Optimize your TCL TV picture quality: Adjust these settings.

      Data from TV manufacturers indicates that the majority of consumers do not modify many, if any, settings on their TVs to optimize image quality. This is quite disappointing, particularly when investing a substantial amount in a television, especially if it’s a massive 115-inch model like the TCL QM891G.

      For large TVs—those measuring 85 inches and more—the finer adjustments can significantly enhance the viewing experience since every detail is amplified on such a large screen. Let’s explore which settings can be modified for the best viewing pleasure on your TCL TV.

      Disable Automatic Features

      The first adjustment to make is to turn off the Eco mode (referred to as Energy Saving on the TCL QM891G, which operates on Google TV). This may have been suggested during the initial setup, but if it wasn’t, here’s how to do it.

      From the Home Screen, press the Settings button on your remote. Navigate to All Settings, and then scroll to System. From there, go to Power and Energy, and select Energy Saver, ensuring it is set to Off. This action grants you full control over the brightness of your TV. If Energy Saver is activated, you’ll see that the brightness is capped at 60 in the bottom corner. Additionally, with Adaptive Brightness enabled, the TV will automatically adjust brightness to conserve energy, which could lead to a subpar viewing experience.

      Be sure to disable Adaptive Brightness as well. In the All Settings menu, go to Display and Sound, then to Intelligent Settings, and finally Intelligent Picture. You will encounter options for Adaptive Brightness, Adaptive Content, and Adaptive Color Temperature—make sure all of these are turned Off. If left on, the TV will automatically adjust brightness and color temperature based on the surrounding light and displayed content.

      Achieving Optimal Brightness and Warmth

      With the automatic features disabled, it’s time to choose a Picture Mode. From the home screen, press the Settings button, then go to Picture and select Picture Mode. There are five options available—Movie is recommended due to its warmer, more natural tones. Sports Mode often enhances colors too intensely and can make them appear unnatural. Smart HDR is an improvement but still slightly oversaturated. Low Power settings should be avoided, and Vivid is similar to Sports, providing an overly sharp image.

      Next, adjust the brightness to your preference. During daylight in a well-lit room, a higher brightness setting might be preferable, whereas in darker settings or at night, lowering the brightness could be more comfortable. Larger TVs can emit a lot of light, which can sometimes be overwhelming.

      You’ll also want to adjust both SDR (standard dynamic range) and HDR (high dynamic range) brightness settings. From the home screen, set brightness for SDR content by pressing the Settings button, navigating to Picture, and then selecting Brightness to make your desired adjustments.

      For HDR brightness settings, stream some HDR content to test it out (YouTube, particularly Jennifer Gala’s channel, is a great source for HDR material). Look for a format indicator, such as HDR10, in the corner to confirm you’re viewing HDR content.

      There’s one final option to refine your TCL TV’s brightness. From the Picture menu, select Advanced Settings, then Brightness Settings, and finally Local Contrast. This setting adjusts backlight and contrast in varying screen areas to enhance picture quality. You’ll notice significant differences when toggling between Off, Low, and High: Off will produce a flat image, Low gives a little more brightness, and High increases brightness and contrast. For optimal HDR performance, set Local Contrast to High and, if comfortable, increase brightness to 100.

      Smoother Viewing and Enhanced Control

      You can also tweak motion smoothing based on your personal preference and sensitivity to motion artifacts caused by different frame rates.

      To adjust motion smoothing on a TCL TV, start with Picture Settings, go to Advanced Settings, and select Motion. Motion Clarity can be turned off entirely if desired. If activated, use the sliders for Blur Reduction and Judder Reduction to find your preferred settings for various content types. You might enjoy how movies and shows filmed at 24 frames per second (fps) appear and prefer different settings for higher frame rate content such as live TV, reality shows, and sports.

      Additionally, there are settings that simplify connecting external devices like soundbars, Blu-ray players, or gaming consoles. To configure this, go to the All Settings menu, select Channels and Inputs, then External Inputs, and finally External Devices Control (CEC). Make sure HDMI Control is enabled. This feature allows control over devices like soundbars or receivers, Blu-ray player menus, or game consoles using a single remote.

      There are also options to synchronize powering on or putting devices into standby mode together, which can be adjusted as well.

      Making these picture quality changes will improve your TV viewing experience. If you wish to explore further or make additional adjustments, you will now have a better understanding of where to find these options and their implications