TCL 75" Class 8-Series 4K Mini-LED QLED Dolby Vision HDR Roku Smart TV - 75Q825

This is a two week review of the TCL 8-series 75inch model. Overall impressions is very very good. I did a lot of research prior to purchase. Installation definitely requires 2 strong adults but 3-4 is better. Don't throw away the packaging and use it to build the stand (see Youtube videos). Once placed in our entertainment center first impressions was it is very sleek. I actually modified our entertainment center to hold a 75inch tv (see pics) so it fits just perfect with 1 inch gap all around. Setup was straightforward as we upgraded from a Roku Box with an old TV. First impressions are that it is very bright out of the box. I knew I had to calibrate so I downloaded the apps to my android phone and began experimenting with various settings. First was the TCL mobile IPQ calibration followed by the Roku app. In the Roku android app there are advanced settings under More-->Expert Picture Settings. I followed recommendations found online along with what I saw on the TV running UHD videos and pictures (aka my own eyes). After dialing in found that the Movie mode with Gamma 2.2 or 2.0 is the best. Another awesome feature is the optical audio out. It is independent from the audio on the actual TV so you can mute the TV's speakers and send all of the audio to your HT receiver. I'm happy because I thought I would have to upgrade my HT receiver but I didn't have to. I can still get my normal Dolby and I don't need Dolby Atmos. ISSUES: 1. The android app doesn't "mirror" to the TV on my Pixel3. However, you can "Cast" pictures from your phone. Movies that were on my phone did not Cast. I believe the android app software needs work. 2. The base is heavy and sturdy but the TV can wobble a bit if you are jumping up and down on your floor. 3. On a very bright white screen you can see a tiny bit of dimming right around the very edges. Not bad though and not noticeable unless you are looking for it. 5. Reflections on the screen are not good. (see pics). However, our family watches in a dark room so this is a moot point for us. 4. Needs to have some level of calibration to your surroundings and taste. SUMMARY: Once dialed in with calibration settings the TV images are fantastic! I upgraded from 1080P and there is a real difference when you watch the same movies (eg... Marvel) in 4K. To me the blacks were black and in UHD the TV had no problems reproducing what the creators intended. The sound out of the TV is also good however I have it going to a HT system. I'll post an update as time goes on... my last HD DLP TV lasted 13yrs so this thing has some big shoes to fill.

I'm coming from the Hisense hg9 65-in 4K HDR uled and that was an amazing TV if you're looking for something cheaper I'd still recommend it it's an Android TV which is now called Google TV but anyway I decided I was going to upgrade to the 20 20 Vizio p quantum x basically the top of the line Vizio 75-inch I like the fact it had the 2.1 upgrade to the HDMI and the one thing about this TV that disappointed me the only thing was that it had the 2.0 HDMI and send the 2.1 but the funny amazing thing is so far everything about this TV has just been better and better but even the one little tiny thing that was a letdown was the 2.0 versus 2.1 and I just got an email from TCL telling me that within the next two months my TV will be getting an over the Internet upgrade to give me the eARC and vrr which ironically were the only two things about 2.1 that I really cared about 4K 120 gaming is I've heard at least 2 years away and even when PS5 and Xbox series x launch they're only going to be doing 4K at 30 or 4K at 60 which this TV handles both of so basically for the next 2 years this TV is going to handle 99.9% of all games that are out on the new systems and because of the mini LED everything just looks stunning I know people say it's almost as nice as an OLED but I actually think it looks just as black as an ole it I mean right next to the letters is just pure deep black it's super black compared to my Hisense and it's just stunning but unlike an OLED which does perfect blacks this gets super super bright in the HDR so for example a lightsaber in Star wars looks stunning as it cuts through the darkness I mean like jaw-dropping with this television I got the 75-in it's kind of heavy but I like the stand in the middle that way your TV stand doesn't have to be super wide and only that the irony was a couple years ago I had a 4 series TCL I returned because I didn't like the Roku setup and I hated the ugly Roku red screen and I almost avoided buying this because I didn't want to keep looking at the Roku red screen but because this is the 8 series it gets all the extra bells and whistles software wise so there's a hundred different backgrounds and screens you can add since it's October now I have Halloween stuff and when November hits I already have fall leaves and that kind of crap all ready to go and then Christmas stuff in December so my TV when I turn it on looks like it's custom made for me with different backgrounds every month then when it goes on screensaver where is my Hisense just gave me pictures of nature which I remember thinking was cool but compared to this one it's so much better with the eight series because after the screensaver comes on the entire TV looks like a giant aquarium with fish swimming in it and because these TVs are now 4K HDR was super high resolution I swear it looks exactly like a real aquarium the bubbles in the water look real the sand against the screen looks real at the bottom the fish looks stunning sometimes I'll actually turn it on when I don't want to watch TV just because I always wanted a big aquarium I just didn't feel like going through all the trouble of cleaning the fish and cleaning the cage and all that jazz but this is the best of both worlds it gives me exactly what I want with an aquarium I have another screen that makes it a giant fireplace if I ever want that kind of fireplace feeling on a full night let's say the TV is just stunning in every way even the little Roku remote I thought I would hate coming from a bigger Hisense remote but I love it it's got soft rubber buttons where is the older Roku remotes had hard plastic so they've improved it's got a little button you can hold down and just talk and it'll look anything up even the graphics whenever you do anything on screen look amazing and real modern and slick the mini LED just blows away the ulid LED in the Hisense and it was nothing wrong with that that was amazing but this literally is jaw on the floor and now that I know it has Atmos built in but the beauty is when I buy the Sonos Arc soundbar I have on mine that I'm getting ready to order it'll actually pass through Atmos sound and then because before it would have been HDMI ARC which would have allowed at most to pass through but it would have been to put it in everyday terms it would have been an average version of Atmos getting through a more compressed version of Atmos let's say still good you still would have heard stuff above your head and stuff but it would have been not as good as an eARC because York allows a completely pure uncompressed Atmos signal to come through so you get the pure digital Atmos the way it should be basically the best of the best but you need an e-arc on either end the Sonos Arc has ER but my brand new beautiful super awesome 75-in 8 series top of the line TV only had HDMI r but again I'm super excited because I got an email from TCL that told me specifically with the 9.4 update of Roku I will get vvr and eARC included in the upgrade I remember literally just thinking how blown away I was by that because I didn't want to trade in the TCL after I had it for a few days after all it's the top of the line 8 series with the mini LED it's also got the quantum dot just like the p quantum x Vizio yet unlike the piquantamax it's got mini LED instead of regular LED and there's just no competition at all the mini LED allows for more than a thousand zones to light up as a result of 25,000 mini LEDs if you're talking about the 75-in model and that compares with 480 zones on the top of the line Vizio so 480 and 1000 is a big difference I've heard one estimate that put it at 900 but most of them say it's a thousand so it's clearly either 900 or 1000 either way it's double the Vizio and that's not a chump Vizio that's the top of the line Vizio which itself is an amazing picture but it's got real bad jagged edges when it comes to upscaling regular content and I kept reading horror stories about people with Xbox over and over and over again with Xbox and I have an Xbox one x and I'm getting the Xbox series x and gaming and movies is the only reason I want an HDR TV the only reason I'm spending that kind of money but anyway if you're on the fence like I was between the Vizio piquantometx which is $2,000 or this TCL 8 series 75-in which is $3,000 but you can get it on sale at Best buy for $1,500 to $1,700 so basically they're the same price and while the Vizio is very nice to me it's not even close the TCL is just amazing in every way another thing I forgot to mention is that it has a quick turn on feature that I actually didn't have enabled and the TV turned on so quick even when it was not enabled I thought I must have it enabled I didn't even bother checking because it took under a second maybe half second where is my Hisense took about 5 to 10 seconds so it was already amazing improvement in upgrade then one day when I was messing around the settings I saw it said quick turn on or something to that effect so I checked it because it was unchecked and when I went to turn it on after that it's instantaneous I mean within 100th of a second the TV is on ready to go I've never seen anything like it and it's a smart TV with super fast internet my internet signal is at the highest level of bars with the high sense it was at 4 out of 5 now with this one it's 5 out of 5 so I can't say enough about the TV I wish somebody had directly compared it to the high sense or to the Vizio piquantometx but the piquantamax is just a very very great TV whereas the mini LEDs on the 8 series is the next evolution of 4K HDR TVs and you don't need to step up and pay the extra for the 8K look at the Dolby channel they give you the sample channel they give you when you buy this TV and watch the black waves of the ocean at night or the paint as it mixes with other colors and then once you've picked your job off the ground you'll thank me for buying this TV

Still waiting for update on my replacement TCL 8 Series. I love the TCLs and have three of them and have recommended to both family and friends alike...however, after I installed my new 8 series on August 4th, I began to notice a small dark strip in upper left hand quadrant of the TV (pic attached). No it's not horrible but I don't want issue to get worse also considering this is currently THE top of the line TCL TV at the moment just expect it to be maybe not perfect but definitely without this defect or flaw. I contact TCL and have been advised now on at least four separate occasions that my situation would be resolved within 2 to 3 business days. I was again told this yesterday. Having spent a few thousand dollars on TCL products over the last couple of years I would hope they would invest the time to take care of a loyal customer. Will keep folks posted on my outcome.

I was surprised when I went to Bestbuy's website and found the 75" Series 8 in stock! Placed my order and it was delivered the next day! When they left the box in my family room it was huge! Bought the mount and put it on the wall. You will need 2 people to mount it as the TV weighs 100lbs or 45.5kg All I can say is the TV appears to be build like a tank except of course for the remote. Its the usual Roku remote. But I rather they skim on the remote then the TV. Its well build not like your usual Chinese junk. I received a firmware update as soon as I powered the TV on and configured wireless. The picture is Awesome! and game playing is great. I can see things on the Series 8 that I can't see on my LG 65" OLED. I played Luigi's mansion 3 on the Series 8 and the OLED and you can see the fabric and material in Luigi's hat. I could see it great on the series 8 but not as good on the OLED. And there was NO LAG! $2999 75" series 8 or $4999 - 8999 for 75" OLED, glad I saved the money. I am waiting for the TV to be calibrated. Then it will be even better! The only thing I don't like is the screen is not anti glare. Thank god in my family room where the TV is the blinds block the sun so its not much of an issue for me. The screen has over 1000 nits so the screen can get very bright! Here are some photos

I'll be honest, I never thought I would buy a TCL TV, as their reputation was more on entry level TV's. But when I replaced by Samsung 75 inch, I started doing a lot of research, and quickly learned even in the exclusive Audiofile community, the Series 8 TCL TV was making a huge splash, and received rave reviews. The build quality is outstanding, this sTV ways a ton. The ROKU interface is outstanding, very easy to use. And picture wise, this TV rivals OLED TV's. I'm so pleased I alreach purchased a Series 8 65 inch TV and had it mounted in my office, and just today, I purchased a series 4 75 inch TV for my son's room. I went from never considering TCL, to now owning three TCL TV's in the course of 6 weeks, and I expecct I will be a loyal TCL customer going forward.

TLDR: TV is unwatchable after 1 month of use. After about 1 month of use this television has developed a 2-foot square black shadow in the bottom left of the screen as seen in the attached images.. I called BestBuy, as expected they won't do anything. They dont even have a minimum 90-day in-store purchase warranty. I have to pay extra for an extended warranty if i want simple customer service. e.g. I can understand a year , but less than two months and they wont replace it? Called TCL & performed basic troubleshooting and they are not going to replace the TV but have someone come by to repair it. Dont get me started on static, pet dander and where they are going to put the tv when they work on it?... Let me say this. My last home theater TV was a 55inch Sharp Aequos that lasted over 10 years without a problem. I heard good things about this TCL tv and had been waitihg for a sale for well over 8 months. I regret it. Review? Bestbuy doesnt stand behind their products & after years of avoiding purchasing from them I made this exception and fully regret the experience. TCL made a TV that broke under two months from purchase? Had I known, I would have spent a little extra and purchased a television from a company that inspires a bit more consumer confidence. Sony, LG, Samsung, etc.

Bought this Tv during Labor Day says for 1500. Had to return it for another one as there was a lot of banding. Also, when I selected normal and high noise reduction for DOLBY movies like Star Wars from Disney + , I notice red bars on the bottom of the TV which was very concerning. Anyhow I returned it and got another one and the new one have a Dirty Screen with blotches that you can see during light sceens! It sure what to do now since this TV is very heavy and I’m tired of setting it up. Overall the picture is nice, but too bad the quality it not really there with the dirty panel and banding issues.

The picture quality is excellent; the quality is not. I purchased this TV from Best Buy in May, it stayed in the box until our room addition was done in August. After just 3.5 months of use, it wouldn’t turn on one morning in early November. After unplugging the set it did come back on but with a line of whitish pixels running horizontally across the set roughly in the middle of the picture. There was also a small green light, roughly an inch long, bisecting the white line about 3/4’s of the way across the TV. After performer the reset procedures recommended by TCL customer service, they’ve determined that the set is defective. I’m not getting a new TV, however. They’re coming out to replace my set with a factory-serviced unit. I’d prefer a new TV; however, if the replacement set looks like new, has a full warranty, and performs like the TV should—last for years and not months—I’ll be fine with exchanging sets. I own a number of TCL sets, all lower models, and have never had a problem. I’ll reserve final judgement for this series 8, 75” TV until I’ve had a chance to see how the new one performs. That said, you’ve been warned. My high-end TCL was defective and TCL isn’t able to fix mine and the remedy is receiving a factory-serviced used TV.