The greyer look to dark HDR scenes can also make such content feel a bit flat (as well as meaning that even in Movie mode the C655K doesn’t track HDR grayscale standards very accurately). While the raised black levels mean that the C655K can reach further into HDR’s expanded light range than most, if not all, similarly cheap rivals, the actual range of light it covers is diminished by the black level limitations. So the resulting images are more a case of higher brightness than a truly expanded light range.
The distracting effects of the screen turning the backlight fully off and then back on again for fade to blacks are exaggerated with HDR viewing too. On top of this, the extra brightness of HDR playback made me slightly more aware of judder when watching 24p films without motion processing. With motion processing engaged, I picked up on some slight glitching over small movements.
One final HDR glitch to mention is a bug with Dolby Vision playback from external sources. Bizarrely, this finds the C655K adjusting its backlight output too early as it responds to changes in the brightness of incoming Dolby Vision signals. So, if a Dolby Vision image features a cut from a dark to a light shot, you can see the dark shot lighten up considerably slightly before the cut happens. And if there’s a cut from a bright shot to a dark one, the bright shot dims abruptly just before the cut happens.
TCL is aware of this bug now and is working on a solution. But until a fix is confirmed, Dolby Vision from external sources is pretty much unwatchable.
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TCL C655K review: Gaming
Despite only sporting a native 60Hz panel, TCL’s nifty Game Accelerator technology can deliver a credible, if slightly resolution-compromised 120Hz experience. This is accessed via a dedicated Game Master menu in the System menus and supports variable refresh rates right up to 120Hz.
Gaming images feel smooth and responsive – especially as the screen only takes an outstandingly low 9.6ms to render incoming 60Hz image data when running in its Game mode.
The C655K provides a low latency mode for Dolby Vision sources as well as standard SDR and HDR feeds, and unless you happen to be playing a particularly dark level or horror title, game sources tend to bring out more of the positives of the C655K’s image quality than video feeds do. In short, the C655K is one of the best-featured gaming TVs I’ve seen at its price point.
TCL C655K review: Sound quality
The C655K uses a combination of 2 x 10W main left and right speakers and a 15W integrated subwoofer to deliver a much better audio performance than you’ve any right to expect for so little money.
The subwoofer, in particular, instantly catapults the C655K’s sound to a mid-range rather than budget level by pumping out low-frequency sounds with much more depth and presence than I’ve heard from any other TV in the same class. Moreover, it does without suffering crackling, chuffing or drop-out distortions with all but the most bombastic movie soundtrack moments.
