Gadget Review: A TV you would change homes for

The TCL 98C755 TV is a big paradox. It is a product whose success is proven by a substantial number of cancelled orders.

Yes, you read that right. People ordering this new 98-inch TV from TCL and then cancelling their orders is a measure of its success, whereas for any other product, cancellations would be taken as sure signs of failure.

Let me explain. This was brought home to me when TCL delivered the 98C755 to me for a week of use for the purpose of this review – or attempted to. This 98-incher is such a massive unit that it did not fit in the elevator in my building to move it up to my fourth-floor apartment. Neither did it fit the stairwell to be manually carried up the stairs. So, the only place it was delivered to was the foyer on the ground floor, before they had to take it back.

Now, TCL were kind enough to arrange a special corner in one of their showrooms for me to come and experience 98C755 for the review, and it was here that I came to know that several customers had become so enamoured of this giant flatscreen television that they had simply ordered it on the spot, only to find later - as I did - that there was no way it could be placed in their apartments because of its size.

Indeed, some with large enough balcony doors had even resorted to hiring mobile construction cranes to lift this huge gadget to their flats. But many had had to give up; even though it could fit in their living rooms, there was no way that such a massive TV could be placed in said room. And, therefore, they had ultimately cancelled their orders, to their great disappointment.

Learning from the experience, dealers now only sell this model after a prior inspection of customers’ houses, making sure first that the unit can be delivered and installed in its place before accepting the payment.

Now, if ever there was proof of the popularity and desirability of a product, this is it. While only those living in villas and townhouses – or apartment buildings with massive lifts and stairways - in Dubai may be able to accommodate the 98C755, even those who do not, fall so much in thrall of this TV that they are tempted to buy it.

It helps, of course, that the asking price for the 98C755 is only Dh21,999, which is the least that I have ever encountered for a TV in the 100-inch class. Bu this surprisingly affordable price – for a TV so large – is not the only reason that you would want it.

Needless to say, no one is immune to the allure of a large screen. And a whopping 100-incher – ok, 98 – is quite literally an IMAX movie theatre in your living room. Taking up almost an entire wall, it immerses you into the action like no other TV, giving a new meaning to the term “Livingroom Film Festival”! Heck, you could even screen the latest blockbusters every Saturday and sell tickets to your friends, neighbours and relatives.

And they will not be disappointed with what they see. TCL has loaded the 98C755 with a level of techno-wizardry befitting of such a giant, enabling it to give you a picture quality that is simply outstanding. For the geeky types, like you and me, the 98C755 is a QD-Mini LED screen with a whopping 1300 nits of brightness and a refresh rate of a high 144Hz. It is also IMAX enhanced, says TCL, and is powered by a AiPQ 3.0 processor. It also has HDR10+ or high dynamic range video technology that adds dynamic metadata to source files for optimising each frame of HDR video content in such a way that you get a more vibrant and lifelike viewing experience. This feature enhances the dynamic range and colour accuracy of the content, delivering stunning visuals with greater detail and depth. It also has AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, which eliminates screen tearing and stuttering.

What all of this translates into is stunning images for a TV this size. Whether it was the explosion of the Death Star, the floating landscape of Avatar, the water-scape of Aquaman or the fires of Mordor – whatever we threw at this TV looked stunning and mesmerising, and it was not just because of the humungous screen size. The colours were vibrant yet unsaturated, looking just natural, and with no bleed; the contrast was spot on; and the blacks were stunning in their depth and saturation.

The superlative picture quality was also aided by the sound. This TCL’s sound is powered by audio expert Onkyo. There is an Onkyo subwoofer at the back of the TV panel and several tweeters and mid-range speakers in the front, all combining to produce room-filling sound with a level of bass befitting such a large screen. When T-Rex made an appearance in Jurassic Park, the speakers conveyed its ground-shaking thud in a way that, along with the visuals, seemingly placed us within the action.

With built in smart features and apps, such as Google TV, Netflix, Apple TV, et al – and TCL’s own entertainment app as a bonus with some great free content, including movies, the software side of the 98C755 is also feature-rich.

On the whole, the TCL 98C755 is good enough to want to make you change homes and move to a villa, so you can accommodate it. And you perhaps could consider it, given the reasonable price this TV comes for. While the sound is great for your living room but not for larger spaces (I’m nitpicking here), I’d add speakers and place it in the garden for an alfresco movie theatre experience.

TCL 98C755

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