Just starting a search for a new TV to replace my 12+ year old Samsung. It still works and picture is reasonable, but as you might imagine most any current LCD or OLED TV is light years better.

Anyway, I'm liking the TCL offering in the 55 class size and probably the 6 series. Great reviews from CNET and others, but I've no experience with this brand as our last two sets are Samsungs. The 6-SERIES 55R615 are discounted to $499 which is in my budget. I like that it has built in Roku.

What do you users think?

I've had a TCL L32HDF11TA LCD 32" 720p 60Hz HDMI in our master bedroom since December 2010. Still performing flawlessly.

Like you I'm looking at upgrading our main TV and have been looking at TCL and Samsung. We're still running a Mitsubishi rear projection job (WS-65315) that dates from 2004 so no digital receiver, HDMI, WiFi, etc. Still provides a great picture but the lack of modern connectivity has been increasingly problematic. Going to be a bear getting the sucker up the stairs and then finding a dump or donation site.

quote:

Originally posted by NavyGuy:
Just starting a search for a new TV to replace my 12+ year old Samsung. It still works and picture is reasonable, but as you might imagine most any current LCD or OLED TV is light years better.

Anyway, I'm liking the TCL offering in the 55 class size and probably the 6 series. Great reviews from CNET and others, but I've no experience with this brand as our last two sets are Samsungs. The 6-SERIES 55R615 are discounted to $499 which is in my budget. I like that it has built in Roku.

What do you users think?

We had a TCL. Worked great until about a month before the warranty expired. At that point, the WiFi receiver, used for Roku, started losing connectivity. Costco took the TV back and we replaced it with an LG.

I have two (75+ and 65"). I chose them for the user friendly interface (wife, say no more).

High performance for the money, but some QC issues. An extended warranty makes sense on these.

TCL Roku TV in one of our conference rooms. No issues with it as a projector.

I have 2. They are 55 inch but couldn't tell you the model. One is 3 years old and it takes a little longer to boot up then new. I got each TV for 330. I feel like i got my money worth. I compared them at Costco to the vizios that were more expensive and couldnt see a difference. I did get a sound bar but i only use it for sports and movies. I couldn't beat the price point.

We have a couple of them. Smaller, 32” and one a little larger. Function OK but not much sound on them. Got to crank them up to hear them.

I have one in the bedroom (720, 32") and one in the basement (4k, 55"). The one in the bedroom is probably 3 years old and the one in the basement I just bought. I can't complain for what they cost. The one in the bedroom stopped playing Netflix awhile ago, but just ended up using a firestick anyway (prefer that setup over the built in Roku). In the basement, I swap between the built in Roku and a firestick as well. For the money they are hard to beat, and had I not gotten the deal I did on my Samsung for the living room I would have bought another tcl.

I do recommend looking up the recommended screen settings (do this for every brand anyway). It makes a huge difference in picture quality vs just running it out of the box preset. Also, highly recommend a backlight for it. Makes colors pop more to yours eyes. There are led tape strips that just plug into a USB on Amazon for cheap and turn on and off with the tv.

I've had a 430? model for two years (the Roku model, FWIW). The TV is great. Plex, Amazon Video/Music, TuneIn apps all work fine.

Bought a 55" last Sept. So far no issues. Great picture.

We have one in our bedroom as well. 36 or 38 inch maybe. It works well.

OP, I read the same reviews as you and ordered the exact same model from BB Reno. Since this TV is for my condo and I'm not there yet, I put off delivery until June 4, so I have no feedback for you. The difference between the 65R615 and the 65R617 is the voice activated remote and about $50-$75.

I have the model you are looking at.

For the price it is the best TV you are going to get. 4K, HDR10, local dimming zones. No where else can you get those features for the price. The picture is fantastic.

Roku app is really nice. Easy to set up and use. Good customizability for your home screen. If you use Xfinity for your provider the Roku App supports the Xfinity app so you don't need any external devices to use the TV with Xfinity.

A few negatives to consider:
1. This is not a super thin TV. The bottom half is fatter than the top half, about double the thickness.
2. Limited Inputs. Only 2 HDMI in.
3. Sound quality is so so. You will need some external sound device (Bar, Receiver) for good quality sound.
4. Reports of vertical banding visible on some TVs showing all white screen (Hockey games). My TV has this but but in a minor way not enough for me to send it back.

I have this model 55R615
Bought from BestBuy the first day it was available April of last year.

I have not noticed banding on mine - I dont plan on looking any closer either. No point in looking for trouble if it doesn't cause issues with normal viewing.

I use wired connection.

We are a Roku family so it was a good fit.

The thickness and weight were an improvement to my 12 year old Philips.

I prefer to purchase TVs locally so I can take them back quickly and worry about shipping damage.

I've got a 55" TCL I've had for around 2 years. 10/10 would Definitely do again. For the price I think it's a awesome tv.

quote:

Originally posted by cne32507:
OP, I read the same reviews as you and ordered the exact same model from BB Reno. Since this TV is for my condo and I'm not there yet, I put off delivery until June 4, so I have no feedback for you. The difference between the 65R615 and the 65R617 is the voice activated remote and about $50-$75.

I have received the my new TCL 55R615 from Best Buy (free delivery!) and a sound system from Amazon. All are set up, tuned in. Wow! What a TV! Clarity, color saturation and motion are super. Can't wait for the US Open from Pebble Beach. Plus great sound from the Yamaha AVR and ELAC speakers; I can understand dialogue without loudness. Haven't played a new action movie on Blu-Ray yet, but expect to be blown away.

Finally upgraded on June 1st! And yes, the TCL is a great choice! At $699 from Best Buy also a steal.

I had been running a Mitsubishi WS-65315 since 2004. That's a 65" rear projection 1080i TV with no HDMI, WiFi, or other modern connectivity capabilities. Over the years I went from Dish to local cable to a very reduced local cable package. Every so often they'd raise the rates and I'd engage and secure discounts and/or promotions to keep the costs fairly stable.

Well in late May I received one of those rate increase notifications and engaged customer service. Keep in mind I have always complained about equipment rental fees and miscellaneous hidden fees that always significantly inflate their advertised plan packages. Well this time they said nada even when I escalated things up several levels. They were always nice but sorry...nada. So I said "Screw it!" and moved to cut the cord once and for all. In hindsight this is a move I should have made long ago.

First hurdle was getting the 332.89 pound Mits behemoth out of my lower level "entertainment room," up the stairs past the stair glide and to the dump. Thankfully it comes apart into 2 sections and my youngest son and a friend of his with a pickup accommodated me. Here it is back in the day.



I researched replacement 65" TVs and although I liked the OLED stuff I considered them too expensive and somewhat wasteful on my septuagenarian senses. I have been running a 2010 TCL 32" model in the master bedroom. Back then I'd researched the then-new-to-the-US brand and found they made a lot of stuff for Samsung TVs. The unit has been bulletproof. Whittled my choices down to Samsung, LG, and TCL. Ultimately popped for the 2019 TCL Series 6 4K HDR LED Roku TV which received great reviews.

Didn't want a wall mount given the wood paneling in the downstairs entertainment room so I searched for a suitable VESA stand. Found this Stemple unit which is capable of handling up to a 150 lb 85" TV, sports shelving with 80 and 40 pound support, and could either be placed on feet or casters. I opted to use the casters and the shelving was perfect for my DefTech center speaker part of my 7+2 surround system.



Got it up and running finding an old set of rabbit ears (Recoton TV600) pulled all the local OTA stations in HD just fine despite this level being 80% in the ground. Started exploring what was available via Roku. WiFi connectivity is excellent. OMG the myriad free sites with movies and shows is amazing. Not being one who is drawn to the latest movies and original/new TV shows offered by the big pay streaming sites like Netflix I don't foresee subscribing, I find myself well satisfied with OTA and Roku's channel selection at this point. Turned off ad tracking, etc. for privacy. I've also strung an HDMI cable from my desktop computer, mirroring the computer monitor to the big screen.


Lousy cellphone snap

Only difference between the 65R615 from BestBuy and the 65R617 from other retailers is about $50 and a different non "enhanced" remote control. I opted to add the Roku app to my smartphone so I have all the features of the enhanced remote anyhow.

The 4K and HDR images are a revelation for me as it, obviously, its a huge step up from my old screen. Absolutely ZERO issues with the unit. Should have done this years ago!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: bald1,

Anybody who's paid much attention to my meanderings knows I don't have a lot of use for Samsung--except their TVs. No matter how hard I try I keep coming back to Samsung for TVs. I will not, however, use any of the "smart" features. In fact: If I even connect the TV to the LAN, it'll either be blocked at the router or VLAN'd so it can only reach the Internet.

If I wasn't going to go Samsung I'd probably go Toshiba or perhaps LG. (Neither of which are carried by Costco--my preferred TV vendor.)

In my research I have not been impressed with the reviews and customer experiences with Visio or TCL.

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:
In my research I have not been impressed with the reviews and customer experiences with Visio or TCL.

Many seem to disagree with you about TCL.

There are so many reviews out there and customer comments on forums to that end.

https://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/best/brands

I have a 49" four series in my office and it is a fantastic TV. The reviews on the six series are really positive.