TCL reliability

[BoredSysAdmin]

I have had the tcl 6 series for a few years now. As an actual owner I can tell you it’s an excellent “bottom of the barrel “ set with a good picture and Roku system. You do have to deal with some panels having bad dse, especially if you’re sensitive to it. Not sure if tcl has addressed this issue.

We can play word gymnastics all day long, but the short version that they are known for very inexpensive TV sets. Like also said they are very actively working on improving the image quality and feature set on their newer models. If I wasn't eloquent before they are trying the same thing every underdog brand is trying to win a larger market share: give consumers product better value/quality than the competition.
More recently this:

TCL's new 8-Series 4K TVs are backlit by up to 25,000 tiny LEDs, start at $2,000

www.androidpolice.com

In my opinion, it will take a few more years for them to reach the same level of quality as Vizio, but if you're a lucky winner of the panel lottery, you may get a very decent TV for very cheap today.

 

[JengaHit]

I think a key is buying from a store with a decent return policy when buying cheap can sometimes be like playing the lottery.

I have a client with a TCL that they use out on their patio. It's been there for a couple of years and continues to work. This is a pretty standard covered/screened in patio that they threw a waterproof cover over the TV when not in use to help protect it, but otherwise it's been outside for a couple of Summers/Winters now. Keeps running well for them.

In my brief setup/viewing of the TV it looked perfectly fine. With the outside location it's not like black levels were a real concern and the brightness was perfect for watching TV and sports on it. The integrated Roku was a real plus and certainly a reason why I respect what TCL has done. It also makes me wonder why projector manufacturers haven't contracted with Roku to get the product into their projectors. That would be amazing for so many models.

Anyway, I give a thumbs up for TCL is the goal is to get a acceptable image into any room. It's not something to brag about, but you can certainly go out to a nice restaurant for a good meal with the money you save.

Yeah, the money saved is certainly a factor. Could be applied toward other equipment like a new receiver or later a projector.

 

[BMXTRIX]

Vizio hit it out of the park almost from the beginning with their TVs showing generally good quality across the board. They were pretty well known to give a reliable TV at an affordable price. One thing that really got my attention from Vizio was that their first series of TVs didn't have discrete power on and off or input selection for universal remotes. But, their next series DID have this feature. This was a company actually listening to complaints from consumers and making a small adjustment, very quickly, to satisfy that need.

Companies that ignore these basic needs, or make excuses, I will not buy from. Phillips being an excellent example of a company that completely fails their customers in this regard. Basically one of the first to deliver the prosumer configurable/programmable remote control, and their TVs lack discrete power on/off. The left hand had no idea what the right hand was doing, and they were both punching the business in the face.

I would get a TCL in a second for one of my kids rooms or a secondary area where video quality wasn't the utmost in importance.

 

[ParisB]

If you're not a videophile and have reservations about spending, then TCL will be fine. It is lower quality control and more panel lottery (duh, look at the price) and is a little cheaper build...but it's perfect for the average Joe. Test benchmarks don't tell the whole story so people get excited when they see specs similar to better brands, but short story is that Sony is way better in every aspect. LG (oled only) is close second but has a few more issues.

And any mid to high tier LCD or OLED playing 4k uhd would blow away Plasma but that's a different topic.

 

[panteragstk]

Vizio hit it out of the park almost from the beginning with their TVs showing generally good quality across the board. They were pretty well known to give a reliable TV at an affordable price. One thing that really got my attention from Vizio was that their first series of TVs didn't have discrete power on and off or input selection for universal remotes. But, their next series DID have this feature. This was a company actually listening to complaints from consumers and making a small adjustment, very quickly, to satisfy that need.

Companies that ignore these basic needs, or make excuses, I will not buy from. Phillips being an excellent example of a company that completely fails their customers in this regard. Basically one of the first to deliver the prosumer configurable/programmable remote control, and their TVs lack discrete power on/off. The left hand had no idea what the right hand was doing, and they were both punching the business in the face.

I would get a TCL in a second for one of my kids rooms or a secondary area where video quality wasn't the utmost in importance.

The only issue I had with Vizio back when they were new was they had a crappy (sort of) warranty. You HAD to ship the TV to them in the original packaging or they would void the warranty. I don't have a clue as to whether or not this is still the case.

I used to sell the crap out of the plamas just because for the money they were so good. My friend had one that lasted over 10 years. Not bad for a "bargain" TV.

I would imagine that the more of a following TCL gets, the better their sets will get.

 

[JengaHit]

I used to sell the crap out of the plamas just because for the money they were so good. My friend had one that lasted over 10 years. Not bad for a "bargain".

My Panasonic plasma's been working with zero issues for 10+ years. It's an entry-level set. (Just wish for bigger screen size.) My brother-in-law had a $2K+ Samsung LED that crapped after 2 yrs (before that his Sony rear projection lasted 10+ yrs w/o even needing a bulb change). My cousin went through three $2K+ LEDs in 3 months. First a Vizio that he gave up on after panel failure (exchanged for Samsung),and then the replacements: two Samsungs, with warranty-repair hassles. Motherboard, panel issues, the list went on.... I know it's only anecdotal, but it doesn't inspire confidence.

 

[KEW]

My Panasonic plasma's been working with zero issues for 10+ years. It's an entry-level set. (Just wish for bigger screen size.) My brother-in-law had a $2K+ Samsung LED that crapped after 2 yrs (before that his Sony rear projection lasted 10+ yrs w/o even needing a bulb change). My cousin went through three $2K+ LEDs in 3 months. First a Vizio that he gave up on after panel failure (exchanged for Samsung),and then the replacements: two Samsungs, with warranty-repair hassles. Motherboard, panel issues, the list went on.... I know it's only anecdotal, but it doesn't inspire confidence.

It surely doesn't sound like you are paying for reliability when you pay over $2k for a TV. I've never paid over $700 (except my Panasonic Plasma at $1K) and never had a failure.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

My Panasonic plasma's been working with zero issues for 10+ years. It's an entry-level set. (Just wish for bigger screen size.) My brother-in-law had a $2K+ Samsung LED that crapped after 2 yrs (before that his Sony rear projection lasted 10+ yrs w/o even needing a bulb change). My cousin went through three $2K+ LEDs in 3 months. First a Vizio that he gave up on after panel failure (exchanged for Samsung),and then the replacements: two Samsungs, with warranty-repair hassles. Motherboard, panel issues, the list went on.... I know it's only anecdotal, but it doesn't inspire confidence.

Not sure If I've said it in this thread or not. Some people get really lucky with their Pioneer/Panasonic Plasmas.
I guess I'm somewhere in between - my occasionally used Panasonic TC-P55ST30 from 2011 (bought on sale at 2012) worked great for 5 years and then one of Y amp board moved to the next world. I have some background in electronics repair so I was able to fix it with the help of Youtube and small Texan electronics shop which replaced the IC chips for a very reasonable $90. That TV is still in use as my main TV.

 

[Verdinut]

It surely doesn't sound like you are paying for reliability when you pay over $2k for a TV. I've never paid over $700 (except my Panasonic Plasma at $1K) and never had a failure.

I tend to entirely agree with you. I also have a 10 year old Panasonic 50 inch plasma, which I paid $1800 for in 2009, that still works flawlessly. I strongly suspect that the next TV or display which shall be a 4k unit won't be as reliable and I'm not thinking of spending great sums on one. Vizio seems to have reasonably reliable products but I would definitely check on RTings.com before making the final decision.
Costco in Canada sell the Vizio line and offer prolonged warranties and service at reasonable cost. That might be the way to go.
Cheers!

 

[JengaHit]

It surely doesn't sound like you are paying for reliability when you pay over $2k for a TV. I've never paid over $700 (except my Panasonic Plasma at $1K) and never had a failure.

Yup. That's why I'm interested in a value-priced set $1K or below.

 

[panteragstk]

Not sure If I've said it in this thread or not. Some people get really lucky with their Pioneer/Panasonic Plasmas.
I guess I'm somewhere in between - my occasionally used Panasonic TC-P55ST30 from 2011 (bought on sale at 2012) worked great for 5 years and then one of Y amp board moved to the next world. I have some background in electronics repair so I was able to fix it with the help of Youtube and small Texan electronics shop which replaced the IC chips for a very reasonable $90. That TV is still in use as my main TV.

You are right. I've had a Panasonic 42" PZ80 for over 10 years and it still works great. It actually spent around 5 years of it's life as my computer monitor so it was on for longs stretches. No issues.

I also have a 65" VT60 that I got in 2013 IIRC and it's still going strong. Daily use TV and haven't had any issues *knocks on wood*

My wife's grandparents had a 42" Panasonic ST30 (IIRC) and the board in it died. Her uncle was supposed to fix it (used board was $75), but I have no idea if that ever happened.

Another friend has the same model, but larger and hasn't ever had an issue.

You really never know. That's why the extended warranties actually make sense.a...as long as they're cheap.

 

[ParisB]

It surely doesn't sound like you are paying for reliability when you pay over $2k for a TV. I've never paid over $700 (except my Panasonic Plasma at $1K) and never had a failure.

What about the thousands of people with no issues? They would disagree.

 

[Kingnoob]

Unless you buy a really expensive OLED (absolute top of the line) you will be getting a downgrade. The vast majority of TVs on the market now are much worse than those Panasonic plasma TVs 4 K or other wise.

Strange ... no wonder I dislike my tv
Really makes you wonder why plasma went extinct and pioneer, and other top brands who made these Panals all jumped ship?
R.I.P. television quality of build sure has gone down . My dads led 3d Samsung was like $4k and it’s getting lines in the screen if you’ve seen my posts.


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[baronvonellis]

I have a mid range 46" Panasonic Plasma from 2011, and it's going great with no issues ever. Just want a bigger screen now and HDR 4K, otherwise it has an amazing picture.

 

[Kingnoob]

I have a mid range 46" Panasonic Plasma from 2011, and it's going great with no issues ever. Just want a bigger screen now and HDR 4K, otherwise it has an amazing picture.

Is tcl a brand high or low end ? He does it stack up to samsonian (Samsung), Sony , lg, vizio etc ?


Reptilians invading in year 2025
Tesla spoken to them

 

[panteragstk]

Here ya go

 

[Kingnoob]

Here ya go

Was trying to ask people who owned them on this site I’m not in the market for a new tv right now . I’ll probably worry in a few years but nothing really that good out today , that won’t be obsolete when micro led is released.
Is this some sort of phantom google search ? App or Link

Reptilians invading in year 2025
Tesla spoken to them

 

[panteragstk]

Was trying to ask people who owned them on this site I’m not in the market for a new tv right now . I’ll probably worry in a few years but nothing really that good out today , that won’t be obsolete when micro led is released.
Is this some sort of phantom google search ? App or Link

Reptilians invading in year 2025
Tesla spoken to them

More like a "you could have typed that into google and gotten good information" link

 

[Kingnoob]

More like a "you could have typed that into google and gotten good information" link

It really does not matter the fact is that they will cost a fortune until mass produced enough so they will not be practical .
Planned obsolescence basically , 8k resolution was invented well over 11 years ago or more. Not even standard yet !!

Lol , you could get every possible opinion. Not so much information on reliability. Why do so many TVs end up with lines in them ? Led , lcd


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[davidscott]

I have 2 Best Buy Insignia TVs (32 and 39) from 2013 or so and both still perform flawlessly. I recently bought a 49 Toshiba smart TV from Best Buy and no problems so far. I guess I just got lucky.