Got a TCL TV? Change these 16 settings ASAP - here's why

TCL / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET

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ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• Your TCL TV whitethorn not beryllium optimized for location close retired of the box.
• A fewer speedy changes tin dramatically amended your experience.
• You tin besides trim unnecessary information postulation portion you watch.

TCL is known for its fund TVs, but successful caller years, it has delivered immoderate jaw-dropping models and consistently rolled retired excellent hardware that often rivals far much costly sets. My issue, however, is that astir TCL TVs vessel with default settings that bash not springiness you the champion picture, performance, oregon privateness protections astatine home. Luckily, the hole is simple.

Also: Own a astute TV? These 13 features tin dramatically amended your show - here's how

Your TCL TV has implicit a twelve antithetic settings that springiness you fine-tuned power implicit however your TV processes motion, color, brightness, and adjacent however overmuch information it collects astir you. Changing them is casual and tin radically amended your experience.

Below are the TCL TV settings worthy changing close away, wherefore each 1 matters, and precisely however to set it.

1. Change the representation mode: Movie oregon Filmmaker

Most astute TVs present see aggregate representation modes, including TCL models, which often default to Standard, Vivid, oregon Sports. These modes usage overly chill colors, excessive brightness, and artificial contrast. They are meant to basal retired connected showroom floors, but astatine home, the effect is often excessively aggressive. Instead, you volition privation to usage Movie oregon Filmmaker mode, which is tuned for accuracy.

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These modes usage a warmer colour temperature, much realistic contrast, and little processing overall. Filmmaker mode goes a measurement further by automatically disabling question smoothing and utilizing stricter standards for framework rate, color, and facet ratio truthful contented is displayed arsenic the manager intended. When you power to either mode, the representation whitethorn look yellowish oregon lukewarm astatine first, but that is normal.

Your eyes are conscionable adjusting from the overly bluish default.

1. Go to Settings.
2. Open Picture oregon Picture settings.
3. Select Picture Preset oregon Picture Mode.
4. Choose Movie oregon Filmmaker (on 2025 and newer models).

Note: If you person an older Roku-powered TCL TV, property the * (asterisk) fastener connected the Roku TV remote, past spell to Picture settings > Picture Mode. You volition spot HDR Dark, HDR Standard, and HDR Bright options. HDR Dark is designed for dim rooms and offers the astir close colour and shadiness detail. HDR Standard balances brightness for mundane viewing, portion HDR Bright increases brightness for well-lit rooms. I similar HDR Dark since I thin to ticker movies astatine night.

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2. Turn disconnected Motion Clarity (or question smoothing)

Ever perceive of the dreaded "soap opera" effect connected TVs? Its method sanction is question smoothing, though TCL calls it Motion Clarity connected TCL Google TVs. Whatever you privation to telephone it, it does the aforesaid thing: It inserts artificial frames to marque question look smoother. In actuality, movies and shows extremity up looking inexpensive and unnatural, particularly during fast-paced enactment scenes.

Also: How to crook disconnected question smoothing connected your TV (and wherefore it makes specified a large difference)

Some radical similar question smoothing for unrecorded sports, but for astir content, it is not precise good. I urge turning it off.

1. Go to Settings.
2. Open Picture oregon Picture settings.
3. Open Advanced Picture Settings.
4. Choose Motion.
5. Turn Motion Clarity off.

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3. Turn disconnected Dynamic Contrast

Newer TCL Google TVs see a Dynamic Contrast diagnostic that auto-boosts brightness and opposition based connected each country successful the movie oregon TV amusement you are watching. I find, however, that it often causes highlights to stroke retired and shadiness item to vanish crossed a batch of content. I similar to crook it disconnected to support brightness and opposition accordant from country to country and to sphere good detail.

1. Open Settings.
2. Open Picture oregon Picture settings.
3. Select Advanced Picture Settings.
4. Turn Dynamic Contrast off.

Note: If you person an older Roku-powered TCL TV, property the * (asterisk) fastener connected the Roku TV remote, past spell to Picture settings > Customize representation > Expert settings > Dynamic opposition to crook it off.

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4. Turn disconnected Dynamic Color

Newer TCL Google TVs person different dynamic diagnostic that automatically adjusts what you see, but alternatively of toying with contrast, it plays with color. Called Dynamic Color, it exaggerates saturation to marque colors truly popular connected your display. It looks large connected a showroom floor, but astatine home, it tin marque tegument tones look orangish oregon unnatural and origin colors to displacement depending connected what is playing.

Also: I replaced my chamber TV with this $170 Roku projector, and it is simply a worthy alternative

If you privation much accurate, realistic colors alternatively than melodramatic ones, crook it off.

1. Go to Settings.
2. Open Picture.
3. Select Advanced Picture Settings.
4. Turn Dynamic Color off.

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5. Turn disconnected Adaptive Color Temperature

Here is different newer TCL Google TV diagnostic you tin disable: Adaptive Color Temperature. It auto-adjusts achromatic equilibrium based connected your country lighting oregon the content. While that sounds helpful, it causes disposable colour shifts mid-scene. Prefer consistency? Turn it off.

1. Go to Settings.
2. Open Picture oregon Picture settings.
3. Select Advanced Picture Settings.
4. Turn Adaptive Color Temperature off.

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6. Turn disconnected Black Stretch

You are not done shutting things disconnected conscionable yet. Newer TCL TVs see a Black Stretch diagnostic that adjusts shadiness item by deepening oregon lifting blacks. If you are noticing a signifier here, I americium not a instrumentality of astir automatic tweaks. In this case, it tin crush item successful acheronian scenes oregon marque shadows look gray. Turning it disconnected preserves the archetypal opposition of the content. I ever take archetypal implicit artificial.

1. Go to Settings.
2. Open Picture oregon Picture settings.
3. Select Advanced Picture Settings.
4. Turn Black Stretch off.

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7. Turn disconnected Adaptive Brightness

Newer TCL TVs usage a airy sensor to auto-adjust surface brightness based connected your room. This diagnostic is called Adaptive Brightness, and successful my experience, it tin origin noticeable brightness fluctuations that look similar flickering, particularly during the day. Turn it off.

1. Go to Settings.
2. Go to Display and Sound.
3. Select Intelligent Settings.
4. Choose Intelligent Picture.
5. Turn Adaptive Brightness off.

Note: This mounting whitethorn besides look nether Eye Health.

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8. Change the Black Level (brightness)

Let america get into immoderate manual tweaks you tin bash present that you person disabled galore of the automatic features connected your TCL TV. First up is brightness, which mightiness beryllium labeled Black Level connected immoderate Google TV models. This mounting controls however acheronian the darkest parts of the representation appear. If it is acceptable excessively low, shadiness item disappears. If it is acceptable excessively high, blacks look washed out.

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There is nary cleanable proposal here. It each depends connected your penchant and your country lighting, truthful play astir with it.

1. Go to Settings.
2. Open Picture oregon Picture settings.
3. Select Advanced Settings oregon Brightness Settings.
4. Adjust Black Level oregon brightness utilizing acheronian scenes.

Note: On older Roku-powered TCL TVs, property the * (asterisk) fastener connected the Roku TV remote, past spell to Picture settings > Display brightness. You volition spot Darker, Dark, Normal, and Bright options based connected your room's ambient light. Use Darker oregon Dark for dim rooms oregon nighttime viewing, Bright for well-lit rooms, and Normal for mundane viewing. I typically usage Dark for watching movies astatine night.

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9. Change the opposition

If you disabled Dynamic Contrast but inactive privation to power the strength of the agleam highlights you are seeing, you tin manually set your TV's contrast. I find that, if it is acceptable excessively high, agleam areas tin suffer item and go featureless. That said, I ain a mates of TCL TVs, and some were precise adjacent to close retired of the box. Still, it is worthy checking and changing yours if needed.

1. Go to Settings.
2. Open Picture oregon Picture settings.
3. Select Advanced Settings.
4. Adjust Contrast utilizing agleam scenes.

Note: If you person an older Roku-powered TCL TV, property the * (asterisk) fastener connected the Roku TV remote, past spell to Picture settings > Customize representation to set the opposition manually.

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10. Lower the sharpness

Here is simply a mounting I person not mentioned yet: Sharpness. Unfortunately, it does not adhd existent detail. Instead, it applies thing known arsenic artificial borderline enhancement, creating halos and disposable noise. Lowering the sharpness gives you a much earthy representation and texture.

1. Go to Settings.
2. Open Picture oregon Picture settings.
3. Find Sharpness.
4. Lower it until edges look clean.

Note: If you person an older Roku-powered TCL TV, property the * (asterisk) fastener connected the Roku TV remote, past spell to Picture settings > Customize representation to set the sharpness manually.

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11. Turn disconnected Noise Reduction

So you thought I was done with the automatic stuff? Think again. TCL includes a Noise Reduction diagnostic that tries to creaseless retired sound atom and compression, but it often removes item successful the process. Unless you are watching precise low-quality content, crook it off.

1. Go to Settings.
2. Open Picture oregon Picture settings.
3. Select Advanced Picture Settings.
4. Turn Noise Reduction.
5. You mightiness besides a Digital Noise Reduction option, which you tin besides set oregon disable.

Note: If you person an older Roku-powered TCL TV, property the * (asterisk) fastener connected the Roku TV remote, past spell to Picture settings > Customize representation > Expert settings > Noise simplification to crook it off.

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12. Try Gradation Clear

Gradation Clear is simply a newer, automatic diagnostic you whitethorn not need, but I really bash not caput it and person recovered it useful. It reduces colour banding, besides known arsenic posterization, resulting successful smoother, much refined colour gradients. Noticeable successful scenes with sunsets, smoke, oregon underwater shots, I precocious tried it portion watching La La Land and The Princess Bride and thought it looked good.

1. Go to Settings.
2. Open Picture oregon Picture settings.
3. Select Advanced Picture Settings.
4. Enable Gradation Clear, if needed.

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13. Try LED Motion Clear

Not each newer, automatic features are bad, and immoderate whitethorn adjacent beryllium worthy trying, similar LED Motion Clear connected Google TVs.

Also: Every Roku idiosyncratic should cognize these 15+ shortcuts that unlock the system's champion features

It inserts achromatic frames to darken the image, sharpen motion, and amended clarity. I tried it portion watching Midsommar, a fearfulness movie that deliberately uses relentless, high-key daylight, and recovered that it added shadows and helped heighten the uneasy mood. This mounting is optional and wholly preference-based, but it tin beryllium amusive to experimentation with connected antithetic movies and shows.

1. Go to Settings.
2. Open Picture oregon Picture settings.
3. Select Advanced Picture Settings.
4. Toggle LED Motion Clear.

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14. Turn disconnected 'Use Info from TV Inputs' and ACR

OK, I americium done with representation settings, but determination are a fewer privateness settings I privation to screen next. For example, if you ain a astute TCL TV, either Roku oregon Google TV, did you cognize it tin way what you ticker done cablegram boxes oregon crippled consoles? This diagnostic is called "Use Info from TV Inputs," and I urge turning it disconnected to bounds unnecessary information postulation astir your viewing habits.

TCL TVs besides usage ACR, oregon automatic contented recognition, a data-tracking exertion that identifies what you are watching crossed streaming apps, cable, and HDMI-connected devices to measurement viewing habits and service targeted ads. Disable this setting, too.

1. Go to Settings.
2. Select Privacy.
3. Choose Smart TV Experience.
4. Turn disconnected Use Info from TV Inputs.
5. Turn disconnected ACR.

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15. Turn disconnected personalized ads

Here is different 1 for those of you with a astute TCL TV, specified arsenic Roku oregon Google TV. By default, it uses your viewing information to personalize ads, but you tin trim this without breaking anything. By disabling "Personalized ads" successful settings, you tin forestall ads from being targeted oregon overly tailored to you. Some models whitethorn besides person a "Limit advertisement tracking" feature. Enable that, if so.

Also: How to disable ACR connected your TV - and wherefore it makes specified a large quality doing so

1. Go to Settings.
2. Open Privacy.
3. Select Advertising.
4. Turn disconnected Personalized ads.
5. Enable Limit advertisement tracking, if available.

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16. Review microphone entree and permissions

Last but not least, if your TCL TV oregon distant includes a microphone, streaming apps you person installed whitethorn petition entree to it. You mightiness already cognize that, but did you besides cognize you tin reappraisal and restrict this entree astatine immoderate time? Here is how.

1. Open Settings.
2. Go to Privacy.
3. Select Voice oregon Microphone.
4. Adjust microphone entree and permissions.

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