TCL 65-inch 4K E5691 smart TV review

The 4K television market is hotting up in Australia with the release of the new TCL 65-inch model that offers quality and features at a competitive price.

4K, also known as Ultra High Definition, has four times the resolution of a regular full high definition TV.

In TCL’s case the E5691 smart TV has the resolution of 3840 x 2160 on its 65-inch edge-lit LED screen.

And being priced at just $3,999, the TCL E5691 4K TV sits in the same price bracket as its competitors’ latest full HD smart TVs.

TCL has slowly gained market favour here in Australia by offering TVs that can stand shoulder to shoulder with the older established brands.

They offer similar, if not equal, quality to their competitors but at a much lower price as this TCL 65-inch 4K TV demonstrates.

With 4K the problem we are facing at the moment is that there is no native content out there that will fill out every one of those millions of pixels to really showcase the quality they can offer.

But for our review we did get a chance to view native 4K content on the TCL’s 65-inch screen and the quality was breathtaking.

Sharpness and clarity take on a whole new meaning when you’re watching an image that has as much detail as the one we saw.

Colours were rendered quite accurately with just the right amount of saturation.

Black levels were respectable – maybe a shade behind where we’d prefer them to be – but still high quality nonetheless.

And there was plenty of detail – thanks in part to the sheer number of pixels at our disposal but also from the technology behind the screen that also did the lion share of the heavy lifting.

But, for the purposes of our review, the only way we could view that 4K content was by streaming it off the hard drive of a computer we had to plug in to the TV using a HDMI cable.

At the moment the technology to fit the massive file required for 4K video on a single disc is still a little way off – but that’s a whole other story.

And the good news is the day that content arrives you’ll be ready to watch it in all its glory on the TCL 65-inch 4K TV.

At the moment we have to be happy with the their ability to upscale full high definition movies on Blu-ray to near 4K quality.

In TCL’s case, the upscaling is impressive with a noticeable increase in quality.

For us it definitely took our movie viewing experience to the next level.

And when you get accustomed to that quality it’s a bit of a come down when you return to watching regular free to air TV which is high definition – not full high definition. It really doesn’t do this excellent screen justice.

Viewers are left to their own devices on the audio front though with the built-in speakers providing adequate output but nothing that’s going to match the quality level you’re getting with the picture.

Our advice is to invest in a sound bar if you want to dramatically increase the audio quality.

On the design side, the TCL has a thin, almost invisible, bezel so all you’re seeing is the picture.

The panel itself sits on an octagonal stand to complete an overall sleek look.

On the inside there’s also all of the features you expect to see on a smart TV such as built-in wireless connectivity, catch up TV apps including SBS On Demand, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. It’s also Skype ready.

It also has active 3D and comes with four pairs of lightweight glasses in the box so the whole family can watch.

Also onboard the TCL 65-inch 4K E5691 is nScreen technology that allows users to wirelessly share the content from their smartphones directly to the TV.

It’s also possible to connect an external hard drive to the TV’s USB slot and enjoy full PVR functionality with Time Shift as well.

VERDICT

The TCL 65-inch 4K E5691 smart TV would have to be pound-for-pound the best value television on the market.

Not only do you get an excellent 4K screen with all the added smarts and connectivity options but it comes at a price that is up to $5000 cheaper than similar size 4K models.

At $3999, the TCL 4K smart TV is about the same price as a top of the full HD television with a quarter of the pixels.

With its 65-inch 4K TV, TCL has proven yet again it’s possible to offer superior quality at an affordable price.

TCL 65-inch 4K E5691 Smart TV

Price: $3999