Since the beginning of broadcasts, TV brands are competing for technological supremacy. They were all expensive. From the first tube models to plasmas, LED and now Mini LED and OLED, you used to have to pay an arm and a leg for a big screen that looked good. (Unless you wanted it in there a Michael Scott dinner party formatNaturally.)
Nowadays you really don’t have to pay that much. Enthusiasts can opt for 8K resolution or OLED displays with perfect black levels in extreme formats, but most people who just stream movies, sports, or video games can get a great viewing experience with a mid-range option like this TCL QM8. Unless you’re hoarding an epic 4K Blu-ray collection in the basement or hosting a huge server with lossless rips, you probably won’t see much difference.
People ask me all the time if they should buy a projector, and the fact is that TVs like this now compete on size, but offer a much better picture that is much easier to install and use. If you want a big screen experience at home, start here.
Easy going
Getting started with TCL’s flagship model is as easy as with any more affordable TCL, which is to say, it’s dead simple. You unpack the screen (ranging in size from a manageable 65-inches to a gargantuan 98-inches), place it face down on a table or padded flat surface of sufficient size, and attach the included pedestal mount. Depending on what size you are, it might take two or three or four people, but it’s not that difficult. If you mount it on the wall, make sure you mount it on one stud or multiple studs. This is not a light TV.
Personally, I enjoy the fact that the QM8 model isn’t as thin as the more expensive TVs from LG, Samsung, and others. It makes it easier to carry and assemble without feeling like I’m going to bend it in half, especially with the larger 85-inch size of our test device.
Photo: Parker Hall
When you plug in the TV and pop a few batteries into the long rectangular remote, you’re greeted by the Google TV interface, which allows Android users and Google account owners to quickly log in to a variety of streaming services. If you can’t find it here, it’s probably pretty shady. (You can also cast using the TV’s built-in Google Chromecast and AirPlay functionality.)
Other devices are also extremely easy to configure with the TV. I connected a soundbar, the KEF LS50 Wireless II (8/10, WIRED recommended); my computer; and a Nintendo Switch (8/10, recommended by WIRED), and they all performed flawlessly. Particularly impressive is the 144Hz refresh rate at 4K and 1440p resolutions with very low input lag (less than 10 milliseconds) for instant on-screen action. It made playing quick games like Assetto Corsa Competizione and F1 2023 particularly beautiful while sim racing via my PC.