TV Reviews NEED TO CHANGE! TCL Q Series Review of the Q7

[@andrewrobinsonreviews]

I want to thank everyone for watching this video and for all the comments! I have ( I think ) read them all and thought I would reply here rather than attempt to answer all of you individually. 1) I understand that our poll results are likely skewed and reflective more of an enthusiast percentage rather than reflecting the general population. As stated in the video, the poll was run on our community page as well as on our other social media channels combining for over 9,000 entries resulting in the 93% figure discussed in the video. No doubt, had I parked myself outside a Best Buy for a week and polled 9,000 random consumers the percentage would've likely been higher if not 100%. I think the point I was trying to make though was clear and that you all understood, but yes, many of you are correct in your comment regarding our poll being more of an enthusiast one. 2) With respect to showing before and after calibration results. This is something we already do and have done in all of our TV reviews going back (I think ) 3 years now. If you want to see the before and after numbers for the TCL Q750 they're here: 05:54 By asking for change or what we should do, I was simply putting it out there that maybe there is a better way to "discuss" out of the box performance rather than distilling it down to a number or two that are going to be ambiguous to most. I haven't settled on what to do just yet, but I sincerely appreciate ALL of your thoughtful feedback on the matter and honestly am overwhelmed by the response! You all rock! 3) As for sharing calibration settings. While in theory this is a good idea, it actually doesn't work. There are literally thousands of parts that go into a TV (let alone the backlighting tech itself) and all of these parts have tolerances +/- that are acceptable to the manufacturing process and that would pass QC and allow the TV to be sold to you the consumer. Let's say TV A is perfect, as in ZERO deviation across the board from the factory standard and TV B is 9% off. If I get TV B for review and calibrate it to "perfection" not knowing that my calibration is ALSO accounting for and correcting a 9% skew and then I share those figures with you and you apply them to TV A, guess what, I've just introduced a 9 to 9+% error to your TV effectively making it worse. It's not that my TV (TV B) was bad, it wasn't, it performed within manufacturer tolerances, but by calibrating it to broadcast or HDR standards when compared to itself, I corrected those deficiencies. Passing those figures on to you may have just quasi added them to your display, which is not ideal. Now image if TV A had a 5% margin of error and TV B had a 10%. By passing my corrected figures on to TV A based on TV B, maybe TV A gets "fixed" and maybe it gets 10% worse leaving TV A with a margin of error of say 15%. This is a very basic way of looking at things and this is a VERY SIMPLE example, but hopefully you all get my point. 3b) Now calibration at the factory works because in theory every TV would be measured to the same baseline versus to themselves which is what happens with an in-home calibration. In this instance, so long as the baseline was broadcast or industry standard, every TV that rolled off the line would conform to it. This would be more ideal though potentially time consuming and/or costly, nevertheless, it's doable. 4) As for the director's intent. While directors, directors of photography and colorists in Hollywood can and often alter colors in an attempt to convey a certain look and emotion, know that those colors are still based on and fall within a color space which has standards. If the filmmaker wants the color blue to be more muted rather than royal, that's intentional and part of the mood and emotion of the scene. While you may prefer a richer, more saturated blue, know that by changing the picture to reflect your wants/needs you are changing the intent and possibly even altering the emotion and feel of the film. Imagine taking the film Se7en and bumping up the brightness, contrast and saturation to such a degree that there is virtually no shadows left and the color looks more Barbie movie than thriller? Are the seven deadly sins and John Doe as menacing then? I get that we all want our TVs to look as great as we know them to be, but I stand by my remarks that just because you can make an image look however you essentially want, that doesn't mean you should. Conversely if you don't like the way a film is colored, that doesn't mean the filmmakers are bad or trying to deceive you. Thank you again for watching and for indulging me in my group response. I hope this helps clear things up and answer some of the more common questions that I've seen as a result of this video. Have a great rest of your day! -Andrew

[@techsamurai11]

Yeah, the number of folks who calibrate their TVs is probably way lower than 7% and probably less than 1%. I always wonder why the Light Sensor is never reviewed because it's like having the same volume at all times (and Sony's new true tone on their high-end models). The ability to properly light or dim the display as lighting conditions change during the day might be more important than calibration, not to mention make for a much more enjoyable viewing. Imagine listening to 100db sound at night - one'd go deaf but it would be fine if one is trying to hear the dialogue while someone's moving the lawn outside. I think with HDR, the light sensor is even more important with the exception of models that still can't handle HDR but that number is growing everyday as they add more lights.

[@Lewis-jn8ry]

Personally, I would love a tutorial that covers the very basics of adjusting your general TV settings to and progressively more advanced techniques. Which would involve more professional hardware and software for beginners. Trying to find a guide or tutorial that lays out how to go about becoming a more advanced user for personal use is hard to come by. I watch a lot of TV you-tubers and none of them have tutorials that expand beyond just making TV adjustments from the stock device.

[@betolov]

out of the box

[@steveludwig4200]

The answer is VERY clear here..............Review and judge OUT OF THE BOX performance...period...end of story.

[@adrianm1116]

Hi! I think that a reviewer should always measure a TV with specialised equipment. Than to present the viewer the results and and if those results are consistent across the range as the TV is a factory calibrated one or if those results may vary largely so they are not actually indicative of all retail samples. Professional calibration results should be done or discussed or presented only for TVs above a certain value....let's say that a calibration cost should not exceed 15% of the TVs price. Even if the overall majority of customers does not calibrate a TV all customer may tinker with some settings...brightness, contrast, back-light, some advanced picture settings...so you should recommend some settings. In the end if there 's an easy, layman's, quick calibration method you should show it in your review...for example a calibration with and app on the phone or something similar and very easy and at no additional cost...and of course with a final result that should be better than just changing brightness or simple settings. And that should be all for a normal consumer TV with a price that does not justify the additional cost of a professional calibration. I think it's pretty obvious and common sense. 1. Very few even from the enthusiast crowd are calibrating a TV. 2. For a sub 2,000 eur TV to pay 300 to 500 eur for a calibration is wrong as you can go and buy a higher tier TV with better results. 3. For the majority regions of the world you can not find a professional calibrator. Regards,

[@AndNowThis..]

I don’t calibrate my tv but I do play with the settings until I find a setting that comes close to what looks great to me. I don’t just pull it out of the box and that’s it.

[@andrewrobinsonreviews]

I don't think you're alone. Thanks for watching!

[@AtlantaJonny]

Yes I like reviews where they tell you the presetting that is closest to calibrated.

[@kstofkos]

Review the TV out of the box, then calibrate by eye without special tools that homeowners do not have. Explain how easy or hard it was to get the TV to fit your needs and picture quality through the "eye" calibration. In the end, consumers want ease of use. They are buying the TV based on what is shown on displays in the big box stores. Most consumers don't want to pay or be inconvenienced by calibration. Plug and play.

[@_intrepid]

Maybe it's time we should start demanding factory calibration?

[@SinnfullDuck]

100% agree. I have a $900 computer monitor that came with a factory calibration. Why shouldn't a TV have one too?

[@matthewjudge3763]

It'll up the price to calibrate tvs, its why people pay the "Sony Tax" for more accurate calibration from factory. The other option is just buy a Samsung, its smart calibration with a phone camera is supposed to be pretty good.

[@eric2499]

Please continue giving the before, and after even though less than 10% of buyers at any price point, as a whole, will ever calibrate. Thank you for what you always do.

[@andrewrobinsonreviews]

Noted, thanks for weighing in.

[@jameslsm]

Slight variation on that theme: given that the standards are objective and measurable, would be good to know how far off the standard various TVs may be out of the box.

[@williamhicks2763]

One of the first things I do to a new TV, after giving it a little break in time, is to have it professionally calibrated. I only have a sample of two plasmas and one OLED but the difference has always been worth it even though I probably couldn’t exactly describe the differences. I just know things look more natural and better.

[@lbunjes]

Agreed. You should absolutely give two grades and make it a big deal. Perhaps this will wake up TV companies.

[@TJPavey]

The idea that TVs don’t come calibrated is really crazy when you think about it. What other consumer device requires this? Can you imagine if your car required a tune up immediately for beat performance and efficiency? Or if you needed to calibrate your oven for it to be close to the set temp? I blame retailers for pushing this over saturated bright profile but they should at least have a calibrated picture setting buried in the video settings.

[@BenjaminJex]

I don’t calibrate my phone, tablet, laptop, or monitor, so why should I calibrate my tv? I’ll change the settings of it to get rid of the manufacturer’s choices that detract from the media creator’s choices, because that’s the way I prefer it, but calibration feels like it should be on the manufacturer’s shoulder to get as close to the standard as possible

[@blakebrockhaus347]

My understanding is that each individual tv is a bit different. So the settings for calibrating one TV may not be the same as the settings for another TV. There could definitely be an automated calibration process in the factory. But that would add cost and time to manufacturing. Which wouldn't be worth it for budget oriented tvs

[@chrisculp8123]

I personally really appreciate you bringing up the discussion of out of the box viewing vs. Calibrated viewing. GREAT TOPIC OF DISCUSSION! I personally went with a Sony, knowing it would meet my expectations out of the box. I would also see a review using BASIC consumer level calibration tools to be value added. 93% would be out of the box 6% might use some good basic calibration tools 1% would take the time and money to use the top end tools for calibration. Just my 2 cents. Another GREAT VIDEO! I always appreciate your real-world views. All the best.

[@chrislukowski1825]

I'll add another vote for judging a TV not for LITERAL "out of box" settings, but after settings adjustments that can be made without calibration equipment.

[@insertnamehere4419]

This is a pretty picky review. My 65Q750G looks great out of the box, but I did install a firmware update. Colors, black levels, uniformity all good. Quite happy.

[@DJZONIMUSIC]

how bout you make a calibration tutorial video??

[@problematic_adam]

Interesting video! IMO, basing a review off of post-calibration results is kinda pointless and doesn't really help the average person trying to buy one. As like a side-note or extra in a review that's cool but not as the main focus, because clearly most people don't want to calibrate and probably couldn't even if they wanted to. "...A lot of TVs, even some of the best ones wouldn't receive a passing grade." That says it right there for me-- if it seems like every TV review you watch on youtube is overwhelmingly positive and all TVs are great, this is why. If a pro reviewer/calibrator can tweak even a $600 TV to look like a $3000 OLED and then base their review off that then yeah, all TVs are gonna get great reviews. But that's not helpful for regular people at all (and honestly not that interesting) lol Personally i think what a manufacturer provides out of the box as far as picture quality is a big part of what you're buying obv and we should be judging them based on that.

[@andrewrobinsonreviews]

I love your comment and appreciate you sharing!

[@mackay250]

Why don't you teach us the best possible way to calibrate without having it professionally done? There must be a way to get it half done?

[@PorshaHomeTheater]

Maybe they could review the new Spears and Munsil 2023 disk and teach us regular HT folks the best 10-15 tests/calibrations etc to do? :)

[@mackay250]

@@PorshaHomeTheater Yeah something along those lines would be good.

[@Saitama07]

Mentioning out of the box experience in every review is essential. Also pointing out the most colour accurate picture mode would also be amazing for every review. The calibrated numbers can be used besides the actual review for the lucky few who will actually use it that way.

[@techsamurai11]

I agree - I would also like to see the standard mode vs the calibrated mode as they did here. I think that was quite eye opening.

[@michaelmock4894]

Do not mistake "Not calibrated" for "Out of the box" beeing the same. By beeing in the correct picture mode and having all the onboard settings correct this is far more than out of the box, but still not "calibrated" And I thik this "correct settings state" is what matters most for your viewers.

[@mattgiunt]

Great point on calibration. Ten years ago I paid for a Samsung LED calibration and 8 months later the tvs power supply died. No more paid calibration for me and out of the box is most important point of how good a tv is for most.

[@revfogle]

I’ve been in the market for a new tv for a bit and I’ve found that FOR ME the lack of ASTC 3.0 tuners is a deal breaker. 3.0 is available in my area and with my income I need to, shall we say, future proof as much as possible

[@knightscoutblack]

I think most people just want to know the best t v to buy out of the box that will great to watch. Most people aren't going to go through the calibration or can find someone to do it !! So tell us what TV's are the best to buy for the price range. I'm looking for the 80 something size t v oled.

[@southernbuckeye2835]

When you say Q series it should be mentioned that series of TV encompasses q6, q7, and q8. All different price and performance points. I have the the q7 and calibrated, absolutely fantastic picture, at that price point anyhow.

[@nmlx7710]

I’m very much in the camp of “what the director intended“. And if TVs have standards and a set doesn’t meet said standards out of the box, that’s a problem.

[@hellno4812]

Calibration is one thing, but the dozens of adjustable setting on my LG OLED are so confusing. Is the AI mode just a marketing gimmick or does it actually do something? Most experts say "turn it all off" but that's not how I got the best experience. For example I am anti-SOE but I find turning the motion settings completely off results in pretty bad sports and fast moving scenes. Also kind of weird that your C2 was so far from being calibrated when many other reviewers said their unit was good out of the box, at least in the Expert Dark/Bright modes.

[@Katjaneway]

As a general, every day consumer, I don't calibrate my TVs. I instead go off of what can be achieved playing with the settings, and will spend more on a TV that can get close with that alone. I chose a Sony OLED based on that. Those Hisense and TCL TVs are cheaper (for one) because they don't care as much to get the colors right out of the box; that takes effort. So for the people that want a cheaper TV and don't care *as much* about the accurate colors, what can be achieved with settings alone? How close can you get it?

[@car34bx]

Reviews are frustrating. I just want real world use reviews compared to like-priced products. Most people aren't paying $600 to calibrate a $500 tv.

[@sythemaster1]

Doing “out of the box” while also including the easily accessible settings people can adjust to help improve picture quality would benefit the most consumers.

[@KNPLife]

From my point of view. I don't have the ability to calibrate. What I'd appreciate from your reviews is, out of box performance numbers, calibrated performance numbers and settings you'd recommend to get close to those calibrated numbers. I would accept the massive caveat of "your mileage may vary". I realise all panels aren't created equal. Thanks for all the hard work, love your content.

[@dreriffic88]

search "Rtings TCL Q7/Q750G QLED Calibration Settings"

[@deepee1544]

@@dreriffic88 Thanks for that tip!

[@tonymolina7744]

I love this discussion. When I buy something I buy it for both out of box and what it COULD be under optimal or better conditions. I grow into my equipment. If it looks terrible under calibration then I’m turned off. I think a review of out of the box and preset settings would be useful, and then for the enthusiast further details with calibration results would be fab. That way both sides are satisfied. And sometimes it will be the same end result, good or bad.

[@1Donmonte]

Definitely out of the box should be the norm for all TV reviews, while using modified settings that are available for the user as close as possible without full on calibration. Great content as always !

[@drew6815]

You ask a great question. There are a few things I want to know on a TV review... What settings will yield the best picture out of the box? How close to "calibrated" could you get it on factory settings? What did you have to do to get it calibrated? Now, my dumb question. If you or some other professional can get it calibrated properly with the right tools... Why didn't the manufacturer provide at least one setting that got you pretty close? I understand showroom marketing, but if the TV is capable af a very well calibrated picture, why do we have to work so hard to get it?

[@TheHookUp]

Great points. Also important is that many consumers do not WANT to watch a calibrated D65 profile. There's a reason TV's are set to "Vivid" and "Dynamic" on the show floor, and not "Filmmaker Mode".

[@richh650]

There is no reason why TV manufacturers shouldn't be able to put a gun up to a screen and make an almost instantaneous software change, much like an audio EQ that could be performed in a few seconds during manufacturing.

[@craigjohnchronicles2504]

Three points of reference for reviewing TVs. 1. Out of the Box. 2. Cinema/Movie Maker Mode - literally set it and forget it. 3. Reference Calibration result. Give us your opinion on each, how it compares to others in these three categories. TV Audio sound quality? couldn't care less... I will never watch a TV out of the box, unless Sony or LG profiles their TV in Moviemaker Mode out of the box. And in the same breath, I will also say, I won't bother trying to calibrate our TV to perfection. Moviemaker Mode or it's derivative, depending on which TV brand you purchase, is usually 90-95% there. And since we don't have another TV sitting right next to another, we're never going to have anything else to directly compare it to... For us, Moviemaker Mode is 100% good enough for us.

[@dannyfannyfoodle]

Brilliant! I can’t believe no one has covered this topic before but you’re REALLY on to something. I’m an audiophile and will go down every rabbit hole to research gear and go to every length to achieve sonic perfection. But TV’s? Well, I want a “nice” one and I can certainly tell the difference between a crappy TV and a good one, but I am NEVER going to go through the trouble of calibrating. When I get a new TV, I’ll cycle through the factory settings, choose the one that looks best to me and forget it. Even though only 7% of the respondents said they calibrate their TV, I would venture to guess that very few of them would even consider a TCL. My hunch is that the “calibration crowd” is typically an LG, Sony, Samsung buyer. TCL, Hisense, and the rest are even less likely to be calibrated. This is some of your best content ever. Very insightful.

[@Cuzin_Ken]

Just because someone doesn’t get a professional calibration on their tv, doesn’t mean they don’t tweak the picture to the best of their ability. There isn’t just two possibility here. Cheers!

[@techsamurai11]

Is your t-shirt teal or blue? My calibrated AIO screen shows it as teal but my other screens show it as blue.

[@andrewrobinsonreviews]

It is more teal rather than a true blue.

[@techsamurai11]

@@andrewrobinsonreviews yeah, I figured the correct version is teal. Just curious, what happens if all the colors are elevated by the same delta? E.g instead of aiming for a Delta of 0, you aimed for a Delta of 3 (or some other number)?

[@andrewrobinsonreviews]

@@techsamurai11 the colors would all be off by the same metric but still not correct.

[@techsamurai11]

@@andrewrobinsonreviews but what would it look like? Would it provide a more vibrant/colorful image compared to the calibrated image? I know it wouldn't be accurate to meet the D65 standard but at least you'd have symmetry in the errors. It's almost like playing a note in a different octave in music. The hope is that it would still be harmonious but not necessarily the drab look that so many of us dislike when we switch to Cinema Mode. Anyway, food for thought. I love that you and Kristi always question the status quo and don't take things for granted.

[@kellygrant4964]

What I find on the reviews is can you adjust the tv decently... Is there enough adjustments to get a picture that most people will enjoy. I haven't seen anybody that actually show what to do in adjusting to make a tv look good. With all the reviews all us regular people get is some mysterious use the force to get these so called amazing results.

[@jmc1559]

Wait what? In order for my $1500 tv to perform as advertised I have to have it pay to have it professionally calibrated? That sounds like big pile of miss leading bordering on false advertising. I should be able to use the full potential of the tv using nothing more than the settings.

[@adrianm1116]

You are using the settings when you calibrate the TV...you are changing the grayscale and and colours...but if you do it without a calibration device how do you know that what you changed is for the better or not. Of course there are calibration that are done automatically but I was not discussing those...just the change in advance greyscale and colours.

[@who0icu812]

I agree that's the way it should come. If it can't do it outta the box or needs a helping hand. Well that's already a negative.

[@paulposton393]

I think that all tv brands should be there best, or close to there best out of the box. I vote for the out of the box reviews People should ask stores if the tv’s they are displaying have been calibrated. Because I have bought tv’s based on how they look on display, and when I got home the difference is noticeable and I was disappointed

[@crispincrunch2453]

Kept thinking about what Kristi said all day. I agree w Andrew that relative to measurement tools, TVs can be more objective …..but TVs might actually be closer to speakers re: subjectivity. Just like we pick speakers based on sonic taste and preferences (accurate vs coloured) I have recently been playing around with TV screen settings to elicit a warmer more saturated presentation. Is it accurate? Nope 😅 but kinda wanted to try something richer than the very accurate but washed out OLED+DolbyVision tones I’ve had for years

[@mvr2579]

This video pissed me off even more than I already am. Not because of you(its a good video). I am so tired of trying to find a tv. Now i have to worry about calibration, which i can't do, apparently, without spending tons on special equipment. Why is it so difficult? Maybe I'll just take up reading. Also, there is an heir elitism of many online reviewers where the best, most expensive tv is good, and the rest suck. The kia might not be a lambo, but it's better than a pinto. The frustration is real

[@lanes-world]

Reading is fun! But honestly, I fully recommend TCL, especially the Q series (if you really care about 4K and clear image quality), otherwise, I'd recommend the even cheaper 4 series. I feel I have a pretty high bar for electronics, I own a Q655, and it's great, especially for the price. Don't stress too much about buying a TV. If you have the budget, I'd recommend the Q7 or even the Q8M (mini-led, it's wonderful) over the Q6.

[@mvr2579]

@@lanes-world thx

[@twistedmetal2290]

Sony is your answer , even the $700 ones. Have the tcl 6 series that was praised and it look like pure crap compared to a base model Sony that was same price point

[@damontroch4765]

Buy a Sony and you don't need calibration

[@chuckfriebe843]

Hisense U6 is very close to industry standards right outta the box, once you choose the theater setting. No expensive equipment needed, unless you want it perfect.

[@scottbaylor6215]

I’ve never calibrated a television. I do the best to get skin tones right bright enough and call it a day. I just am not invested in this as I use to be. Maybe one day I’ll care but given the content today I don’t see it. Hopefully the strike ends soon and people can feel good about their careers and fulfillment. That’s my two cents.

[@larryhoffman7471]

You should do both. And consider the fact that a lot of people who watch your channel, want to set up their tv to look it’s best.

[@d1zzleTX]

THANK YOU! We need a voice of reason in the TV review space. The vast majority of us either can't or won't spend hundreds or thousands for calibration.

[@southernfriedkiwi7726]

The reviews should be based on NOT calibrating them, if 90+% only use factory provided settings.

[@williamhicks2763]

Personally, I don’t care what it looks like out of the box in the same way I don’t care how a surround processor measures in my room before running calibration. I want to know what it can do at its best and how that compares to what others can do at their best. I guess I’m in the minority.

[@DrawTheLine35]

Sounds like most reviews going forward need to focus on an uncalibrated review, since that’s what the majority of people use at home. Maybe this will drive manufacturers to better calibrate TVs from the factory!

[@SelahPictures]

It's fair to assume somebody consuming your reviews cares more than average about quality, so they're probably not just leaving their set on Standard, I suspect your viewers are going to take a TV, put it on Cinema, turn the various motion manglers off, and then adjust to taste via the menus. Call it "tweaked Cinema mode" - that's where most enthusiasts' sets spend their operating life, and I think it's totally sensible to put the emphasis there in a review. How good can you make this look with above average eyeballs, the regular menus, and some time? because that's what your viewers will mostly be doing. I had to laugh at the example of the subscriber who bought the C2 on your suggestion and didn't calibrate it, because that's me! I didn't calibrate, but I did make the most of the stock cinema mode and made some small adjustments by eye. Maybe I'm way off base here, but I think your poll results suggest that approach is typical. That's not to say that a review can't say "and if you take the additional step of having the set calibrated it can achieve X" because that delta can be useful to know about. If a TV can punch above it's weight class by more than the cost of a calibration if it gets one, that changes the math, right? In the big picture sense, I feel like measured color accuracy in TV sets is a bit like frequency response in loudspeakers, how it measures isn't necessarily the only thing that matters or even the thing that matters most - we're setting up home viewing situations here, not color timing studios. I understand where the emphasis on accuracy comes from, but I don't know that it really reflects the priorities of most people in their homes (the vanishingly small number of people who calibrate suggests not) - You're comfortable making subjective statements about speaker experience and de-emphasizing ruler-flat precision - a similar approach to how a TV looks might be appropriate.

[@NintendoMania]

As someone that didnt even know tv calibration was a thing, i think ill be happy just to have 120hz and hrd lol. I currently have a 58 inch samsung from 2020 (TU7000 or something?)that is 60hz and not real hdr.

[@dirtymotley9048]

Good morning folks fyi Andrew you don’t look like an oompa loompa on any of my TV’s

[@andrewrobinsonreviews]

Thank god!

[@cbdemented]

From a philisophical perspective, as a tech guy with 30 years of IT experience, of course I want the nitty gritty, this is what you can make this thing do when you set it correctly with calibration, review. However...i'm one of the 93% of people who are never going to pay for calibration on my TV, and probably one of the likey people to head down to a rabbit hole looking for numbers that someone else used to calibrate another TV of the same model/sizem, while knowing full well that those numbers are unlikely to work on my specific TV. But in the end...it won't really matter. Because I've never had a professionally calibrated TV, and what I'll be replacing with a TCL Q7 is a Samsung UN55HU8550. So out of the box, as crappy as it could possibly be, it's going to look great compared to what I'm currently using. And I'll keep it for just as long. So I'd just stick with what you're doing, and just throw in your subjective opinion about what it's like uncalibrated and vs the objective standards of what's great. Both perspectives are valuable.

[@Photoboy1948]

As a retired news still photographer I think I have a good eye for toning photographs on a computer so I find calibrating a TV by eye pretty easy. I usually do it watching a live local newscast trying to nail the flesh tones. As a note, my son in law just purchased a 75 inch TCL and he’s never calibrated his TVs in the past and I couldn’t stand watching at his house but with his TCL out of the box it was stunning. Go figure, eh?

[@lfazio9690]

I would recommend a review structure just as this one; primarily out of the box to highlight performance as ~95% would utilize then close with a calibrated opinion 👍. As far as calibrating a budget TV such as this one, additional comparisons for OOTB performance may lead viewers to a more informed decision for TVs priced equivalent when considering the cost of TV+ calibration. Just my 2 cents. Great review as always. Enjoy the day and good luck with the HEAT!!!

[@michaelnickens8793]

BTW, if you share your calibrations that may be what us 93% need to start getting more comfortable, hint hint. 😉 If you only review out of box pretty much every TV will fail. So you have no choice 🤣😅

[@mrfroopy]

You should review out of the box..it will push the companies to calibrate better.

[@milehighboost5521]

Great to hear something about the reflective screen in the bright room. I needed to replace an LG C1 since it was like a mirror and unwatchable in my room. Did a ton of research and many liked the qm8 over the hisense u8k. Ended up choosing the u8k since so many had mention how great the u8h was in a bright room. So glad i did as the u8k doing an amazing job with reflection even with direct sunlight on the screen at times. Definitely need more reviews to consider screen reflections imo.

[@andrewrobinsonreviews]

Noted and thanks for the feedback!

[@sunshinecycling]

That's why I put a lot of weight on out of the box color. What you really need to know is what's in that 93%. My guess is near zero % of people buying a sub $1,500 TV are going to pay for calibration. Whereas people buying a $10k TV are far more likely to spend the extra $300-$600 for calibration.

[@markdemariassy8685]

My take would be this; give the out of the box performance and also the post calibration performance and have the value for money aspect take into account whether a calibration is required to get decent results. E.g. if a £1500 is trash out of the box, but reference post calibration, then it should be compared to c£2000 TVs that are great out of the box. Over simplified, but I think you get it.

[@n4th4niel100]

Best Calibrated TV of the year & Best out-of-the-box TV of the Year. Personally I love my Sonys and I don't always bother with the calibration. But I absolutely would for any other brand. I think it is VERY important for reviewers to clearly communicate how they review the TVs. Most "real" reviewers, such as you, HDTVTest, Digital Trends review based on calibration, while casual reviews such as Linus Tech Tips seems to focus on out-of-the-box while generally having a lot more personal opinion as well... I prefer the real version.

[@solomonstewart1025]

Most people do not have a clue how to calibrate. So out of the box is most important. Manufacturers should head in that direction.

[@Atlasworkinprogress]

I think one of the biggest problem with TV reviews in general is they have a larger audience than Hi-Fi. 75% of people use their TV speakers, and want the biggest TVs they can buy for the money. They look at a 75 inch TCL 4 series and just want a "yea it's good" or "nah it's bad". They don't care about color accuracy. They care that it doesn't break in 2 weeks/months/years.

[@Brodactor]

No, you're not right. You're wrong. I never knew about "white balance" before my actual TV. Now I learned and found how to get the very best color and tint and the amount of light for the most normal faces across all channels. Why do you degrade the ability of people to appreciate and want a real good normal TV image? We care about color accuracy to view normal faces. Out the box, among others things, black people looked chinease cause there was a huge yellow shift ! I could not stand that! Now I ajusted the TV and it's nice.

[@rjk778855]

So, I know that they say not to do this, but with every new TV that I or family member have purchased, I've gone on RTings and just copied whatever settings are there. I know that "each TV is different", but as long as I can get 90% of the way to correct it, I would rather do that than pay someone $300 to come out and do it.

[@wildeman32]

they should know what the optimum settings for their TV before they sell it to the public. Why not have it pre-callibrated?

[@jeremieroberts8486]

I doubt most consumers will go even as far as a Spears and Munsil DVD or Ultra HD Blu-ray eyeball calibration. That is probably the most realistic consumer level calibration. A video explaining how to get the best out of those tools would help people understand how to improve their picture. I would love a professional calibration, but I have never found anyone locally who will calibrate an HDR image, so paying $300 to get anything calibrated for just SDR content is just not worth it.

[@syanhc]

I’d certainly have two segments - out of the box score. And after calibration score. ❤

[@LeezahB]

Your reviews are always so thought provoking. Excellent job!

[@andrewrobinsonreviews]

Thanks so much!

[@natecaplin4374]

More than 90% of YOUR AUDIENCE doesn't calibrate. I'd be willing to bet an even higher percentage of "consumers" do not calibrate. Probably less than 1% of all consumers who buy TVs have them calibrated.

[@kaischmidt730]

My question would be why the OEM don’t perform this calibration? Then they can add whatever fancy flashy color profile on top, but give us a “normal” profile setting, please!

[@t3dewys]

I have my eye on the LG G3 Oled evo, but for the money, I absolutely love our TCL display.

[@steveludwig4200]

EVERY TV should ne judged out of the box PERIOD...........A TV costing between $1000 and $3500 should look GREAT simply by plugging it in and turning it on!!!

[@JC-qc5nx]

Thank you for providing the consumer with a voice. I'm willing to bet there are far more videophiles than audiophiles out there (gamers, movie watchers, Days Of Our Lives). I think your videos should be a reference point for buyers before and after purchasing, a place where people can see and realize the potential of their purchases. Perhaps see if creators can make a change for the better by influencing manufacturers to get it right, seeing as this is where the vast majority of purchasers might gravitate towards. 93% is an important stat.

[@JeffSwinton]

By showing both the pre-calibration accuracy and what can be achieved post calibration I think your reviews are helpful no matter what camp you are in. As one of the 8% I really appreciate your reviews. There is another level between watch it out of the box and fully calibration though. I think there are a number of folks that will go and check forums to find recommended settings to achieve something better than it was, but short of calibration. It would be informative to me to know if I could copy some user adjustable settings to achieve something to make it close to accurate and skip the calibration.

[@burnsyd17]

The problem with copying someone else's settings is manufacturing tolerances, sources, etc. You MIGHT get a bit "better" picture, if you use identical apps/sources, but you also are just as statistically likely to get "worse". I mean just look at how different Andrew's experience was using native apps versus external source.

[@JeffSwinton]

@@burnsyd17 I'd be curious to see if that's really true. Yes I agree it will not be perfect, but I expect that the model skew off perfectly calibrated will be greater than the difference between individual sets. For instance on model X to calibrate the brightness needs to be raised by +7. Sure, one individual set might need +9 another +5, but all would be improved as opposed to leaving the setting at 0. Ultimately I think the answer to this will vary by model.... the closer the TV is to perfect out of the box the less likely this would be to help.

[@KristiWright]

@burnsyd17 I just raised this concern/question with Andrew. We know that a lot of people look to the internet to find settings in order to get the best out of their TV. I know from personal experience that doing this has resulted in a worse (IMO) picture. I'm curious to see how often these recommended settings actually translate and/or if the people who use them blindly accept what they are seeing as "right" or better or if there is an actual improvement to the image.

[@burnsyd17]

@@KristiWright 100% agree Kristi, which is why I try to warn people from blindly accepting/using someone else's settings. It would be very interesting to quantify when using someone else's settings gives a "better" versus "worse" result, but that seems nearly impossible to quantify.

[@jospdcunha]

The only reason i choose Sony tvs over all other brand is bcz of how nicely calibrated and finely tuned they are out of the box

[@andrewrobinsonreviews]

It's a BIG selling point IMHO. Thanks for watching!

[@Woogy71]

But Sony’s can never be called picture accurate due to their over reliance on the faux sharpness setting ’reality creation’ . Disable reality creation and the PQ suffers to the point it is truly appalling. The only way to circumnavigate and defeat reality creation is by way of professional calibration, which adds to the considerable outlay of already overpriced Sony TVs.

[@eric2499]

My last five TVs have been Sony and one LG OLED. Sony simply makes quality and their processor has always been fantastic. IMO

[@AtlantaJonny]

Yup my next will be a Sony for that exact reason. Past 2 have been TCL and while nice for the price I’m back to Sony next time around. The Sony tax is real and worth it.

[@michaelcruz7704]

​@@eric2499true. I 100% agrees w/you. Sony is d best looking tv out there.

[@MCGodzilla94]

Calibration has always been an issue for most people, I think sharing before and after on a split screen can definitely help visualize the difference in such cases as red shift for example, but even then most people are watching on non calibrated screens so the actual visualization will be inaccurate 🙃 FWIW, there should be out of box rating and after calibration rating, you're LG OLED review pre calibration is what led me to go to Sony since they are pre-calibrated.

[@andrewrobinsonreviews]

Appreciate you sharing and yes, judging before and afters on a screen that itself is likely NOT calibrated is problematic --no different than "sound demos" on youtube played back by other speakers or headphones.

[@MCGodzilla94]

​@@andrewrobinsonreviewsExactly, you're asking the hard questions and shining the light on the elephant in the room, what good does it do to the average consumer that their TV could potientially be accurate given more money and tools, when out of the box they're getting a lackluster performance out of they're new 2k+ TV? True, honest out of the box performance reviews with visual aids but most importantly, your description of visual accuracy is what will we put our trust in.

[@alachad]

I loved this video. I thought the conversation was great. I would enjoy TV reviews that have two ratings: out of the box, and post calibration. On a side note, why is it that your calibration settings wouldn't make my same model TV calibrated? Is it due to room conditions? Inputs being used? Or are TV panels just too different throughout a production run? Finally, the fact that Kristi is watching The Americans makes me respect her taste and opinion even more. 😂

[@colingordon0986]

I think the Q7 looks amazing using the Nvidia shield pro! When you get older your eyes are not as good. Looks fine to me. As long as your happy with your experience all that matters

[@TobiasKryze]

Just bought a Q7 then this video popped up..thinking of returning it now, haven't even opened it lol Just want it for star wars, hockey and some action rpgs

[@erictheblue7256]

My personal take on future TV reviews and settings: Start with a quick summary of the before and after results of professional calibration as a baseline, then spend more time (and show) how to use the TV's controls to get as close the the calibrated baseline as possible. It's fine to also include your (understandably) subjective opinion on how the manual settings look relative to the baseline.

[@BlackHazama]

Holy moly Andrew! This is a fantastic review and you’re so easy to listen to. You’re giving Caleb from Digital Trends a run for his money and that says a lot!

[@PaulWigle]

I have an 15 year old 1080p 55in Samsung tv that looks great to me, it’s set to standard picture (motion blur off), but I know it’s days are numbered, price will be a factor for me when buying a new tv, I have had good luck with Samsung.

[@carlm189]

I'm in the large percentage that have never had a tv calibrated, but I would love to see a side by side comparison of best settings without use of equipment and calibrated.

[@Ladco77]

Your review of the Sony X95K and it's decent out of the box performance was a main reason I chose it for a recent upgrade. I knew I wasn't going to calibrate, so I wanted to get something that would be acceptably close out of the box. I think it's important to state the unit's ultimate potential after calibration, but a product should be judged on how it is delivered to the customer at that price point. That also goes for buying a receiver (hello, Marantz) and then having to shell out extra if you want DIRAC. A $1000 TV isn't a $1000 TV if it needs $500 worth of calibration. If reviews start judging TVs by their out of the box performance, maybe manufacturers will start paying attention to calibration before they ship?

[@adamr.6774]

Don’t buy Anything, Ever, UNLESS you hear someone else’s opinion first….hahaha

[@jaredcrandall9145]

Lower-end Tvs/speaker reviews like these are helpful to fully understand what is gained when going high end.

[@astrotrance]

I appreciate knowing how close the picture is to calibrated out of the box, and unless it's wildly out of spec (like the insane green-bias on my cheap projector) I'm confident I can get it, to borrow a phrase from Andrew, as near as makes no difference to calibrated, if it isn't already there. A Disney DVD with test patterns and my eyes are the only tools I use. I look at flesh tones (too orange, too green, just right) and check Star Trek or something similar to confirm space is black and not gray, blue, or brown. My one indulgence is bumping up the saturation a smidgen higher than standard. I can usually arrive at a picture I'm happy to look at for a few years.

[@Dave-zz9fk]

Can't help thinking you guys are overthinking this problem. You've already answered your own question. 93% are not going tov calibrate - so go with that. If you want to mention the calibration, sure go ahead - the 7% deserve their info as well. But I think you are thinking the right way.

[@Ken6503]

Used to calibrate. Don’t anymore. Local calibrator now at $500. Geek squad calibration results are worse than my naked eye. Sooooo I add that $500 and get a higher end TV that has a menu picture setting that’s pleasing to my eye. For reviewers I recommend both, out of the box eval, and a calibrated one. One TV, two scores.

[@dtbrown1978]

I'll never have a TV calibrated as I don't care for directors intent look. But my purchasing decision for a TV is how close to accurate it is put of the box. I like using the best out of box settings and make my own slight adjustment. If a TV is way off from being close to accurate then I'm not interested in it.

[@justinschultz4325]

I appreciate hearing how close to "calibrated" a given picture mode is out of the box. That's most important to me. I do appreciate the effort that goes into a calibration. I'll just likely never have it done.

[@videobandit]

As a tv reviewer/expert I don’t think you can unsee the errors in a tv’s out of box performance. And that is both a good and bad thing. Taking off your expert hat and putting on a 93% of the public hat is most likely not possible. That said you can see the out of box inaccuracies and make us that can’t aware of them. I agree that showing the before and after levels of accuracy is very important. Maybe have Kristi’s take be ONLY on out of box viewing before you calibrate it. While she still has a much greater handle on what is better or not than the average consumer I think she may still see the tv in a less critical perspective.

[@gregyance9901]

Where are the proper calibration settings ?

[@LensCaptive]

personally i think product reviews should be a review of the product as is. it would be like reviewing a car and putting better tires, brakes, tuning the suspension/motor to perfection and then commenting on that - when that's really not the product that the manufacturer offers. in both scenarios the manufacturer offers "settings" (tv brightness/contrast, in the car scenario you could relate it to sport modes or different suspension/transmission options the manufacturer offers) and those 100% should be used to cater to each individual and their preferences and should be included in a review, but to me taking a product and calibrating/modifying isn't a review of the original product, which is what I would like to see the majority of a product review about and is what im looking for. just me though

[@deemow2634]

I think it would be useful for Andrew as a reviewer to talk about how the calibration process works. It would also be good to get Kristi's experience on calibrating TVs. In doing so would like a cheap calibration approach (Kristi please help me out her) and the full on Andrew professional approach. As others have said measurements on pre and post calibration would be good. Thanks guys love your work

[@TeddyBosey]

I agree you should provided calibrated results. However, if 90+% are not calibrating, perhaps a more relevant review would be steps an average person could utilize to achieve best results without calibration. Plus, how close these steps get you to calibration and to reference.

[@cspenceranderson]

This is really a great idea. Show us how we can make things better without spending hundreds on professional calibration so we can possibly get close.

[@AlamAcosta]

In my family we never bought the best TV because of the money, but I, who grew up with all the technological changes, try to select the best configuration according to the paper. Now that I want to make a smart purchase and some reviews of this TV say that if you calibrate this TV it could be fantastic, of course I would love to know those settings! After all it is an option. I would love to see reviews divided into two parts, casual review and then advanced (or two videos). So people can choose the one they want, and that would be a complete review.

[@vfplayer]

I think a happy medium would be put a disc in like Spears & Munsil, but then just eyeball it. Don’t hook up calibration equipment to the screen, put the disc in, go through several of the different test screens and patterns, but just use your eyeballs to dial it in to what you feel looks the best. That is what most people do I feel. They take 1 movie they really love, pop it in and set their TV to make that 1 movie look the way they remember it looking. Once they dial that in, how everything else looks, is just because that is how the chips fall. If those other movies look good too, great, those filmmakers made good looking movies like my favorite movie. If those other movies look crappy, those other filmmakers don’t make as good of looking movies as my favorite movie. Using Spears & Munsil in this case would just be using a tiny bit of baseline since everyone has a different favorite movie. But just eyeball it from there. Want a 2nd opinion? Have your wife eyeball it and make adjustments for how she thinks it looks best. Show clips side by side of what you think looks best and what she thinks looks best, then viewers can decide if they prefer your preference or hers. Then when you give your wrap ups at the end someone can decide which person’s opinion to weigh more heavily based on if they agreed with the picture settings from the start. It might be, I liked his settings and he hated the TV anyway, so maybe it isn’t the TV for me. Her settings weren’t to my liking, but she loved the TV, maybe I should look into it more, especially since he was meh on it.

[@Gwrightproductions1]

Thank God I know how to adjust my settings 🤷🏾‍♂️😂😃

[@rlowes]

No brainer. Calibrated outcomes don’t really matter because almost no one does it.

[@nacarp2000]

Rate TV with best out of the box options, i.e Movie mode, motion off, contrast 50%, brightness as appropriate. That is the very most anyone without calibration gear will do. No secret menus, no Gamma changes etc.

[@Paradigmfusion]

I grabbed the 85” Q7 for $1499. This morning. Looking forward to it.

[@Paradigmfusion]

Best TV never had. Doesn’t have those OLED blacks (damn close though) but its brightness and contrast more than make up for it.

[@Spidr-Man]

@@ParadigmfusionHow’s it holding up??

[@Paradigmfusion]

@@Spidr-Man great. It’s an awesome tv.

[@BiffTannenBTTF]

Can't we just use the settings that rtings uses on their site and get close? This would take all of 5 minutes to do.

[@andrewrobinsonreviews]

Why would you ask me about using rtings settings?

[@BiffTannenBTTF]

@@andrewrobinsonreviews I was wondering whether that would get us relatively close to a professional calibration.

[@andrewrobinsonreviews]

Only if your version of the TV is identical to the one Rtings used - in other words, unless you have the unit they reviewed, the answer is no. This is why I don't share my settings. Can you be happy using their settings? Maybe but the reality is there's no free lunch here. I recommend you hire a professional calibrator if calibrated results are what you are after or place it in one of the recommended profiles here and get on with enjoying your TV.

[@andrewrobinsonreviews]

This question is answered in today's Unplugged! kzbin.info/www/bejne/jHTMkIVvbJiqe7sfeature=shared

[@kumble2687]

@@andrewrobinsonreviews your arrogance is refreshing! you just lost a sub or two, well done!

[@krandletie1054]

I missed the poll. I don’t do a full on calibration of my TVs, but I don’t rely on out of the box settings either. I’m a fan of Sony TVs and I automatically go to the custom profile, make some tweaks and enjoy.

[@danielrrainey1]

Why Not Both. Rate out of Box and a Rating if calibrated.