With this SDR title the LCDs didn't show the same level of differences I saw with HDR (see below), however. As usual the B9 OLED looked best with its perfect blacks, which also made shadows more realistic. In this torture test, the TCL looked the best among the LCDs, thanks to its combination of deeper black levels than the Vizio and the 6-Series and better shadow detail than the Samsung. Only Apple TV devices get those formats.ĭim lighting: For this comparison I used the infamously dark Game of Thrones episode, The Long Night aka The Battle of Winterfell (the third episode of season eight) - but instead the overly compressed HBO Now stream, I slipped in the new Blu-ray disc, which looks about a thousand times better. Roku does have the Apple TV app, but on the 8-Series it doesn't support Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. One thing currently missing from the Roku platform in general and this TCL TV in particular - and available on competing smart TVs from Vizio, Samsung and LG - is support for Apple's AirPlay system. My review sample was running the latest version, 9.2.2, which adds a few other nifty features, including a voice-activated sleep timer and curated content 'zones.' Check out my writeup of Roku's 2019 players and my review of my favorite 4K Roku device, the Roku Streaming Stick Plus, for more details. Can pause live TV from an antenna source (and a USB stick).Cross-platform search covers many services, allows price comparisons.More apps than any other smart TV system.

Inputs on the same home page as TV apps.Full customization, including input naming.Frequent updates and feature improvements.Here's the short list of reasons to love it: The 8-Series has Roku TV and, for reasons I've documented extensively in previous reviews, I'm a fan.

Spears and munsil cruch