TCL 43-inch 4K UHD Smart LED TV - 43S435, 2021 Model

OK, first off, please read this: This is a ROKU TV system. Yes you can use it with cable TV or with an Over The Air antenna, but it is still a Roku. And let me explain one part about Roku. In order to use Roku, you MUST set up an account, and the reason for a payment method on file is so that if you wish to enable a Netflix or Hulu subscription (for example), the payment is automatic. The only time you pay ANYTHING is when you either take a subscription or buy a rental. But at no time are you charged any fees. We cut the cable cord two years ago with Roku Express+ 4K on our HD TV sets, and at that time, when I created the account, I did put my card on file, and have NEVER once been charged without my knowledge, since I DID set the account up to require a PIN. And we only rented one movie in all that time. No extra fees whatsoever. Now, let's move on to the TV itself. Country of Manufacture is China. In the box you get: TV Two TV Stand legs with screws 6 foot Power Cord Remote Control with two batteries. Remote is a Roku remote that is pre-paired to the TV. Even easier than the Roku 4K Express+ Quick Start guide with warranty photo registration code Setup was quick and easy. I attached the legs, put batteries into the remote, plugged the TV in and went through the setup process. In about 15 minutes, I was watching OUR channels that we had selected, and seeing things from a whole new perspective 4K is an awesome way to start and yes, this is a starter system. Colors will brilliant and vibrant and life-like, and the set will automatically adjust to your source resolution. Some of the things I like, is that I can attach an Ethernet cord instead of using wireless and ensure a constant streaming experience, although I have tweaked our wi-fi network enough that there is no buffering. There are THREE HDMI input ports for whatever you wish to connect to the TV as well as an HDMI ARC port if you have a sound bar setup. You also have a USB port for movies. songs and photos, an Ethernet port, a coaxial cable port for either an External Antenna or Cable TV Feed, an AV In adapter port (adapter NOT included) for older video equipment and headphone out for either Headphones or external audio equipment. Unit comes with a 1 year warranty and you can opt to buy additional protection if you so choose. The set will upscale 1080P sources to near 4K UHD and there is also a special Roku Channel for 4K to get you started. The set weighs 26 pounds, so if you wish to mount it to a wall mount you will want a VESA 200x300 capable mount. Those are easy enough to find here on Amazon. VESA 200x300 mount will use (4) M6x12mm screws if you already have a wall mount. Is this a Super high end 8K or QLED or OLED TV? NO. But if you are looking to start out into 4K with something that is affordable and easy to set up, then the Class-4 series will be a good choice for you. 5 stars and two thumbs up, as well as a recommended buy from us. JPL

Hi Everyone, This is an excellent entry-level 4K TV at a good price with a 1-year warranty! I have been using this TV for over 3 months before writing any reviews or comments. I did a lot of research before buying a new TV and this was considered the best lower-cost 4K TV with Roku that was available. I Highly recommend this TV. You do need to have an Internet connection and email address to register with Roku to use all the superb streaming options. You can always create a free email account just for TV stuff if you don't want to use your main email. You do not need to add a payment method (credit card or debit card, etc...) unless you want to, otherwise, just select to skip that. You can always sign up for additional streaming services, called channels, on the internet using your computer or smartphone and they will work when added to your Roku channels. So far, I am very impressed with the picture quality, especially when streaming any of the Roku channels (streaming services), or viewing video files, or DVD + Blu-Ray discs, or through the Live TV over the air (OTA) antenna. Anything with 720p resolution or higher looks great, very nice upscaling, and anything with HDR is awesome. Even on my low speed 5 Mbps internet connection, the streaming looks really good, yet for 4K video streaming it is recommended to have a min. 15 Mbps to 25 Mbps+ internet connection. Totally recommend using a quality surge protector or UPS (battery backup) with any electronics you care about. I suggest running a software update in the system settings after setting up the TV for the first time, it is automatic after that. Also, this TV has a large bright LED activity light that stays on disturbing my sleep which you can disable in the settings. You can also select a default startup option like the HDMI input 1 (HDMI cable box on mine), Live TV (coax cable or antenna), or the main Roku menu (the default setting), etc... Initially, I was disappointed with the HOA-required Comcast Xfinity cable service because the picture quality was not nearly as good as the streaming options, or when viewing video files from my media server or USB or DVD Blu-Ray discs or Live TV antenna. But, that is because the Xfinity Comcast cable DTA box is only at 480i and even the free upgraded HDMI DTA cable box is only at 720p or 1080i and the picture quality is just okay. FYI: Progressive (p) video format is better than Interlaced (i). I find that the cable box picture looks better at 720p or 1080i with the TV picture gaming setting enabled and it is still not nearly as good as 720p or 1080p from streaming channels or antenna or video files or discs. Any dark scenes using cable box HDMI are almost too dark to distinguish details, very annoying. I tried 3 HDMI cables, HDMI 2, high speed HDMI 2, and 4K HDMI 2.1 which didn't help. The coaxial connection has lower resolution, but the dark scenes look better and whatever your watching will stabilize and look better overall. The only way to get higher quality video from Xfinity Comcast cable is through their free Streaming app and your Internet service provider (ISP) or by using their free TV WiFi box which I think requires using their Xfinity Internet Service (X1 Wireless TV Box (Xi5 or Xi6) or Flex streaming TV Box (Xi5, Xi6 or XiOne). Additional comments: I was surprised that a TV purchased in April 2022 and manufactured in January of 2022 did not have USB v3.x port(s) and HDMI v2.1 or newer ports although it does have an HDMI v2.1 audio Arc port, but not the enhanced eArc port. The HDMI Arc port can be used as a 3rd regular HDMI port if not used for audio. More ports would be really nice. This model has a 60 Hz display refresh rate with a 120 Hz CMI (Clear Motion Index); This is not a true 120 Hz display refresh rate, but I have not noticed any negative video refresh related issues except on low-quality videos or slower Internet. Note: Some new gaming systems may require an HDMI 2.1 port and an actual 120 Hz refresh rate. There is no Bluetooth either. Also, the included TCL Roku remote does not have the voice button, yet my $40 Roku Streaming Stick + remote has the voice button??? The Roku app on my Android phone does have the voice option though when connected to the TCL TV. And, the Roku Media Player could use some major updates and or perhaps porting VLC into Roku because I noticed that some videos either through my media server or video files on USB drive would not play audio correctly because this TV cannot handle all the various video and audio formats like 7 or 8 channel audio, yet they all play well on my computers, and the video playback navigation controls may or may not work with various media servers? The Plex media server app works well. The Roku Media Player with USB drives does not seem to recognize the exFat file system either which is a common format. Finally, I would also recommend getting an extended warranty through Amazon or through TCL.

5 year review Sometimes it gets a little slow, clear your cache/history. Picture is still fantastic, everything still works well.

BLACK SCREEN: The quality of the screen is very good and the sound is all right. I love the simple setup and the price you pay for the quality of the image. About a month ago, MY SCREEN WENT BLACK. I tried using Roku customer support, unplugging it for a while, doing other hard resets and looking up how to fix the issue with a manufacturer. The sound was basically working, but the screen was black. I then noticed that when I went back and searched for the same product, the reviews with lower stars had the same issue. They had to get a new TV. I found the small reset button next to the HDMI port and I used a paper clip to press it. It seemed like it was going to work at first, but then it went back to black again. I left to the store and came back over later, about to throw the TV away because it was being a waste of space considering it didn’t work. I decided to try and turn it on again after hours of having pressed the reset button and all of a sudden, it had finally hard reset. PLEASE DO NOT THROW THE TELEVISION AWAY AND I HOPE PEOPLE FIND THIS REVIEW.

I was looking to buy an affordable ~50" 4K TV for my new home, and I bought this one for my living room and a Vizio V series for my office/man cave. Well, the TCL was the clear winner of the two to the extend that I actually returned the Vizio (lots of issues with software and speakers) and bought another TCL to replace it (so I have a 50" and 43" of this model now). Biggest pluses: - Roku software is top-notch, reliable, and intuitive/good UI. Yes, you need to sign-up for a (free) account if you don't already have one, but the plus there is when you buy another one, it'll auto-install the apps you already use - Every video app you can imagine is supported (MLB.TV, Netflix, HBO Max, and Hulu are my most used) - Sound is pretty good, although I did buy a sound bar to take advantage of eARC port, which was also super-easy to setup once and forget about (soundbar used automatically -- volume controlled from TV remote) - I know some people have complained about the remote, but I actually quite like it once you get used to it, outside of two caveats listed below -- the sound controls on the side of the remote is very intuitive and I way prefer it to the way most remotes do it - EASY to connect to AirPlay or Windows Wireless Remote Display, which is key for me - I like customization of the input names (and icons) so you don't need to remember that Input 2 is Cable Box while Input 3 is Playstation etc - Good HRD for gaming from what I could tell, but I'll admit I'm not a big expert The only downsides I have, which I think are FINE considering the low price of these models: - The remote doesn't light-up ever, and since I like to watch movies with the light down it can make me fumble to find the pause button when needed - No way to change from one input to another without going to the homescreen (that I can tell), which makes flipping between a game on Live TV (via Cable Box input) to my game on pause (on PS4 Pro input) take a bit longer -- those couple of seconds make a difference when you're watching March Madness and the commercial breaks are short Overall, I can't imagine you'll find a better TV without going up an order-of-magnitude on price. TCL is my new go-to brand for screens.

Best TV I have ever owned

This is the second TCL Roku TV i have owned. The previous one lasted for about 12 years, so I definitely got my money's worth. The licture is great. Setup is easy. Attaching accessories, like the Roku soundbar were simple and painless. This may be a "cheap" TV, but I think it stands up to some of the pricier competition. My only complaint is the remote. On the bottom half of the remote...and this applies to all Roku remotes and isn't a TCL issue...has 4 pre-programmed buttons that are programmed to specific channels and they cant be disabled or reprogrammed. The problem is, for instance, one of the button on my remote is for Apple TV. I dont subscribe to AppleTV. I would much rather have those buttons be for channels I subscribe to. I get that these are paid for selections by the channels, but its pretty useless if I don't have that channel. The other problem is that they are too easy to press. I have picked up my remote, on several occasions, and accidently hit one of the buttons. This then launches the selected app, whether you want it or not. They need to sink these in so that you have ro actively press them. I haven't had the same issue with other buttons on the remote. As far as what these buttons are linked to, we should at least be given some options for the buttons. I have seen different roku remotes that have different channels on these buttons, so give us the option to switch between different channels that have paid for this privledge(as well as have physically switchable buttons or remove able labels for the buttons). The channels get thier advertising, Roku gets the additional revenue, and your customers get a user friendly remote.

I purchased this item in amazon during a fire sale and I poked around and found this item to be sufficiently affordable and it being my first large size TV for my bedroom. For the first 6 months it performed rather admirably. However, a leak had developed under the screen panel which bled the liquid within from the top of the screen under the black plastic. Over the course of a week this leak became larger and larger until it covered the majority of the screen. I had checked my emails after some confusion to make sure I had all the purchase information for a refund, and it took some serious digging with not only amazon reps, but with the issuer of my warranty, and then finally with the TCL reps themselves and I showed the damage and all the material I had collected since. Right away, I felt the TCL rep was being evasive by asking questions regarding its power operation. Which was operating just fine. It cycled on and off with very little issue. I kept having to repeat myself in the emails that were sent back and forth. They asked for further photos to determine what was wrong with the TV, even AFTER I showed them what the problem actually was and explained how it all started. The last picture I took I was shocked to learn that while I had stored the TV in a blanket and had only moved the item once since I bought it, more and more very fine cracks and other issues started to form which only made me more skeptical about the fragility of the device to begin with. When I sent them in, they immediately declined to replace this television, which quite frankly I feel absolutely robbed. They simply said 'there's a crack in, so no.' And I explained to the rep that the cracks were only a recent development and likely happened when I was re-setting it back up, but that in no way am I liable because the damage had already started. I'm not the one that made a shoddy super fragile TV that breaks with so very little handling. The Rep was evasive from start to finish. In the end I was just fearful they were gunna talk me in circles until the manufacturers warranty was gunna end (Literally in 3 weeks) or just find a reason to not do it without any real in person investigation. I was so angry by this action, that I looked up the company information on the internet and then I learned something that absolutely set me back. TCL is a company that is based in mainland china. Now, before we get too deep into this and elements of racism come up, this is NOT the first time I bought something that was advertised as an american company and their own website doesn't go into any detail but talks heavily about 'standards' and 'quality' and having a mission statement regarding customer focus, and then I come back to myself knowing they failed this entirely in regards to me. It's a bait and switch. They choose not to own up to the fact they made such a weak product, dressed up the response to imply that I smashed the TV while I knew I had witness to the contrary. In the end, I'm left with having no further recourse but to tell the truth about the company that they wont admit on their own website. So, let the buyer beware. I imagine bad reviews don't always stop people from buying products, but you should be aware of what you're getting into, how long the product may function, and what to expect when you go their their customer service system. You're better off buying from local electronics depots and storefronts where you will actually be able to talk to a person who's actually willing to back their company line.