{"id":169426,"date":"2023-09-21T07:39:46","date_gmt":"2023-09-21T06:39:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.techweekmag.com\/?p=169426"},"modified":"2024-06-04T17:11:02","modified_gmt":"2024-06-04T17:11:02","slug":"tcl-40s5401a-review-a-basic-and-attractive-smart-tv","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.stereoindex.com\/tech\/tv\/tcl-40s5401a-review-a-basic-and-attractive-smart-tv\/","title":{"rendered":"TCL 40S5401A: A basic and attractive smart TV"},"content":{"rendered":"

TCL 40S5401A\u00a0is a charming television for those who watch TV but are not looking for spectacular results but just enough to be able to do a little bit of everything (since it is also intelligent).<\/p>\n

Design and connectivity<\/h2>\n

The following image already lets us see both what the television looks like aesthetically and its measurements.<\/p>\n

If you look closely, it is a model with\u00a0a single frame, a metal body and a dark brushed metal color\u00a0for its front, although very little of it can be seen.\u00a0This frame is not especially narrow but rather normal, something that does not bother viewing at all.\u00a0In fact, from the front, the TCL 40S5401A is very pretty.<\/p>\n

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Measurements and 3\/4 view of the television<\/p>\n

The back is something else, done in black.\u00a0The profile\u00a0, likewise,\u00a0is very uneven\u00a0, not at all aesthetic, with a fairly wide area at the bottom, where the connectors and speakers begin to be located, to narrow towards the upper area.<\/p>\n

This panel measures\u00a0508 x 893 x up to 90 mm\u00a0in the thickest area and weighs\u00a05.28 kg\u00a0.\u00a0You can put it on the wall if you wish, anchoring it with its\u00a0VESA 200 x 200 mm\u00a0holes .<\/p>\n

The other option, as you will see in the image, is to set up your stand, which is very simple, consisting of\u00a0two metal V legs located quite close to the edges\u00a0.\u00a0With these the model will now measure\u00a0560 x 893 x 184 mm\u00a0.<\/p>\n

Tuning and connectivity<\/h3>\n

We have a complete tune-up with us, so you will have no problem seeing absolutely anything, but not everything as updated as it could be.\u00a0CI+ is in 1.3 and HbbTV is given in 2.0.2\u00a0.\u00a0For the rest, the analog includes\u00a0NTSC\/PAL\/SECAM, BG\/DK\/I\/LL’\u00a0and the digital is a\u00a0DVB-S2, DVB-C, DVB-T2\u00a0.<\/p>\n

The following image is real, taken on the side of the television, where, as we see, all its physical connectors are located.\u00a0These consist of the\u00a0Common Interface slot, a headphone jack, an AV adapter, double HDMI 1.4 input, optical type output for digital audio, satellite jack, RF cable and terrestrial TV, RJ 45 LAN jack and a USB 2.0 port\u00a0.<\/p>\n

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TCL 40S5401A Side Connectors<\/p>\n

As for wireless connections, we are left with\u00a0Bluetooth 5.0\u00a0HID and A2DP and\u00a0WiFI MIMO\u00a0.<\/p>\n

Image quality<\/h2>\n

Our television mounts a 40-inch\u00a0(101 cm)\u00a0VA LCD LED panel .\u00a0On this occasion, the resolution is Full HD, which is 1920 x 1080 pixels, achieving 55 pixels per inch.\u00a0Its matrix is \u200b\u200bsimple, 24 bits, and its color depth is medium, with 8 real bits but boosting capacity with a color calibration of 10 + 2 pixels.<\/p>\n

The TCL 40S5401A works with\u00a0Micro Dimming and Mega dynamic contrast\u00a0.\u00a0As for HDR, the model is compatible with\u00a0HDR 10\u00a0.\u00a0Additionally,\u00a0TCL\u00a0has incorporated a small\u00a0noise reduction\u00a0system that will help any image look better.\u00a0The image processing engine is the one we see so much in the brand’s modest models, the IPQ 2.0 Engine.<\/p>\n

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Example of display of Micro Dimming technology<\/p>\n

For movement, know that the firm adds\u00a0800 IRI units\u00a0(image performance index) to about 60 Hz native.\u00a0This makes it possible for the television to have a Game mode, although it is very simple and without management.<\/p>\n

Audio<\/h2>\n

The power of the model is a bit lower than what is already considered normal in the market, being\u00a016 W\u00a0supplied by two full-range speakers.\u00a0Obviously, the difference with respect to the standard (20) is minimal and, according to the characteristics of the television and the uses to which it will be used, they are more than enough to listen to TV well.<\/p>\n

Special audio is processed up to\u00a0Dolby Digital Plus\u00a0.\u00a0It has\u00a0automatic volume control\u00a0and an\u00a0equalizer\u00a0.<\/p>\n

One thing that I really like about this model is that you can listen to TV with headphones connected, via jack or Bluetooth, both through these and, if you wish, also maintaining the sound from the TV speakers.\u00a0In addition, you can configure the volume to be different, something ideal for those who have hearing problems or for a child, for example.<\/p>\n

TCL 40S5401A software\/smartTV review<\/h2>\n

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Android TV as an operating system<\/p>\n

Although the brand recently surprised us with the inclusion of Fire TV OS, it brings us Google services again, starting, in this case, with Android R or\u00a0Android TV 11\u00a0.\u00a0Its OSD is available in 29 languages.<\/p>\n

When you see the television you will discover that it already comes with a few standard software such as YouTube or Netflix.\u00a0Don’t worry because they are not the only ones.\u00a0You have at your disposal\u00a0the Google Play Store\u00a0, where apps number in the millions.<\/p>\n

Google also offers its\u00a0assistant\u00a0in this model, which will help you resolve doubts and perform some simple actions such as opening an application, changing the channel or turning off the TV.<\/p>\n

More features found with PAT multi-image ,\u00a0on\/off\u00a0timer , support for pairing tablets for\u00a0mirroring\u00a0and smartphones,\u00a0Hotel mode, program guide, multi-account functionality, quick task switching…<\/p>\n

PROS<\/strong>:<\/p>\n