TCL 4 Series 2019 Calibration Settings

We used the following calibration settings to review the TCL 43" S425 (43S425), and we expect them to be valid  for the 49" (49S425), the 50" (50S425), the 55" (55S425), the 65" (65S425) and the 75" (75S425) versions. These settings should apply to most types of content, except for gaming or use as a PC monitor, which require a few additional changes, listed below.

One of the first things we did was disable all of the auto power savings options, as we don't want the TV to adjust the image during testing.

For SDR content, there are five preset picture modes. We recommend choosing the 'Movie' picture mode, as it is the most accurate one out of the box, and allows for the most customization. From the Advanced Picture Settings menu, we recommend leaving the contrast at '90,' brightness at '50,' and sharpness at '20.' We also set Color at '45,' and Tint (G/R) at '0.' Finally, we chose the 'Warm2' Color Temperature, as it was closest to our calibration targets. We set the Gamma mode to 'Off,' as that is closest to our calibration target.

To make the image brighter in SDR, you should first select the TV brightness range in the TV picture settings menu to one of the 5 preset options and then adjust the Backlight on the Advanced Picture Settings depending on your specific viewing conditions. Changing this setting does not have any impact on the overall picture quality. The Brightness setting is a picture adjustment setting, and we do not recommend adjusting it.

As we aim for an image that is as close as possible to the content creator's intent, we disable most image processing options, Dynamic Contrast. You should adjust these to your personal preference, though.

HDR is automatically enabled for the native apps. When you start playing HDR content, a small HDR icon appears next to the picture mode on the quick settings menu. Once you start playing HDR content, some of the settings change automatically, including the Backlight. We recommend leaving these settings to their default settings in HDR.

For HDR to work from external devices, HDMI 2.0 usually has to be enabled from the HDMI menu for the input you are using. Older devices may have compatibility issues if this option is left enabled, so it is recommended to only enable this setting for devices that require it.

If you find HDR content too dim, increase the Gamma, in the phone app to 1.8, as this produces a noticeably brighter picture in HDR.

Although we disable most motion enhancing functions for most of our tests, you should adjust these to whatever looks best for you. Some settings may need to be adjusted depending on the specific content you are watching.

The TCL s425 is able to remove judder from 24p sources like a DVD or a Blu-ray player. You do not have to enable any special settings for this.

This TV can enter game mode from any picture mode. When you start gaming, it should set Game Mode to 'On' to get the lowest possible input lag. Continue using the recommended settings for SDR or HDR. For HDR gaming, it is important to make sure that HDMI 2.0 is enabled for the input you are using.

The s425 will automatically detect when it is connected to a PC, and will automatically enter PC mode. In fact, when you connect to a PC you can only be on PC mode. To ensure proper chroma 4:4:4 support from other sources, make sure you change to the 'Computer' icon.

Some settings are only available via the Roku app, which you can download through the app stores on Android and iOS. In the Expert Picture Settings page, there are a few settings that you can adjust from both the TV and the app, such as the Picture Mode and Color Temperature, but Gamma and Noise Reduction are only available through the app. Gamma affects the brightness of images, and we normally set it at '2.2', but if you find it too dark, set it to a lower number, and if it's too bright, set it higher. Noise Reduction aims to improve the gradients at the cost of losing fine details, but we've noticed it doesn't do much on TCL TVs. You also have to calibrate the TV through the app by setting Color Space to 'Custom' and adjusting the 11 Pt WB values.