TCL 65C79K test: a bright and versatile 4K mini-LED TV, at an interesting price

Little “lightened” brother of the C89K that we recently tested, the C79K that we are testing here in 65 inches (65C79K) can also be found under the reference C7K or Q7C according to the resellers. It is of course put on mini-LED technology with a local dimming effective to contain the best blooming and strengthen the perceived contrast. We obviously remain on an ultra HD 4K definition with native refreshment at 144 Hz, as well as very complete HDR compatibility (HDR10+ and Dolby Vision). TCL keeps its value for money here, but without looking for the summits aimed at C89K: the C79K is less bright and less premium, but it is also cheaper.

With a price of 1100 €, the 65C79K is positioned as a light and versatile alternative to the mid-high-end OLED (LG C5, Samsung S90F and Philips OLED810) and at the Mini-LED Premium (Sony Bravia 9, TCL C89K), but at a lower cost.

It is also found in many diagonals, from 50 inches to… 115 inches! Simply the biggest screen of the moment. Here are the prices of the different diagonals that you can find:

• 50C79K in 50 inches at € 600
• 55C79K in 55 inches at 850 €
• 75C79K in 75 inch at 1300 €
• 85C79K in 85 inches at 1800 €
• 98C79K in 98 inch at 2700 €
• 115C7K in 115 inches at € 10,000

All the brightness and colorimetry measurements mentioned in this article were carried out with a more HL -display calibrated probe and the Calman Ultimate software.

The C79K does not benefit from the same slab as the C89K, but we always find LCD technology goes to the program, as evidenced by sub -pixels.

The filmmaker mode was added to the brand’s televisions this year, and it is obviously the fairest. The Middle Delta E SDR is 1.3, largely below the threshold of 3 beyond which the drifts become visible to the eye. Color fidelity is therefore excellent, and the rendering appears natural on all content. The average color temperature at 6610 k is very close to the target of 6,500 k, and the gamma measured at 2.3 offers a more bright suspicion in medium gray tones than a reference adjustment to 2.4, without betraying the intention of the directors.

The contrast, a traditional strong point of the slabs will be supported by a backlight with many areas, is excellent here, and the blacks appear very deep. As we will see a little lower, it blooming (Halo effect around the light objects on a dark background) is indeed limited.

The movement compensation engine is as usual effective in improving the fluidity of sport, but we recommend deactivating it for films and series in order to avoid the “Soap Opera” effect. As often on the slabs goes, the angles of visions recall that the OLED and the QD-OLED keep the advantage on this point: we have noted a loss of brightness of around 80 % at 45 ° from the center, with the added bonus a large colorimetric drift.

A solid light peak in hdr

The 65C79K supports all HDR (HDR10, HDR10+, HLG and Dolby Vision) formats and we can therefore take advantage of it with any streaming platform. The EOTF curve is not perfectly precise, however, and the TV has a tendency to be a little brighter than it should be on dark gray as on light gray.

We measured a bright peak at 1950 CD/m² on a 10 % sight and it is logically less spectacular than that of the C89K, but it remains very high in absolute terms. It far exceeds the medium-de-range OLEDs such as the LG C5 and the Samsung S90F, but remains a notch below the high-end OLEDs approaching 2,300 CD/m² and the brightest mini-LEDs which even exceed the 3000 CD/m².

The colorimetry remains excellent in HDR, with a Delta E of 1.5. The coverage of the DCI-P3 reached 97.1 % and that of the REC.2020 78.6 %, very comfortable values, even if the OLED and QD-OLED are obviously better on this point.

Reflections: LCD limits

The management of reflections is not catastrophic with a reflectance measured at 24 % which is correct for a mini-LED TV. The reflections are however present and you have to turn to high -end OLED models to have as little as possible. The LG G4 and G5 descend to 20 % and the Samsung S95D and S95F even reach just 6 %.

Well -controlled blooming

The local dimming C79K does a good job and preserves blacks well, with a blooming Overall very contained in most scenes. The luminous halos can be perceived in certain cases, but the whole remains clean and the result is clearly above a conventional full led LCD. The C89K remains better on this point, just like OLED TVs of course, but mini-LED technology has definitely improved for 2 years.

Designed for versatility, the 65C79K also draws out of the game on the gaming side. The 144 Hz slab allows you to play comfortably on console as on PC and the measurements are rather good: we have measured 20 ms of input lag in 1080p/60 Hz – suitable for solo, even if we would have preferred that it descends under 16 ms – and only 4.7 ms in 1080p/120 Hz, an excellent value that will suit the competitive players perfectly when you can reach 120 I/S.

The remanence noted at 17 ms remains typical of a mini-LC LCD screen and is not extraordinary it must be admitted. OLED still keeps the absolute advantage over the ghosting (ghost streaks).

In terms of connectors there are four HDMI ports in total, including two HDMI 2.1 (4k@120/144 Hz, VRR and Allm). The colorimetry in game mode remains excellent with a Delta E SDR at 1.3, identical to FilmMaker mode, but the Delta E HDR is climbing to 3.6 and is therefore a little less precise.

Aesthetically, the 65C79K remains in sobriety with a foot which is in plastic. It offers good stability, but its depth is really huge (37 cm) and it could hinder the addition of a sound bar if your furniture is not wide enough, it’s a bit of a shame. The installation of the foot is quite simple, but requires no less than 12 screws, we prefer clip systems, more effective.

The connection brings together four HDMIs including two in 2.1 (and an EARC compatible), plus the essentials: a USB 3.0 port, an optical output, an Ethernet port, an CI+port, an antenna/cable/satellite socket. The passage of cables integrated at the back of the foot allows a clean installation.

Software side, Google TV runs fluidity and offers a large application catalog (Netflix, Disney+, Video Prime, Apple TV, MyCanal, etc.). There is no need for a Google account to use the applications, but add one allows you to have personalized recommendations according to the contents watched by the user. Google Assistant is obviously the game as well as Airplay and Google Cast for sharing content via a smartphone or tablet.

The remote control is quite basic, but it offers shortcuts to YouTube and Netflix, as well as direct keys for the fast parameter bar which is very practical not to have to sail in the menus. Unfortunately, she is not backlit.