Any experience with TCL? People seem to *like* the LE55FHDF3300ZTA 55-Inch 1080p 240Hz - Page 2

I haven't had a problem with motion blur at all. Everything seems smooth which I hope is a good thing. There is no way to turn off/on the claimed 240hz, so I am left to just trust that it is indeed performing as claimed. Either way, motion isn't an issue, so Im happy with it.

The clouding is a huge annoyance though. I am conflicted about it because it is very, very rarely noticeable durring use. Only in sustained super dark scenes, and on the pure black 5 second startup screen. I'm conflicted because I feel like, to some degree, you get what you pay for. I payed $699 at Amazon and there isn't another 55" set that I could find that even comes close.

Aside from the clouding I couldn't be happier because it is exactly what I wanted, a "dumb" display. This set fits the description: thin bezel, LED, high refresh rate, no "smart" crap, no 3D, no frills. Just a pure, large display. It's astonishing how this is becoming increasingly more difficult to find.

As for the screen reflection, I have it in the basement where there isn't much external light, so for me it hasn't been an issue. The screen is definitely semi-matte. It has a matte look, but it still can throw a reflection.

For those that are interested here are some images. (keep an open mind because I took them on my iPhone, so low light quality sucks)


You can see the window reflection in the screen. This is without the flash.


With LED flash. You can see the flash in the high gloss bezel, compared to the matte-ish screen.


I know the image quality is so bad that I probably shouldn't have even bothered, but this is the startup screen. I know it looks like a black hole in the center of the screen, but it thats not an accurate representation. The offensive clouding is in the four corners surrounding the black hoe in the middle. (I think that's why on camera, the middle looks black because surrounding it are brighter "clouded" patches)


These are the problem areas. Again, I know the image is terrible, and it over exaggerates the problem, but it is still a problem.

I have read opinions both ways. Some people say clouding gets better with time, others say forget it, you're screwed. Others say rubbing it helps.... Like I said, I'm conflicted. It was super cheap, and I have no other complaints. If I send it back, I will most likely get more of the same. I have read threads of Samsung 55" 8 series with clouding issues. I'm sure they may not be as significant, but if I have the same issues as someone that payed $2,000 more... maybe there is nothing to complain about.

Thoughts?

I received my TCL 55" HDTV a few days ago and I too have been playing with the settings and trying to alleviate the clouding on the black screen....which is how I found this forum. My settings, which I'm happy with so far, are:
Brightness: 50
Contrast: 85
Sharpness: 60
Backlight: 36
Color: 50
Light sensor: off
Dynamic backlight: off
Noise reduction: low
I have read that to reduce the clouding, try decreasing backlight. Even when set on 0, there was still min clouding but the pic was very dark. On 36, the pic is perfect and no evidence of clouding on dark scenes....currently watching anaconda, which is mostly dark scenes....no clouding. As far as concern over thickness....might be a slight concern when mounted on a wall, but mine is on a credenza and looks sleek, barely any frame sent at all, which makes the picture seem even bigger! Love the glass stand too. Looks like a spent way more than I did. I appreciate the input from other owners. I didn't notice the clouding until Friday night, so I was planning on calling TCL tomorrow thinking I had a defective set, but after reading input from others, I think I have found a fine solution. Love my new TV!

Thanks so much for sharing! I am going to try your settings out and see what I get. I agree that it looks like a much more expensive set, which is one of its best features

I forgot to mention in my previous post that when I took those photos I turned the backlight and brightness up to 100 in order to exaggerate the problem for the photo.

Ah, I have heard that rubbing out the screen helps with clouding. Judging from the inconsistent black areas of your TV, it would seem your set would benefit from some rubbing. It's generally recommended to do while the TV is off but there are some brave souls who have done it with power on with no ill effect. They claim it's easier to see the results of their efforts while the TV is on rather than guessing. Do let us know how it goes if you do the rubbing.

So just to confirm do you notice any sort of soap opera effect on the 55" model? I know you mentioned the picture was pretty smooth in your review but what about the SOE? I know you can't adjust the 240hz setting.

Anyone comment?

-Guru

I haven't noticed SOE at all. Not on standard def TV or streaming, and def not with bluray! I honestly have only 2 issues with this set, one being easily remedied and that's the hollow sound from the back-set speakers....sound bar would work fine here, but there are pre-set sound settings (movie, voice, music....) that really do help and you can adjust manually. I think voice is the best. My TV is in a great room with cathedral ceilings. When watching in the living room area, sound is fine. Just hollow sounding when in kitchen or dining area.....but it's to be expected. If you will have this TV in isolated room, it would probably be adequate. The other issue is the clouding, as mentioned before, but with my settings it's rare to notice any....just occasional during almost black scenes.....and I'm looking for it. I wonder if others would see it at all. I watched a BR movie yesterday, and it was fantastic! I'm gonna try the rubbing, as suggested by a prev poster....BTW, thanks for the suggestion. I will repost re: results . So glad I found this thread!

Hello Forum,

I just purchased the TCL 55" FHDF3300 it is to replace the Sony KPWS520 which is still working fine BUT as you all no the angle of view is a problem, that is why I got the TCL. I am a retired AV tech so I have been checking out the new LED/LCD very closely. Here is what I have noticed
: The picture is very good, (Except I noticed that when I turned the chroma saturation all the way down the screen does not have a 100% white it has a slight green cast to it. I know with CRT sets I could adjust screens for black and gains to track pure white. I am not sure how it is done on this TCL model .
If any body knows please let me know. Changing color temp makes no difference(remember I turned chroma level completely down).
The audio is OK Not theater type but very good for little horns. I do not see audio outs so maybe the headset audio will drive external amp, (it does have digital
output)just not analog)
Thanks
Airparkguy

I've just started looking at these and they may be a good alternative for me.

Does anybody know the difference between the various suffix models?

I've seen the following:

LE55FHDF3300Z
LE55FHDF3300ZTA
LE55FHDF3300ZTT

The TCL site isn't very helpful in this regard.

Thanks,

Carlos

I have run Blu-Ray, DVD, and Xbox content and haven't once been offended by any SOE. I may not be as sensitive as other users, but I think the reason some people are skeptical that the 240hz is even present is because of the lack of SOE. As for me, I'm happy with it.

I know... face palm.

Cool that was the answer I was looking for:) And hopefully there's no excessive motion blur.

I'm still on the fence on this one. There is a certain retailer thats offering the tv for $599 after $100 rebate. If I could get bestbuy to match that price then I would probably do it.

Thanks again,

-Guru

Fellas, there is currently no HD screen in the world that has a true refresh rate of over 60 Hz. At their cores, they are ALL 60 Hz screens. And simply offer *motion enhancements* by way of upping the frames artificially. Some TVs are more prone to the soap opera effect, some less. But when you do turn on these motion enhancements, the soap opera effect is definitely there. There are of course, multiple levels to choose from depending on the brand/model you're using.

The only instance where they may be useful is when you're viewing a sporting event, where you need additional motion clarity or detail - such as a soccer or tennis game. But leaving it off doesn't make that much of a difference. At the end of the day, all LCD and LED screens are prone to some kind of blur, while Plasmas and CRTs are not. Turning on these refresh rate features are especially not recommended when playing games, as they may introduce visual artifacts, and add to the TV's processing time, also known as input lag. For movies, using this feature will rob them of the "film/cinema effect".

Please correct me, if any of the info I've posted is inaccurate.

Cheers.

Techfreak191, TCL states in the manual that 48" and up have a 240 hz refresh rate, and I have been through the entirety of the menu and manual settings and I see no way to adjust the refresh rate. I remember another owner mentioning this on here too....not being able to adjust hz. So I'm led to believe that it is as TCL states, 240 hz all the time, but no way to be certain.....at least not that I can find.

I really don't care if it's 240 htz or not the picture looks great if you use spelloud99 setting. NO SOE. Thanks spelloud99... There are 2 models of this around. Amazon has the 3300zta like the one pictured in this thread, I also have this model in 48 inch. The other you can see at Sam's, it is the 3300z and the Bezel is thicker at the botton as you look at it from the front with a horizonial silver trim. This is the altra thin model. The box is very colorfull for the 3300z with all the features plastered all over the box. On the 3300zta from Amazon the box was a standard commercial brown box with little information on it. Why the big difference in boxes I don't know. My guess is the 3300z was packaged for retail sale and the 3300zta for bulk internet sales. I think TCL is a good product for the price/feature combination.

You're welcome sugarun. I was hoping somebody would get some benefit. If nothing else, the settings are a good starting point to tweak based on personal preference

IT WORKS! I have procrastinated doing it because I was so doubtful and I didn't want to get my hopes up. Finally I gathered the courage to try it out and to my astonishment, it worked! it's not perfect, but its a significant improvement. I woud say 60-70% better than before. Those 4 problem areas are now significantly less offensive.

I followed your advice and did the rubbing while it was powered off. Other places I had read to leave it on, but like you, I thought that seemed ill advised.

I knew where the problem areas were, so I rubbed in circles those areas staring in the center of the problem area, working outward toward the edges of the display. I didn't rub the whole display, but easily the majority. I used more pressure than I originally thought I would, but the pressure i applied never seemed excessive, just firm and with purpose. I felt like because it was off I didn't need to be as delicate.

I was skeptical, but when I turned it back on, I was amazed at the difference! I hope this helps others as much as it helped me. So far I only did one pass, but I am going to give it a little run time and maybe try another to see if I can improve it even more.

Any more thoughts on this TV? I'm still on the fence here (LOL). Not sure if I want a bigger plasma (60") or give the 55" TCL a try.

-Guru

Hi,

Can you explain "Rubbing", just how you do this, are you using a soft cloth? I would appreciate the procedure
Thanks
Pilot

Yep, soft microfiber cloth. TV off, light-medium pressure. I have noticed that it hasn't exactly been permanent. I turned it on again a day later and it seems like it regressed a little. I did some more rubbing, and it looks like it got a little better, but in general it looks like it has helped, but not cured.

@aLiBi7 Hey I'm wondering if your model is LE55FHDF3300ZTA or LE55FHDF3300Z?

Thanks

Decided to buy the 55ZTA from Amazon - figuring if it's a clunker, it could go downstairs to replace a 19 yr. old multi-system rear projection.
No dead or stuck pixels. Setup using same setting as spellound99 used except set sharpness a little lower.

Findings:

a) dark scenes causes noise reduction to cycle every second or so - it appears as a slight loss of sharpness with slightly brighter
background; then, about one second later, it shifts to a shade or two darker background but sharper focus. This goes away if
the noise reduction is set to 'medium'.

b) I have the same, more or less, "clouding" when a black screen is displayed.

Thus far, all viewing has been from DISH. I do need to go out and 'wax' the dish - had some snow ice buildup which I removed. It was
causing signal degradation. My comments are from post-snow removal.

Wished you could disable noise reduction. I think this would clear up the dark scene issue without resorting to increasing the "noise" processing.

Hey, for 55 inches at only sub-$700....

Hey tgm1024,


I was holding out for the Panny 55 inch wt50, but the black Friday price wasn't happening again (soon) - it's $700 more than after Thanksgiving!

I was afraid that the Panny's would drop - but didn't find any "decent" deals. I like the Panasonic IPS TV's - we have three.

I agree with your statement about the 120Hz vs. the 240Hz - I didn't believe the spec...if it's seems too good to be true, then....

IF I had spotted the E50 at $150 more, then we'd have a fourth Panasonic.....