV, but with a mic built in and slightly larger buttons).
So far the quality is good, the sound direction is good. I have only tried it with normal TV, but even my wife was impressed by the added bass, which can all be configured.
We like it most for dialog. The dialog options on the TV can really boom the dialog, and we mostly watch dialog based comedies (parks and rec, the office, etc), and the dialog comes out loud and crystal clear. I actually set it back to the medium setting because it was a little too loud and too tinny on the highest setting. If I were playing a game I think I'd set it to normal.
I love that a single remote controls everything, and it's not like you have "TV volume" And "speaker volume" you just have ... volume. So, it's one volume indicator, the same one the TV has, and it controls your speakers, which the sound comes out of (there is a setting to use TV + speakers, but I'm not sure how that works, maybe it uses the TV as a center channel? I dunno). We used to run the TV at like 24 - 30 on the volume, but now we have it between 10 - 14 especially with the dialog turned up. There's also a sound normalization setting that normalizes volume so you don't have super loud commercials... My wife is going to watch Dirty John tonight from Bravo streaming, which is notorious for having SUPER LOUD commercials so I'll see how that does.
The wireless sync seems flawless so far, no delay or anything at all, not during video or even when navigating the UI where you can really tell when something's off... it all seems 1:1.
The speakers are pretty large, larger than my previous surround speakers, heavier, with more weight to them.
I'm not an audiophile, I'm chiefly looking for something that "just works" and these just work. As a ~$200 speaker system I'm very happy with them so far. Haven't tried any other features like bluetooth streaming or something, probably never will.
CCing you for this
I'm very curious about this, as I found a page on Roku's support site for the speakers directly stating that using the speakers causes the TV to intentionally delay the audio and video signals in order to maintain audio sync with the picture and prevent sound drops. It says to make sure you're using Game Mode to mitigate the extra delay.
This speaker honestly seems like something I'd buy, but I don't think I can justify it because it would probably make rhythm games a hassle to play on my 6-series, which I can already notice a bit of video latency on.
Not sure if you ever solved this, but I had this exact same issue. I tried *EVERYTHING* and the only way I got it to work was by doing optical from the PS4 straight into my Vizio sound bar. The frustrating thing on top of it is that I'm still using ARC to the sound bar for other things and you cannot turn off the PS4's HDMI audio out. So when you go to the home menu on the PS4, for some reason the ARC stereo audio kicks in and auto swaps the sound bar to the HDMI arc channel and I have to manually switch it back to Optical. Every time. It's a really shitty solution. Did you end up figuring out something that worked better?
Oh man I'm so sorry for not coming back into this thread. I got it working, but here's what I ended up doing:
I went into the system settings area of the TV where you have it detect CEC devices, and just told it to scan again. It said it detected my PS4 and my sound bar just like it already had, and I continued.
Then, all of the sudden it started working. I guess the CEC handshake got messed up and it wasn't properly understanding what audio signals were coming and going, and redoing the handshake with my devices made it snap out of it. I know others in the TCL tv threads have mentioned bad HDMI handshake issues a lot so this is probably related
The only issue I'm having now is my R615 randomly turns off while I'm using it. I looked online and found some people on a forum with the same issue and they said TCL support told them it was a firmware bug with the 6 series.
No word on if that's going to be fixed or not but it's incredibly annoying and if I'm playing something online I can just kiss that session goodbye, because it will be a good 15 seconds without me being able to see what's happening while I'm trying to turn the TV back on and resume.