If you are looking for a more budget-friendly option and can make do with slightly lower performance in a bright room and for sports content, the Insignia F30 may suit you. However, if you prefer a TV with slightly better overall picture quality, a stronger performance in brighter environments, and upgraded features like voice commands and HDR support, the TCL S450G could be worth the extra cost. The TCL is also a newer model, but keep in mind that the Insignia has slightly better sound quality. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Insignia F30 (LCD)
Good viewing angle
Advantages of the TCL S450G (LCD)
The TCL S450G (LCD) has no clear advantages over the Insignia F30 (LCD).
Key differences
Cost
$340
$398
$100
$200
$300
$400
$500
$600
The Insignia F30 (LCD) has a price of $340 and the TCL S450G (LCD) costs $398.
The TCL S450G (LCD) and Insignia F30 (LCD) both have poor picture quality.
Movies & TV
5.3/10
5.6/10
4.29/10
CONTRAST
5.64/10
5.5/10
BLACK UNIFORMITY
6.1/10
5.5/10
UPSCALING
6.0/10
Yes
HDR10 SUPPORT
Yes
No
HDR10+ SUPPORT
No
No
DOLBY VISION SUPPORT
Yes
The TCL S450G (LCD) and Insignia F30 (LCD) are both poor for movies & TV.
The Insignia F30 has a low contrast score, poor local dimming, and black uniformity, leading to less defined dark scenes, which is crucial for movies and cinematic content; similar challenges are present with the TCL S450G, which, despite a better contrast, also lacks effective local dimming and has only fair performance in black uniformity and colors out of the box. Viewing angles and gray uniformity are less concerning, yet the Insignia F30 fares better here, but these factors are secondary to the critical elements that define a good cinematic experience.
Sports
6.0/10
6.1/10
2.5/10
MOTION PROCESSING
4.6/10
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
8.7/10
INPUT LAG SCORE
10.0/10
5.5/10
UPSCALING
6.0/10
5.4/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
5.5/10
No
HLG SUPPORT
Yes
The TCL S450G (LCD) and Insignia F30 (LCD) are both only fair for sports.
The Insignia F30 and the TCL S450G are both fair for watching sports; however, the TCL S450G has a better response time, important for fast-moving content, and the Insignia F30 offers wider viewing angles, beneficial for group viewing. They both struggle with reflections which is not ideal for bright rooms, but their motion processing is decent, mitigating blurring during fast-paced games, and their comparable gray uniformity doesn't distract much when viewing sports.
Gaming
5.6/10
5.6/10
5.8/10
RESPONSE TIME SCORE
5.7/10
8.7/10
INPUT LAG SCORE
10.0/10
2.5/10
MOTION PROCESSING
4.6/10
0.0/100
GAMING LOCAL DIMMING
18.0/100
5.8/10
GAME HDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
5.7/10
The TCL S450G (LCD) and Insignia F30 (LCD) are both poor for gaming.
The Insignia F30 and TCL S450G are both considered poor for gaming because they exhibit slow response times and have only average input lag, which can detract from the responsiveness and smoothness required for an optimal gaming experience. Additionally, both TVs have a refresh rate of 60Hz, which is less suitable for fast-paced games that benefit from higher refresh rates for more fluid motion.
Cartoons & Animation
5.9/10
5.8/10
5.9/10
COLOR GAMUT SCORE
5.9/10
6.2/10
COLOR VOLUME SCORE
6.2/10
5.4/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
5.5/10
8.1/10
COLORS OUT OF THE BOX SCORE
6.2/10
7.5/10
GRAY UNIFORMITY
6.6/10
The Insignia F30 (LCD) and TCL S450G (LCD) are both poor for cartoons & animation.
The Insignia F30 is considered poor for watching cartoons and animation because, despite its very good colors out of the box, it exhibits a poor color gamut which affects the range of colors displayed. The TCL S450G also struggles with cartoons and animation due to fair colors out of the box and a similarly poor color gamut, limiting its ability to accurately reproduce vibrant and varied hues.
News, Talk, & Other TV
5.4/10
5.6/10
5.4/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
5.5/10
5.5/10
UPSCALING
6.0/10
The TCL S450G (LCD) and Insignia F30 (LCD) are both poor for news, talk, & other TV.
The Insignia F30 is weak in upscaling and SDR brightness which can affect the clarity of lower-resolution content commonly found in news and talk shows, making it less ideal for watching such programs in various light conditions. In contrast, the TCL S450G also underperforms in the same areas, delivering subpar picture quality, which is not optimal when looking for a good TV for everyday viewing of standard dynamic range content like news or talk shows.
Bright Room
5.5/10
5.7/10
7.2/10
VIEWING ANGLE
5.0/10
5.4/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
5.5/10
5.6/10
HDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
5.5/10
6.0/10
REFLECTIONS SCORE
6.6/10
The TCL S450G (LCD) and Insignia F30 (LCD) are both poor for bright room.
The Insignia F30 and TCL S450G both have poor ratings for SDR and HDR brightness, which means they lack the necessary brightness to counteract glare in bright rooms, and they also only have fair reflection handling which makes them less suitable for areas with a lot of light. Additionally, while contrast is somewhat better on the TCL S450G, both TVs struggle with color volume and gamut, affecting the vibrancy and accuracy of colors in well-lit conditions.
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How the Insignia F30 (LCD) and the TCL S450G (LCD) compare to other TVs
"Still one of the best bargain TVs. The best feature remains its quick and responsive implementation of Fire TV OS and all the goodies that come with it. Having Alexa inside the Insignia 4K Ultra HD Fire TV Edition brings a lot of value, from voice control of TV functions to access to your smart home devices."
"TCL, though, has built much of its success on affordable sets, and the 2023 TCL S Class S4 with Google TV is a testament to just how good of a TV you can get for an affordable price tag"
Get a great deal on the Insignia F30 (LCD) or the TCL S450G (LCD)
About Insignia
Insignia is an in-house brand from BestBuy. It offers a range of TV sets that are lower-end and smaller size. They are manufactured in China by Hisense, which is another TV brand. Insignia TVs use Amazon's Fire OS as the smart TV software, providing users with a highly user-friendly experience.
About TCL
TCL, the highly recognizable TV brand from China, has firmly established itself as the second-largest manufacturer in terms of sales volume. Renowned for striking an impressive balance between affordability, picture quality, and design, TCL TVs deliver a compelling overall package. While they have traditionally excelled in the low-end and midrange TV segments, TCL has recently made remarkable strides in the realm of high-end televisions, introducing impressive models that rival top competitors. Most TCL TVs use Roku software which is very user friendly and easy to use, but they have a few other models that use Google TV which has the largest app selection, but is not as user friendly as Roku.
This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec TVs team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest TV information and makes it digestible for you.
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