TCL P617 is a 2020 line of 4K LED TVs with HDR 10 support. Oddly enough, these TVs have been appearing on shelves since the end of 2021. Probably because of the main distinguishing feature – the series is extremely budget and affordable.
TVs in this series display HDR10 and SDR content well, so let’s take a look at the TCL 43P617 UHD TV review. The series in question runs on the Android TV platform, but with a TCL interface, in which the Google Play Store is available. The user interface, although smooth, can slow down.
TCL P617 review
The TCL P617 TV series is available in diagonals from 43 to 65 inches. Overall, the picture quality of TCL’s entry-level 43P617 TV is good and can even be excellent with the right settings. All models in this series are equipped with VA screens. The declared maximum brightness in TCL 65P617 is about 300 nits.
TCL P617
Design
TCL created the P617 series with aesthetics in mind. The minimalist design of the TCL 43P617 TV is designed to showcase what’s on the screen first. The user should get maximum visual space between the smooth, thin black plastic frames. Indeed, this option looks beautiful in any room.
The almost bezel-less look and the thicker bottom bezel with the TCL logo give the model the feel of something more than just a budget TV. The thin legs of the stand are located along the edges of the TCL 43P617 screen.
All models are equipped with just such stands, so you should calculate the horizontal surface when installing 65 diagonals. As is customary, VESA 200×200 mm (for 43 inches) is provided for wall mounting. Connections are made on the right side of the TV.
Image quality
TV 43P617 is based on a conventional VA panel with a native frequency of 50/60 Hz. This largely determines the quality of the picture on the screen. This type of panel has a high native contrast ratio, which is not the case with competing IPS panels. But the price for relatively low viewing angles is commensurate. TV is best viewed directly in front of the screen.
Depending on the diagonal, P617 series TVs have a contrast ratio from 4000:1 to 5000:1. This gives quite deep blacks. In a dark room, that is, in a home viewing environment, movies on the TCL 43P617 TV will look comfortable. More this series has no further improvements in contrast.
Although the presence of direct backlighting, as in TCL TVs of the P717 series, would make it possible to implement the function of local dimming of the backlight in different areas of the scene. When it comes to HDR10 playback, the 43P617 ‘s peak brightness of 260 nits cuts off the dream of its quality implementation. At 65 diagonal, this figure barely reaches 300 nits. Perhaps the picture would be better than with standard SDR, but for the full functioning of the HDR mode, the specification must be at least 520 nits of maximum brightness.
The TCL 43P617 TV uses a 10-bit color panel, 8-bit+FRC to be exact. This type of panel is capable of displaying over a billion color shades in smooth color transitions. But the real color depth of the matrix is 8 bits, and due to the flicker of the pixels, additional shades are obtained. In the end, everything looks like 10 bits.
Smart TV
TCL P617 4K TVs come with video streaming apps such as Netflix, Prime Video and YouTube installed out of the box. In addition to this, “TCL Smart TV ” offers access to the Google Play Store, allowing you to independently download and install applications of your choice. In addition, the TCL P617 line supports HD streaming on all major video streaming platforms.
As mentioned above, smart features are built on the Android TV 9.0 Pie operating system. The TCL 43P617 model uses TCL’s own skin and comes with a built-in Google Assistant, but with a simple remote control. In fairness, we say that in different markets the remote control may be different, including those with a built-in microphone.
The Chromecast feature is available to the user to wirelessly stream content from a smartphone or laptop. In terms of hardware, the TCL P617 4K is backed by a 64-bit 4-core Cortex A55 CPU clocked at 1.1GHz along with a Mali470 GPU with a peak clock speed of 800MHz.
Sound
The TCL P617 TV series has “almost good” sound quality. What does it mean? The audio system with a total power of 19 W (2 x 9.5 W) is able to sound quite high quality at a moderate volume. Such indicators are quite suitable for most TV programs. You can slightly adjust the sound mode to contrast voice broadcasts. In this case, the user will appreciate the purity and clarity of speech.
When it comes to sound effects in action movies or music playback, a soundbar is indispensable. There is no Dolby Atmos in the specifications, but only Dolby Audio (MS12D/Y). Also, the 43P617 TV screen does not indicate the type of audio content and that the sound file in Dolby Atmos is not supported.
Connections
The ascetic list of interfaces corresponds to the budget nature of the TCL 43 P 617 TV. It includes two HDMI inputs (versions 1.4b and 2.0) and two USB 2.0 ports. There are also mini jacks for a 3.5mm headphone output and analog AV input. In addition, there is an optical audio output and an RJ-45 LAN port. Wireless connectivity is represented by Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz and Bluetooth 5.0.
Conclusion
As you can see, the budget P617 series is ideal for simple use. Advanced features require an Internet connection. There are various broadcasts and access to streaming services. TCL P617 series TVs come with a warranty.
Feedback from TCL P617 users is mostly positive. Due to the low price, this is the optimal series for a second TV at home. Yes, there are some “gags” in the interface, and if the processor were a little faster, then everything would be perfect.
