TCL advises TV buyers on how to compare sets in stores

TCL Electronics Australia has advised television buyers to check skin tone accuracy and black consistency when comparing new sets in shops, as more models reach retailers.

Patrick Chen, product training specialist at TCL Electronics Australia, said buyers often focus first on screen size and resolution, but picture quality can vary in less obvious ways. He pointed to colour reproduction, dark-scene performance and off-angle viewing as practical checks shoppers can make before purchasing.

Retail displays are often configured to stand out under shop lighting, making some sets appear more vivid at first glance. That can favour bright colours and dramatic contrast in demo footage, while making it harder to judge how natural the image will look in everyday viewing.

Chen said skin tones offer a simple reference point because viewers already have a strong sense of what a person should look like on screen.

"TVs in-store are normally tuned to be as eye-catching as possible to impress potential customers," Chen said.

"Often bright hues such as reds, greens and blues can make a person on-screen look unrealistically bright or artificial, so ensuring skin tones still look natural is key. I always encourage consumers to look at vibrant scenes that feature both bright backdrops and people to see if skin tones are being accurately depicted.

"You should ideally be able to look at the bright blue sky or strong orange stripes of a tiger during a movie scene and still see someone's skin tone remain as you would expect in real life, just as the director intended. As a product trainer, this is one of the first things I would look for, and consumers who keep this small detail in mind can help ensure they are getting the best television possible."

The comments reflect a broader challenge in the television market: showroom conditions do not always match the environment in which sets are later used. Bright retail floors can flatter certain picture settings, while home viewing often exposes weaknesses in shadow detail, colour balance or panel uniformity.

Dark scenes

Chen also highlighted black reproduction as another test for shoppers, advising consumers to look at darker scenes and check whether deep blacks remain even across the panel or become washed out near the edges.

That can affect films, drama and sport broadcasts, where contrast helps define detail. Uneven black levels can reduce perceived depth and make a set look less consistent in dimmer rooms.

The advice also extends to viewing position. Chen said a television that looks strong from directly in front may perform differently from the side, which matters in living rooms where people are seated across a wider area or where a screen is mounted on a wall bracket.

He encouraged shoppers to move around the display rather than assess a set from one fixed spot.

"Depending on the screen technology, watching the TV side-on can cause the picture quality to change or degrade," Chen said.

"The screen's colour and tone should remain consistent regardless of where the viewer is positioned, whether in the middle of a couch or at a kitchen island off to the side.

"When in the store, don't just stand directly in front of the screen. Step five or so paces in either direction and look at the TV from an angle to check for any contrast discrepancies. It's much better to discover any issues in-store than after the TV has been set up at home."

Buying habits

The recommendation underlines how television buying remains shaped by visual impressions made in-store, even as product ranges expand and technical specifications become more complex. Terms such as resolution, refresh rate and panel type can dominate marketing materials, but they do not always show how a screen will handle human subjects, dark content or varied seating positions.

For shoppers, Chen's approach amounts to a simple in-person checklist: look for natural skin tones, inspect black levels in dark scenes and test the picture from the side. Those checks can reveal differences that are easy to miss when a set is judged only by brightness, colour punch or the prominence of its specification sheet.