I have been using the TCL 55C728 QLED TV for the weekend and have a few thoughts on the massive gaming TV, I say massive because I was coming from a 32′ TV.
The TCL 55C728 is a massive 100 Hz VA panel displaying an Ultra HD definition of 3840 x 2160 pixels before it is a TV. The slim display has a metal frame that is barely visible from the front. The metal panel at the bottom has the TCL logo in the center and the Onkyo logo on the right.
Assembly was easy, The center leg, however, takes up quite a bit of space on the TV Stand and protrudes a lot in front of the TV, and will complicate your addition of a soundbar.
This affordable TV uses a Direct Led backlighting system: this means the brightness is uniform across the entire panel.
Being a QLED TV, pixels do not emit their own lights like OLED Displays, here, Quantum dots are microscopic molecules that, when hit by light, emit their own differently colored light. In QLED TVs, the dots are contained in a film, and the light that hits them is provided by an LED backlight. That light then travels through a few other layers inside the TV, including a liquid crystal (LCD) layer, to create the picture. OLED TVs don’t need LED backlights.
However, the blacks are still better than LEDs due to local dimming. TCL says hundreds of localized areas (1296 zones) on the TV are precisely dimmed, for a deeper, more stunning dark display.
Connectivity.
There are four HDMI ports on the TV, two of them are labeled 4K120. The other two are HDMI 2.0. there is a USB port, a composite video and stereo audio input, two antenna connectors, an optical digital output, a headphone output, and an Ethernet and Wi-Fi port. You can connect a mouse/keyboard or wireless headphones via Bluetooth. There is eARC support.
The two HDMI 2.1 supporting 4K 120 Hz signals, ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode), eARC (enhanced audio return), and especially VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) will come in hand during competitive titles for gamers. VRR must be enabled in the menu and Dolby Vision compatibility is lost if you opt for VRR.
VRR is a key feature for getting a smooth, artifact-free picture when gaming – ensuring a clean image for both offline and competitive games. The main job of VRR is to eliminate screen tearing when playing games. Tearing is a kind of visual glitch, where the image on your TV shudders mid-frame before carrying on as before. Screen tearing happens when your TV’s refresh of its image is out-of-sync with the rate at which your console or PC graphics card delivers frames. VRR will come in handy with the Next-Gen Console — PS5 / Xbox Series X.
This is not just a gaming TV though, The TCL 55C728 television is compatible with all HDR formats, from the classic HDR10 and HLG to the dynamic metadata formats HDR10 + and Dolby Vision IQ. The 4K HDR features an incredible eight million pixels, so you can enjoy vivid color and razor-sharp clarity while watching your favorite Euphoria show. With the accurate reproduction of light and dark shades in dazzling detail, you’ll also never watch your anime on anything else.
To make the device affordable, TCL cut on sound, the C728 has a power of 2 x 10 W. To get full immersion, you will have to purchase a sound system, luckily the TV supports Dolby Atmos for that.
TCL 55C728 Specs and Software
The C728 series uses the quad-core ARM Cortex-A73 and Mali-G52 MP, 3GB DDR4 RAM, and 32GB of internal storage. This powerful chipset provides an excellent user experience in the new Google TV environment.
The TV is very responsive and easy to navigate through menus or applications. The C728 uses Android 11, with the new Google TV interface.
Also Read: Will Google TV Replace Android TV?
TCL 55C728 First Impressions
I find I sleep way later now just watching content on this TV, having come from a very mediocre display, I can’t make comparisons, however, the C728 boasts very high image quality. The handling is good, the calibration is good, it gets very bright, the viewing angles amazed me. I enjoyed the amazing beautiful 4K images in both SDR and HDR.
Gamers will appreciate the low input lag and two HDMI 2.1 ports with all the necessary functions. This is a great TV.
The TV also comes with a dedicated Webcam for Google Duo which I haven’t got around to unboxing.
The TCL 55C728 will set you back around Sh77,000. It is also available in 65-inch (165 cm) and 75-inch (190 cm).