Introduction and features
TCL Roku TV is now on sale and proves to be a natural fit for the No. 1 Chinese television manufacturer's expansion into the Western marketplace. It joins the company, unfamiliar to many consumers outside of China, with the well-established Roku streaming platform.
Channel surfing on TCL and Roku's app-filled offspring is a familiar experience that mirrors the super-intuitive user interface of the Roku 3 and Roku Streaming Stick. Just about every name-brand and niche app you can think of can be pinned to a customizable home screen right alongside with the usual HDMI TV and Blu-Ray connections.
Fluid menus contrast with the often stodgy, ham-handed layouts devised internally by other TV makers. It's a welcome change by the set-top box experts at Roku. They also brought along hundreds of more apps than their closest competitors too.
No, TCL Roku TV can't compete with Samsung and LG's top-of-the-line TV specs. But both the 40-inch set at $329 and 48-inch step up model at $449 that we tested offer a solid 1080p full HD picture at an affordable price.
Bookending those deals is the cheaper 32-inch flat-screen at $188 with a downgraded 720p resolution and specs, and a larger, full-featured 55-inch TV model at $599.
Is this the budget-friendly smart TV holdover while you wait for 4K TVs to drop in price over the next few years? Let's peer closer into the television that's coupled with a set-top box to find out.
Quite the app-etite
What makes the TCL Roku TV a deal isn't just its price. It's that the built-in Roku ecosystem deviates from the from smart TV app-streaming quality vs quantity dilemma. It's not one or the other thanks to a slick interface that brings hundreds of more apps than its competitors.
This includes must-have apps like Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant Video, YouTube, HBO Go and Crackle, all of which are integrated into its personalized main menu. Even better, nearly every special interest streaming app is here too.
From the more known food channel Chow and the anime channel Crunchyroll to the almost certainly unknown Vietnamese American Real Estate and esoteric sciences channel Occult TV, there's no shortage of content for niche audiences.
In fact, there are over 1,000 streaming apps here, giving Roku the ability to claim that its platform has "more streaming channels than other Smart TVs combined." Those bragging rights were previously confined to set-top boxes like the Roku 3 or its HDMI streaming stick.
TCL Roku TV plays Amazon Instant Video natively whereas Apple TV cannot and requires an iOS device with a cumbersome and potentially laggy AirPlay exchange.
It also streams Vudu, TED Talks, Epix and, most recently, Google Play Movies & TV. Google Music hasn't joined the list, but Pandora, Spotify and Rdio are part of the Roku app playlist.
MIA apps
More apps doesn't mean every app, of course. TCL Roku TV is missing FX Now and Twitch apps, and while Time Warner is here with strict log-in requirements, the Verizon FiOS TV app is still exclusive to the Xbox One.
Like the Roku 3, you won't find Apple Inc's best friends ABC, ABC Family, ABC News. The CW Network app is also absent for the Smallville amount of you that care.
Unlike the Roku 3, I couldn't find the Watch ESPN trio of Watch ESPN apps among the thousands of TCL Roku TV channels. Turns out The Walt Disney Company isn't making deals with smart TVs yet - just set-top boxes.
Grab a cheap Chromecast if you're mad at Mickey Mouse for the ESPN, Disney or ABC app no-shows.
TV interface
Interestingly, cable box, game console and Blu-ray player connections appear at the top of the grid-like interface and are on the same footing as apps.
Are you a cord-cutter who doesn't pay for cable? Shift or hide that pre-installed selection from the menu so that it's out of the way.
Likewise, PS4 and Xbox One owners can bump up the game console to the No. 1 spot and remove the Blu-ray option completely since that's obviously redundant.
TCL eliminates the archaic and older-dad-confusing TV/Video button in favor of treating everything as an app tile, and it works. After all, we're living in a Netflix era of content streaming. If Netflix shows deserve Emmys, the app deserves equal placement next to network TV content.
Design
With so much focus on the TCL Roku TV software, it's easy to forget about the comparatively subtle hardware design. Luckily, it pulls off a premium enough look given its price.
This 40-inch flat-screen has narrow bezels for dimension of 36.5 in. x 21.4 in. x 2 in and it sits on a glass base, eschewing the plastic makeup of cheaper displays. Two small legs can be installed on the television to keep it from tipping over. That's important in earthquake country, but less important on the 40-inch model.
Around back, there are three HDMI 1.4 ports, 1 USB port, an optical audio S/PDIF port and a headphone jack. Older yellow, red and white composite cable input connections are there too.
The TCL reaches as far back as supporting a coaxial connection in the back. Over-the-air HD antenna, cable or satellite coaxial cables can also be hooked up directly to the TV thanks to this feature that is sometimes sidelined on cheaper displays.
Sleep timer
One of the more exciting new features outside of the main app menu is the fading sleep time. It's an idea that was possible when Roku was strictly an outside-of-the-box solution.
Yet my forum post research proves sleep timers have been a highly requested feature from sleepy TV watchers. They've been looking for a way to turn off their TVs after a set period of time. It's a feature some TV manufacturers have sidelined over the years and it remains absent from most monitors that may be doubling as a Roku set-top box display for some people.
The TCL Roku TV takes the old-fashioned sleep timer one step further. Instead of just turning off the television in a flash, it counts backwards from 10 and fades both the visual and audio content in an oh-so-gentle fashion.
That ensures the tired-out TV goer doesn't get woken by by the abrupt change in the darkened room. It can always be canceled within the 10 seconds in case your TV-watching cure for insomnia didn't work in the set period of time.
Picture quality
TCL's flat-panel televisions are affordable, but they're not short on specs for for their price. Beyond the Roku TV enhancements, both the 48-inch 48E4610R and the larger 55-inch 55E4610R are backed by a full 1080p resolution and direct-lit LED technology.
However, the 40-inch 40FS4610R we tested is an edge-lit LED display. On paper, it has many of the same specs: a 120Hz refresh rate, a fairly meaningless 5000000:1 "dynamic" contrast ratio, 1.07 billion colors and a 178-degree viewing angle.
It looks good if you're a budget conscious consumer who isn't a videophile bent on perfection. But this edge-lit version doesn't always spread the light evenly on the 40-inch frame.
Backlight bleeding is noticeable in certain darker scenes and when the TV boots up. The same scenes exhibit less than adequate black levels. Watching horror TV shows like FX's American Horror Story: Freak Show made nighttime scenes extra difficult to see finer details.
That didn't matter in moderately sunlit scenes or brightly-lit Blu-ray movies like Office Space. Colors are fairly accurate for the TCL Roku TV's class, and if you bring this TV home from the store and the skin tones aren't to your liking, there's a surface-level deep adjustments menu.
An advanced picture settings menu for changing the color, tint and color temperature join the usual options of picture mode, backlight, brightness, contrast and sharpness.
Finally, games moved without input lag between my controller, next-gen consoles and screen. This makes the TCL Roku TV an easy choice for gamers who just ponied up for an Xbox One or PS4 and want to save cash on a brand-new HDTV.
Usability, sound and value
Usability
TCL Roku TV defines what we want from television usability. Its straightforward setup process and menu system was inviting in the beginning and discovering its smartphone apps was a treat at the end.
Downloading the iOS and Android apps makes keying search terms into this smart TV easier thanks to an equally smart QWERTY keyboard. There are some basic menu icons on the app when they're needed too.
It's not just software that shows the TCL Roku TV's keenness for modernizing input devices. The minimalist remote is simple and to-the-point, reflecting the design we love from the Roku 3.
A red power buttons sits at the top, followed by the back and home buttons and a five way cursor input. App-driven buttons include skip backward, options and three playback controls.
Shortcuts to Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, Rdio and Vudu are handy as long as you're a member. Otherwise, they're an easy way to accidentally open these apps.
Previous Roku remotes have featured Netflix, Pandora and Crackle in these spots, so it's really a crapshoot every time there's a new Roku device. There's also no headphone jack for remote listening like on the Roku 3 remote. Some people found that an extremely useful perk.
Radically, the TCL Roku TV moves the volume rocker and mute toggle to the side of this tiny remote. I couldn't find out how to turn the volume up when I first installed the TV.
But once I figured it out, it made sense. It's a lot like a smartphone. What makes even more sense is that the on-screen volume bar is vertical. After all the volume goes up and down, not right to left. I like that logic.
Sound
Just because the TCL Roku TV is inventive with its volume rocker and on-screen bar doesn't mean it sounds any better than a budget television.
The two 8-watt speakers were worse than other TVs we have tested. It was harder to hear softly spoken movie dialogue and turning up the volume didn't always help the situation.
In fact, due to the lack of front-facing speakers, I got shushed by my girlfriend during a hard-to-hear movie scene. Thanks, TCL Roku TV. Time to invest in a soundbar. At least I can now say "I bought it for us." On second thought, thanks, TCL Roku TV!
Value
The headline to this TCL Roku TV review is its pick-up-and-press-play app ecosystem. But it's not a convincing story unless you consider the affordable price that makes it worth it.
It starts at $329 for the 1080p and 40-inch app streaming playground in your living room or, more likely for a lot of households, bedroom. As almost every TV expert advises, I'll tell you to always buy bigger - as long as you can fit it.
In this case, the 48-inch model not only adds eight inches, but direct backlighting to the LED. I found that the 40FS4610R had uneven backlight bleeding due to its edge-lit method of casting light on the screen. It's worth the price bump considering it's still a deal.
Verdict
I've had a few people recently ask me for a good, affordable TV selection and I recommended this one while I was busy testing it. One person wanted a holdover TV to replace a broken set before ponying up for a 4K TV.
There are a lot of similar reasons to buy into this set. If you don't need the best from Sony, Samsung and LG, want a second television or are on a strict entertainment budget, this HDTV saves you money on both the display and set-top box.
We liked
Roku does app streaming interfaces right and TCL has the first Roku television. The 1,000+ channels are right there on the home screen and so are the various HDMI modes - there's no need to press the TV/Video button seven times in order to cycle through.
This eliminates the bygone "gray snow screen" that your parents only seem to turn to when the volume is set to 11. Like the gradual sleep timer feature, it makes for a more pleasant, less jarring viewing experience for TCL TV goers.
The flat-screen design and bottom glass base make the TCL Roku TV look and feel premium, too. That's great for its incredible attractive 1080p starting price of $329.
We disliked
Picture quality is simply above average. This is due to poor black levels and the backlight bleeding of the edge-lit 40-inch version that we tested. It casts light unevenly and is going to disappoint videophiles looking for the best from within the budget category.
Also what you won't get here is the Roku streaming experience on your first 4K UHDTV and even a curved TV at that. Those are going to be the hot topic at CES 2015 in a little more than a month, and TCL itself boasts inexpensive UHDTVs and curved sets.
Final verdict
The TCL Roku TV is exactly what we want from a multimedia perspective. Its app-filled menus are easy to navigate thanks to the Chinese company's decision to offload the software to the software experts at Roku. Makes sense, right? We really cringe whenever we see manufacturers try to do it on their own and it turns out to be a buggy and painfully slow mess.
The apps here are plentiful, while the remote's buttons are thankfully not. TV manufacturers tend to go overboard when a TV is meant to be a relaxing experience. The price gives us peace of mind as well. It's not the best budget TV out there, but it's the best for its price.
Also consider
TCL won't be the only Chinese TV manufacturer with a Roku TV. Hisense is also making a 40-inch class 40H4C set available at Best Buy. It's a 1080p LED competitor for $350, though the refresh rate is limited to 60Hz.
Also in its price range is the popular Vizio E-Series, which has a comparable 40-inch LED 1080p television for $380. It's 120Hz and a full-array LED, but lacks the Roku interface.
from TechRadar: Technology reviews http://ift.tt/1ta6LdG
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