TCL 55RC630K

Verdict

With glorious smarts, strong image high quality for the asking worth and an audio efficiency that’s a lot better than anticipated from an inexpensive TV, the TCL Roku 55RC630K is one among 2023’s finest price range TVs.

Introduction

On the subject of TV smarts and affordability, Roku is rarely removed from the dialog. It’s finest recognized for its streaming gadgets, and its transfer into TVs has made it one of many large manufacturers in the USA.

Roku has been attempting to repeat that success within the UK, teaming up with TV producers reminiscent of TCL to launch TVs within the price range market.

The TCL Roku RC630K follows on from the 55RP620K reviewed on this website in 2021. The market is in search of a price range star, might the TCL Roku TV be the one? Listed below are my ideas.

Design

• Twin stand design
• Good and minimalist seems
• DLED backlight with Quantum Dot know-how

The TCL 55RC630K solely must be propped up on its ft which makes assembling it a easy and fast job. The ft additionally raise the TV up with sufficient area to only about squeeze a soundbar beneath (in contrast to the Toshiba UK4D), and the ft are adjustable to allow them to be screwed into the center or at every finish.

That stage of flexibility isn’t at all times assured, so it’s a pleasant function to have, though it’s solely accessible on the 55- and 65-inch RC630K fashions.

From the trim bezel that outlines the body to the slim depth of the unit, the TCL 55RC630K belies its inexpensive standing. The rear of the panel does jut out, however wall-mounting needs to be simply doable.

The display screen is a DLED LCD backlight with a QLED color panel, and it options an array of LEDs throughout the display screen that are at all times “on”. I discovered viewing angles first rate sufficient from the aspect, and although saturation and brightness drops off, the dip wasn’t as large as I anticipated. The black ranges are the most important loser as they change into cloudy and milky, so head-on stays the most effective viewing expertise.

Roku sensible interface

• Big selection of apps
• Straightforward to make use of
• Even higher cellular app

The TCL 55RC630K employs Roku’s sensible interface, and in contrast to the interfaces for the higher-priced Panasonic LX800 or Samsung BU8000, this one is swift and responsive. Should you’ve used a Roku system earlier than, little or no has modified apart from being draped in TCL crimson.

The interface is separated into House, My Feed, Freeview Play, Search, Streaming channels, and Settings. The apps and inputs on the house display screen might be customised for faster entry, whereas the Freeview Play part shops all of the UK catch-up and on-demand apps.

This TCL Roku TV covers all the foremost streaming apps, from Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV+, to Amazon Prime Video, BT Sport, Sky Retailer, Spotify, Tidal – you’d be arduous pressed to return up empty handed to your favorite apps. Dolby Imaginative and prescient and Atmos are supported the place accessible with HDR10+ additionally included on Prime Video.

Some would possibly really feel the TV interface might use a visible spruce up, however when it comes to ease of use, this is among the finest on the market.

The cellular app features a few options not discovered on the TV reminiscent of superior AV settings and personal listening. I’ve at all times most popular the app to the distant, which feels low cost and I’m not a fan of the way it feels to function both. The app is quicker, and the best way it curates content material makes it simpler to dip out and in faster than on the TV.

Options

• Fast enter lag
• No HDMI 2.1 inputs
• Suitable with voice assistants

There are 4 HDMI inputs rated to the two.0 customary and never HDMI 2.1. I might not say that’s a giant loss given the viewers this TV is for, and the one curiosity within the 2.1 customary can be for 4K / 120Hz gaming and variable refresh charges, that are unusual on price range TVs. There’s eARC help for passing by prime quality audio reminiscent of Dolby Atmos to a appropriate soundbar.

The remainder of the connections embody a digital optical out, Ethernet, RF in for terrestrial TV, USB 2.0, and a CI slot. Wi-fi choices embody Wi-Fi and apparently Bluetooth 4.2, although the latter isn’t listed within the TV’s on-line specs.

Auto low latency mode places the TV into its most receptive state for gaming, and I measured enter lag at 11.5ms. Whereas that’s not the quickest you’ll discover, it’s fast for any sport performed on the TCL 55RC630K Roku TV.

Different options embody compatibility with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, however you’ll want an exterior system to get them working. AirPlay 2 and HomeKit are supported with iOS gadgets for casting to the TV and including it to Apple’s sensible residence ecosystem respectively.

Image High quality

• Restricted brightness
• Vibrant efficiency
• No movement processing

Typically with price range TVs there are compromises, particularly with HDR, and the TCL Roku 55RC630K is not any totally different. It’s solely capable of hit a peak luminance with HDR content material of 387 nits on a 5% window. That’s wanting 500+ nits to actually see the influence of HDR and it means the RC630K can wrestle with wanting vivid but in addition sustaining strong black ranges.

In comparison with the costlier Panasonic LX800, the TCL 55RC630K does provide higher management over its backlight in darker scenes, principally avoiding backlight bleed (gentle from the LED showing the place it shouldn’t). The TCL Roku was capable of present extra element within the darker areas of the picture, however this does come on the expense of deeper blacks.

The TCL Roku’s sense of distinction wasn’t as sturdy because the Panasonic LX800 watching The Dig on Netflix, and regardless of the TCL boasting a QLED color panel, the Panasonic additionally has the sting when it comes to HDR highlights and colors – there’s a greater sense of yellows and whites to daylight, the inexperienced of the grass area is extra obvious and there’s extra element seen within the clouds on the Panasonic.

These observations aren’t meant to rattling the TCL Roku, however to point out the form of efficiency bounce accessible if paid extra, particularly in case your foremost curiosity is HDR.

With Black Panther: Wakanda Without end on Disney+, the TCL Roku’s restricted brightness exhibits up once more in darker scenes however shifting between varied Dolby Imaginative and prescient modes (Shiny, Regular and Darkish) can assist as the previous reveals extra element and brighter colors, however black ranges might be much less assertive.

Complexions in Wakanda Without end, and throughout different content material watched on the TV, are diversified and constantly nicely dealt with – there’s extra color and brightness granted to pores and skin tones that makes them seem extra lifelike than these on the Panasonic LX800, though it’s price mentioning that within the Dolby Imaginative and prescient Darkish mode complexions can look much less punchy.

The TCL Roku additionally helps HDR10+, and it’s uncommon for a price range TV to help the total vary HDR codecs because the 55RC30K does. Nonetheless, toggling between HDR10 and HDR10+ watching Alien and Inglorious Basterds, there isn’t a pronounced distinction with HDR10+, with little change in colors, black ranges or distinction registered.

Whereas with Dolby Imaginative and prescient there was a marked distinction watching Males on 4K Blu-ray, however I felt the greens of forest that Jessie Buckley’s character walks by seemed too vividly inexperienced and unnatural with Dolby Imaginative and prescient in comparison with HDR10. It’s good to have each adaptive HDR codecs onboard, although the TCL Roku’s tone mapping may very well be higher in some situations.

The upscaling is best than the final TCL Roku TV I reviewed. Due to the Quantum Dot tech onboard there’s extra color, vibrancy and punchiness to colors than the cooler method the TCL 55RP20K took, with complexions hotter and punchier (although there’s a slight crimson push noticeable to some pores and skin tones).

There’s maybe a slight deficit when it comes to sharpness and element watching Spider-Man 2 on Blu-ray, which could simply be all the way down to its filmic look, however with digitally shot Skyfall (Blu-ray) there’s a step up in sharpness, readability, and element. That implies to me that the TCL’s upscaling received’t enhance content material per se, however merely reveal what’s there within the sign.

Transferring to DVDs of Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows Half 2 and Zodiac, they each exhibit a comfortable look that lacks sharpness and element. The TCL Roku can be fairly murky with low-light scenes and when characters transfer there’s seen noise.

All of that is as I’d anticipate from a price range telly, however a constructive facet of the QLED display screen is that the colors are sturdy, pure, and look pretty correct with SDR content material. You wouldn’t need to watch a lot customary definition content material, however I’d say the identical for any 4K TV.

There’s no movement processing (MEMC) onboard, however the TV appears regular with out it when watching content material with quick motion like F1 Drive to Survive. There’s a function known as Dynamic Management that tries to emphasize distinction extra, however I discovered it’s finest to keep away from because it solely makes the picture darker.

Sound High quality

• Punchy bass
• Clear, sharp, and detailed
• Dolby Atmos help

The TCL Roku 55RC630K encompasses a sound system by Onkyo with help for Dolby Atmos. This is able to often be the purpose the place I might say spend money on a soundbar, low cost or in any other case, however the TCL Roku is a lower above the standard fare.

Bass is strongly outlined and punchy – you’re not getting a lot depth to low frequencies however at the least the TCL Roku can present influence. The unfold of results throughout the display screen is nice, and watching Wakanda Without end there’s a slight sense of added depth to the soundstage when Ludwig Göransson’s highly effective rating kicks in.

Dialogue is clearly reproduced, though the TCL Roku doesn’t venture dialogue from the display screen with a lot drive. There’s a Dialogue Enhancer to play with and in action-heavy sequences it helps raise dialogue with out making surrounding sounds louder.

With The Darkish Knight there’s a very good sense of rising dynamism to Hans Zimmer’s rating because the Joker reveals his face in the course of the financial institution heist – and it will get rowdy within the following scene the place the Tumbler intimidates criminals with explosions. There’s considerable ranges of element and sharpness to choose up on and strong kick to the bass within the movie. It’s surprisingly strong.

There’s a Dolby Atmos virtualiser within the settings to develop the dimensions of the soundfield additional, and with F1 Drive to Survive, the Onkyo system sounds expansive and tracks the sound of F1 vehicles nicely throughout the display screen.

A soundbar would nonetheless assist, however at the least you don’t have to start out the search instantly when you’ve unpacked this TV.

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Sustainability

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As a part of this mission, each time we evaluate a product we ship the corporate a collection of questions to assist us gauge and make clear the influence the system has on the surroundings.

We at present haven’t acquired solutions to the questions on this product, however will replace this web page the second we do. You possibly can see an in depth breakdown of the questions we ask and why in our sustainability data web page.