TCL S450R (LCD)
TCL S450R (LCD)
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PICTURE QUALITY: Fair—6.5/10
MOVIES & TV: Fair—6.0/10
GAMING: Poor—5.7/10
SPORTS: Fair—6.1/10
CARTOONS & ANIMATION: Fair—6.0/10
NEWS & TALK: Fair—6.4/10
BRIGHT ROOM: Fair—6.0/10
The TCL S450R is a budget-friendly LCD TV with a decent overall picture quality and it performs well in bright rooms. For movie enthusiasts, it delivers a fair experience, but it may not be the best option for dark room viewing due to its poor local dimming and black uniformity. This TV could disappoint gamers because of its poor gaming score, implying you may notice lag or diminished responsiveness in fast-paced games. If you're into sports, the fair sports content score suggests it can handle motion well enough for casual viewing. The S450R also has good speaker quality and it supports voice commands for accessibility, making it a solid choice for everyday TV watching and news. Its 50-inch screen comes with four HDMI ports, giving you flexibility for connecting multiple devices. However, it lacks some advanced features like HDR10+ support and has no Dolby Atmos or DTS:X for immersive audio, which are important considerations if you're seeking a more high-end audiovisual experience. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Evaluation
Pros
- Good reflection handling
- Excellent black uniformity
- Best input lag for gaming
- Supports Dolby Vision and HLG
Cons
- Local dimming is poor
- HDR brightness is poor
- Colors out of the box are fair
- Sound quality is fair
Ratings by Category
Overall Picture:3.6
The TCL S450R (LCD) has fair picture quality because it offers high black uniformity which contributes to deep blacks ideal for dark scenes, but it is limited by poor local dimming and a poor color gamut, affecting brightness and color richness in HDR content.
News, Talk & Reality TV:3.5
The TCL S450R performs adequately in upscaling content, which is crucial for watching standard definition news and talk shows, ensuring they look clear on the TV's display. However, its fair performance in areas like SDR brightness, colors straight out of the box, and contrast might not provide the most vivid or detailed picture for such content.
Sports:3.2
The TCL S450R has a fair response time which may lead to some motion blur during fast-paced sports; also its fair performance in handling reflections might cause distractions in brightly lit environments. Viewing angles are limited, so the picture can lose accuracy when viewed from the side, affecting group sports watching experiences.
Cartoons & Animaton:3.1
The TCL S450R is rated as fair for watching cartoons and animation primarily because its performance with colors out of the box and color gamut, which are very important for animation, are also fair. However, the color volume has only a fair performance as well, which means that while the colors might be decent, they won't be as vibrant or varied as they could be on a TV with a better color volume.
Movies & TV shows:3.0
The TCL S450R has high contrast and excellent black uniformity which is beneficial for watching movies as it can deliver deeper blacks and better shadow detail, enhancing the cinematic experience. However, the TV's subpar local dimming and colors out of the box might make some scenes look less authentic, and the narrow viewing angles could lead to color and contrast shifts when viewed from the side, reducing the overall movie-watching enjoyment for group settings.
Bright Room:3.0
The TCL S450R has fair SDR brightness and fair handling of reflections, which means it will provide an average viewing experience in bright rooms. However, its HDR brightness is poor, so it might not deliver the best HDR experience under bright lighting conditions.
Full Specs
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
| Price | $240 | ||
Brand | TCL | ||
Release Date | August 1, 2023 | ||
Full name | 43S450R | ||
Screen Size | 43" | ||
Screen Resolution | 4K | ||
TV FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Operating System | Roku TV | ||
Sound Quality Score  | 6/10 | ||
NextGen Ready | No | ||
HDMI Ports | 4 | ||
Coax Ports | 1 | ||
DISPLAY QUALITY SCORES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Picture Quality Score | 6.6/10 | ||
Bright Room Score | 6/10 | ||
Gaming Score | 5.7/10 | ||
Movies & TV Score | 6/10 | ||
Sports Score | 6.2/10 | ||
PHYSICAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Dimensions w/o Stand (H x W x D) | 22" x 37.7" x 3.1" | ||
Dimensions with Stand (H x W) | 23.7" x 37.7" | ||
Weight without Stand | 13.7 lbs | ||
VESA Mount | 200 x 200 | ||
DISPLAY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Color Depth | 8 bit | ||
Black Frame Insertion | No | ||
Auto Low Latency Mode | Yes | ||
Contrast | 6.4/10 | ||
Local Dimming | 3/10 | ||
SOUND | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Speaker Setup | 2.0 | ||
Speaker Power | 20 W | ||
Dolby Atmos | Yes | ||
DTS:X | No | ||
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