Unlike in the past, the Indian middle class loves to think big now. If they can, that is. Several sectors have recorded this shift in mindset — from automobiles, where we have more sedans and SUVs now on the Indian roads than we ever had, to real estate where even the middle class eyes and buys villas and swanky apartments with big halls, bedrooms and living rooms. Traditionally, big TVs never adorned middle class flats in India. They were restricted to public halls or sports stadia. But the recent boom in display technology coupled with the crash in prices of ultra LED televisions and the willingness of gadget-makers to experiment with myriad sizes has created a buzz in the market for big-sized TVs and almost all the TV-makers are now bringing plus-size screens to the Indian market.

TCL’s C2US 4K UHD LED Smart TV, under review here, has a 189.30 cm or 75-inch display. For the puritans, the product dimensions are 167.4 x 36.3 x 105.6 cm. Considering the size, it is not very heavy and is very easy to handle. The edges of the screen are protected with a neat metal cover and the back panel has robust plastic. It is a bit slippery there, but you have enough room to hold and handle the giant TV. Wall-mounted, the TV can easily fill a decent slice of your bedroom wall but the sleek design ensures it does not jut out. TCL supplies a table top stand as well but we recommend a wall-mount for a better, immersive experience.

Android OS

The device runs on Google’s Android OS and supports most applications. We tested most of the apps on the device including Netflix, MUBI, Kodi, Vimeo and several others. We ran into some glitches with Amazon Prime, which failed to update. But that could be fixed with an over-the-counter software update. Most apps work perfectly in sync with the system, delivering a glitch-free experience thanks to efficient processors — a quad core CPU and a dual core graphics processing unit (Dual Core Mali T860 MP2) with 2.5 GB RAM and 16 GB storage.

The TV’s six-millisecond response time with a refresh rate of 60 hz was quite impressive considering the size and price, and it ensures that even high-fidelity, fast visuals are rendered flawlessly. The TV has a 4K (3840 x 2160p) resolution with an image aspect ratio of 16:09 and a contrast ratio of 4000:1.

These faculties enable it to offer a small-theatre experience, especially if you are inside a moderately-sized bedroom. The visuals come out well-saturated and natural and the display negotiates ambient lights with alacrity. We are extremely satisfied with the way the TV streamed 4K content (on Netflix and YouTube, mostly) — without lags or jerks (of course, this depends on your bandwidth mettle, too). The 4K UHD TV uses eight million pixels (4x FHD TVs) to reproduce all shades of light, which enhances natural colours to offer immersive viewing.

The TV gives you two USB ports, which you can use to plug in and play video, audio content but like in the case of most such TVs, the ports are located behind the TV and if you have mounted it on the wall, reaching for the ports is a pain you would most likely want to avoid. You can connect the TV to the web wirelessly and by using an ethernet cable. Both work just fine, but there is no bluetooth, which is a little disappointing considering that many users would want to connect an external audio system to the TV via bluetooth.

Powerful audio

That said, the TV’s audio department, powered by Harman-Kardon compensates for this. The audio, aided by a 16 W sound system with Dolby Audio and DTS Premium, is quite impressive. In fact at higher volume levels (and if you have really cool neighbours), the TV offers a visual experience that can easily match a mini-theatre. It’s really multiplex-level. Even high decibel audio is rendered without friction or blare.

Interestingly, the TCL C2US comes with two neatly designed remote controls. The traditional one, a long, slim one in black, is more for the old-gen as it sports most of the routine buttons, while the smaller, metallic second remote supports voice commands and does most of the traditional functions as well. Both remotes have dedicated buttons for Netflix. The TV’s built-in Google Chromecast faculty helps you broadcast your phone’s content on the TV and stream videos via the phone.

Price: ₹1,49,990 (online)

Pros: Great home-theatre like viewing experience, affordable pricing, value for money specs

Cons: Some apps lack support, heats up a bit during long-hours of usage

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