I can’t make sense of it. I got a 35GBish size copy of Dune 2 on a USB drive, and tested on ALL TCL 2023 TVs, LG C4, G4, Hisense U8N, TCL Q651G, you name it– Every one of them read the file as HDR only. I pop that SAME USB drive and file into this 55" S551G, and it reads Dolby Vision lmao. Why is it the BOTTOM TIER 2024 4K TCL can playback DOlby Vision from a USB drive, when NO OTHER TV CAN. Not even better models in the same companies series for that year. Of course the panel doesn’t have local dimming or get bright enough to have any impact, but it’s hilarious to me that this is the case.

which size did you order?

Aug 01, 2024 03:27 PM By dRT7

250

which size did you order?

We bought the 75” model!

FYI: according to TCL “50” is considered “neutral” sharpness -“ For your TV model, you can set the sharpness to 50 for neutral sharpness.

Thank you for choosing TCL!

Roderick C. Customer Support Team TCL North America |w: tcl.com |t: @TCL_USA”

I’ll be interested to see your recommended calibration settings for Dolby Vision Dark picture mode. Thanks!

Sep 28, 2024 05:43 PM By kadyy

3

I’ll be interested to see your recommended calibration settings for Dolby Vision Dark picture mode. Thanks!

Unfortunately, we’re not able to provide that information at this time, as we don’t touch Dolby Vision settings at all during our testing.

What are the recommended picture and audio settings when using a 4K Roku stick? Thanks!

Hi there! I recently bought a S5/S551G 43-inch model and it seems to gave better peak brightness than the model that’s reviewed here or so it seems. Obviously I don’t have tools to prove or see this but I’m getting what seems to be 500+nits, it gets pretty bright. HDR content also looks better too as a result. So I’m curious if the model you bought and recieved (Canada?) is different than the US version as far as the quality of the panel and wattage goes. Maybe I lucked out. Or maybe I’m just being a goober

Edit: I also max out brightness and contrast, so that might be it.

Either way, you guys are amazing and hoping to use your calibration settings, so here’s hoping for the best. 🤞

Oct 04, 2024 10:44 AM By RtingsUser4870979

2

Hi there! I recently bought a S5/S551G 43-inch model and it seems to gave better peak brightness than the model that’s reviewed here or so it seems. Obviously I don’t have tools to prove or see this but I’m getting what seems to be 500+nits, it gets pretty bright. HDR content also looks better too as a result. So I’m curious if the model you bought and recieved (Canada?) is different than the US version as far as the quality of the panel and wattage goes. Maybe I lucked out. Or maybe I’m just being a goober Edit: I also max out brightness and contrast, so that might be it. Either way, you guys are amazing and hoping to use your calibration settings, so here’s hoping for the best. 🤞

There’s no difference between the U.S. and Canadian versions, but other factors could impact brightness like the size and especially the settings used. Our peak brightness measurements are done after calibrating the TV, and this can decrease the brightness substantially on some TVs.

Oct 04, 2024 01:30 PM By  Adam Babcock

There’s no difference between the U.S. and Canadian versions, but other factors could impact brightness like the size and especially the settings used. Our peak brightness measurements are done after calibrating the TV, and this can decrease the brightness substantially on some TVs.

Gotcha! Thanks so much!

How much RAM and storage space does the S551G have?

Oct 08, 2024 04:03 PM By shibiwan

1

How much RAM and storage space does the S551G have?

It has 2Gb of RAM and 8Gb internal storage, of which about 6 is available out of the box.

So the 50” can not do 1440p @120?

Nov 03, 2024 02:14 AM By buzz72b

110

So the 50” can not do 1440p @120?

Correct, the 43" and 50" models don’t support that feature.

I bought this TV yesterday at Best Buy, got the 43" version for my bedroom. Since this is just a bedroom TV I didn’t want to spend a lot, and I had planned on getting the Hisense QD5 until I saw this TCL for $40 more. I looked up your review while in the store and saw the remote described as being backlit, that sold me on it for the extra cost. I was disappointed to find out the remote isn’t backlit, especially since I spent extra thinking that’s what I was getting. Does the unit you reviewed actually have a backlit remote? If not, please edit this review to correct the remote description.

Nov 23, 2024 01:42 PM By mhaider

1

I bought this TV yesterday at Best Buy, got the 43" version for my bedroom. Since this is just a bedroom TV I didn’t want to spend a lot, and I had planned on getting the Hisense QD5 until I saw this TCL for $40 more. I looked up your review while in the store and saw the remote described as being backlit, that sold me on it for the extra cost. I was disappointed to find out the remote isn’t backlit, especially since I spent extra thinking that’s what I was getting. Does the unit you reviewed actually have a backlit remote? If not, please edit this review to correct the remote description.

Hello! We just rechecked our remote and it isn’t backlit. We’ve updated the review, and we’re very sorry about the confusion on that. I hope you’re enjoying your new TV otherwise, and thanks for reaching out to let us know about this!

Hi, would you recommend this TV as a display monitor for a food service business? I’m looking for something that:

–is less than $1000 CAD –has a screen of 40" or 43" (max) –is good in a bright room AND has good reflection handling –has a well-designed and supported OS –supports screen mirroring and wireless casting –has a media player app that supports a wide variety of formats and codecs (Roku Media player, for example, is pretty limited in this respect) –is readily available locally

thanks,

Gabe

Can these TCL “Roku” and “Google TV” smart TV’s be used WITHOUT connecting TV to internet? I JUST want the TV, gaming and streaming from an external USB stick

Feb 28, 2025 12:26 PM By palepatriot

16

Can these TCL “Roku” and “Google TV” smart TV’s be used WITHOUT connecting TV to internet? I JUST want the TV, gaming and streaming from an external USB stick

Yes! Google TV also offers a basic mode that completely disables all connected features like this, so you don’t even have to worry about the TV nagging you to connect to the internet or create an account.

For anyone trying to use this screen as a monitor, it will not output 4:4:4 chroma @60hz by default in PC mode, it is locked in 30hz 4:4:4 chroma or 60hz 4:2:0 chroma due to limiting itself to HDMI 1.4 under its auto-detection.

You need to go into the settings and change the HDMI mode manually to HDMI 2.0. This is true for the S551F (FireTV), S551G (AndroidTV), and S555 (Roku) versions of this set.

This may only be an issue with Nvidia GPUs but not confirmed.

@rtings please update the inputs and PC Monitor section to reflect this necessity.

So, I was considering this just as an extra, basic TV for an extra bedroom. Just looking for something cheap, so this would be fine enough. My main concern would just be the upscaling. My understanding is that this is actually referring to upscaling when the TV is doing it itself, correct? So if I hook up a DVD player or a Wii or something to the TV, it wouldn’t look great, but let’s say I hook up a newly released Switch 2, and play some 900p Switch games on it that the Console itself is upscaling to 4K. In that case, the Console is doing the upscaling, so it would be fine, right? If that’s the case, it’s not much of a worry, but otherwise could be a dealbreaker.

Mar 28, 2025 08:58 PM By jdiddles

7

For anyone trying to use this screen as a monitor, it will not output 4:4:4 chroma @60hz by default in PC mode, it is locked in 30hz 4:4:4 chroma or 60hz 4:2:0 chroma due to limiting itself to HDMI 1.4 under its auto-detection. You need to go into the settings and change the HDMI mode manually to HDMI 2.0. This is true for the S551F (FireTV), S551G (AndroidTV), and S555 (Roku) versions of this set. This may only be an issue with Nvidia GPUs but not confirmed. @rtings please update the inputs and PC Monitor section to reflect this necessity.

Can you explain how to do this? S551F, and anytime I try to play HDR or Dolby Vision content via AppleTV, it seems the FireTV OS just crashes. I imagine being locked to HDMI 1.4 would explain it, but I see no options regarding changing this.

Apr 06, 2025 06:14 PM By kc44135

33

So, I was considering this just as an extra, basic TV for an extra bedroom. Just looking for something cheap, so this would be fine enough. My main concern would just be the upscaling. My understanding is that this is actually referring to upscaling when the TV is doing it itself, correct? So if I hook up a DVD player or a Wii or something to the TV, it wouldn’t look great, but let’s say I hook up a newly released Switch 2, and play some 900p Switch games on it that the Console itself is upscaling to 4K. In that case, the Console is doing the upscaling, so it would be fine, right? If that’s the case, it’s not much of a worry, but otherwise could be a dealbreaker.

Yeah that’s right, if your external player is doing the upscaling for you then you won’t have to worry about this. If you do plan on using an older device like a Wii, there are also external upscalers available that will do a much better job than the TV’s built-in processing.

Apr 10, 2025 12:09 AM By darty

3

Can you explain how to do this? S551F, and anytime I try to play HDR or Dolby Vision content via AppleTV, it seems the FireTV OS just crashes. I imagine being locked to HDMI 1.4 would explain it, but I see no options regarding changing this.

On the FireTV version, while on the desired input: Press the “Gear” button on remote (top right below power button) Select “Picture” option. Scroll to the very bottom and select “Advanced Settings” Scroll to the very bottom and select “HDMI Input Mode” Change setting to “Mode 2 (2.0)”

Hope this helps.

Apr 10, 2025 08:52 AM By  Adam Babcock

Yeah that’s right, if your external player is doing the upscaling for you then you won’t have to worry about this. If you do plan on using an older device like a Wii, there are also external upscalers available that will do a much better job than the TV’s built-in processing.

Thanks for the reply Adam, sounds good! :)

Apr 10, 2025 02:19 PM By jdiddles

7

On the FireTV version, while on the desired input: Press the “Gear” button on remote (top right below power button) Select “Picture” option. Scroll to the very bottom and select “Advanced Settings” Scroll to the very bottom and select “HDMI Input Mode” Change setting to “Mode 2 (2.0)” Hope this helps.

Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately no luck. AppleTV 4k recognized the S551F as 4k HDR10+/DV compatible, but the FireTV OS crashed persistently. This was with a HDMI 2.1 cable and enabling 2.0 speeds on the TV. A massive flaw, as this TV is advertised as capable of HDR10+ and DV. Have returned and switched to a Hisense U7. Wow. Google TV OS is light years better, and the Hisense just looks better. If you’re considering buying this TV for a dorm room, it’s a good deal, but if you’d like to utilize those features like HDR10+ / DV, this is not the one.