TCL has grown into one of the biggest names in TVs, with everything from affordable QLEDs to flagship Mini-LED models that regularly compete with the best TVs you can buy. The company’s growing influence became even more apparent in 2026 with its strategic home entertainment partnership with Sony, further strengthening its position in the premium TV market.
Even the best TCL TVs, however, aren’t always set up to deliver their best picture straight out of the box. A few quick tweaks can improve everything from movie nights and live sports to fast-paced gaming, often in just a couple of minutes.
Menus and available features vary depending on your TV’s software and model, whether that’s Google TV, Roku TV, Fire TV, or TCL’s latest interface. These recommendations cover the settings that matter most across recent TCL TVs, along with when it’s worth making an adjustment and when it’s better to leave the default alone.
These recommendations work well for most recent TCL TVs, though some settings and menu names may vary depending on your model and software.
The first thing to change: Turn off the TV’s Eco mode (in the TCL QM891G, which runs Google TV, it’s called Energy Saving). The TV may have prompted you to do this during setup, but if not, here’s how.
From the Home Screen, press the Settings button on your remote. Select All Settings, navigate down to System, then to Power and Energy, and then Energy Saver, and make sure it’s turned Off. This ensures you have complete control over TV brightness. If Energy Saver is turned on, you’ll notice in the bottom right corner that brightness can’t be pushed past 60. Even worse, Adaptive Brightness will be turned on, allowing the TV to change brightness in order to save energy. That would probably make for a less-than-ideal viewing experience.
Make sure that Adaptive Brightness is turned Off. From the All Settings menu, head down to Display and Sound, then to Intelligent Settings, and then Intelligent Picture. You’ll see Adaptive Brightness, Adaptive Content, and Adaptive Color Temperature — turn them all Off. Otherwise, the TV will make automatic adjustments not just to brightness, but also color temperature based on the room’s ambient light and content on the screen.
With the automatic picture enhancements disabled, the next step is choosing the right Picture Mode. On most TCL TVs, you’ll find it under Settings > Picture > Picture Mode, though menu names may vary by model and operating system. For most people, Movie or Filmmaker Mode (where available) delivers the most accurate colors, better contrast, and a more natural-looking image. Standard is a solid everyday option, while Sports and Vivid tend to push brightness, sharpness, and color saturation further than necessary. Unless you prefer a punchier image, they’re best left alone.
Next, set the brightness you want from your TV. If you’re watching during the day in a room with a lot of ambient light, you might prefer higher brightness. If it’s a darker room or you’re watching at night, you might want to turn the brightness down. Big TVs can produce a lot of light, and sometimes it’s just too much.
You’ll also want to change the settings for SDR (standard dynamic range) and HDR (high dynamic range). From the home screen, set the brightness for SDR content: Press the Settings button on your remote, go to Picture, and then choose Brightness. From there, make the adjustments to your liking.
To adjust HDR brightness settings, you’ll want to play with some HDR content, such as a show on a streaming service. (YouTube is an easy source — Jennifer Gala’s channel is a great option for HDR content.) A format indicator, such as HDR10, in the top corner will show that you’re viewing HDR content so you know you’re adjusting brightness for HDR.
Local Contrast is one of the most important picture settings on a TCL TV because it controls how the backlight adjusts across different parts of the screen. On Mini-LED and full-array models, keeping Local Contrast set to High usually delivers deeper blacks, brighter highlights, and noticeably better HDR performance.
If you’re watching HDR movies or TV shows, pairing High Local Contrast with your TV’s default HDR brightness settings will typically produce the best results. For SDR content, you can adjust overall brightness based on your room lighting instead of relying on one fixed value. A brighter setting works well during the day, while lowering it in a dark room can reduce eye strain without sacrificing picture quality.
You can also adjust motion smoothing. This really comes down to personal preference and whether or not you even notice the jarring effect that can result from different frame rates.
Motion settings can make a bigger difference than almost any other picture adjustment. On most TCL TVs, you’ll find options such as Motion Clarity, Blur Reduction, or Judder Reduction under the Picture or Advanced Picture settings, although the names and menus can vary by model.
For movies and TV shows, we recommend leaving Motion Clarity off or keeping Judder Reduction at its lowest setting to avoid the soap opera effect, which makes cinematic content look unnaturally smooth. If you watch a lot of live sports, increasing Blur Reduction slightly can help fast-moving action look clearer without introducing too many visual artifacts.
There’s no single setting that works for every type of content, so don’t be afraid to switch between a movie-friendly profile and one that’s better suited for sports. If you’re gaming, leave motion processing off and let Game Mode handle performance instead.
There are also some settings that can make connecting your TV with external devices like a soundbar, Blu-ray player, or gaming system easier and more convenient. To set that up, go to the All Settings menu, then to Channels and Inputs, then External Inputs, and then External Devices Control (CEC). Make sure HDMI Control is turned on. This allows you to control things like soundbar or receiver volume, Blu-ray player menus, or even game console menus with one remote.
There are also a couple of “in sync options” that allow devices to power on or rest in standby in sync (synchronously) with each other. You can fine tune those settings, too.
If you’re connecting a PS5, Xbox Series X, or gaming PC, switching to Game Mode is one of the easiest ways to improve responsiveness. Game Mode reduces input lag by disabling unnecessary picture processing, making games feel more responsive without sacrificing image quality. On newer TCL TVs, you may also see Game Master, which automatically enables gaming features such as Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) and Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) when a compatible console is detected. Some models also support 120Hz or 144Hz refresh rates over HDMI 2.1 for smoother gameplay.
If your TV supports these features, leave ALLM and VRR enabled and make sure your console is connected to an HDMI 2.1 port. Beyond that, there’s little reason to tweak picture settings specifically for gaming. TCL’s Game Mode is already designed to balance picture quality with low latency, so it’s usually best to let it do the work.
TCL TVs include several preset sound modes, but Movie is generally the best choice for films and TV shows because it delivers fuller, more balanced audio. If dialogue is difficult to hear, switching to Voice mode can make conversations clearer, while Game and Sports modes are better suited to their respective content.
If you’re using a soundbar or AV receiver, connect it through the TV’s eARC or ARC HDMI port and set the digital audio output to Auto or Pass Through when available. This allows compatible Dolby Atmos audio to reach your external speakers without unnecessary processing. Even with a soundbar connected, there’s rarely a need to make major adjustments beyond choosing the appropriate sound mode for what you’re watching.
Have a different brand of TV and want to make similar adjustments? Most modern TVs have similar features to TCL, however, they might be labelled differently, and it can get confusing. If you’re looking for LG, Samsung, Sony, Hisense, or Panasonic, we have instructions for those, too.
For most TCL TVs, Movie or Filmmaker Mode (if available) provides the most accurate colors, natural contrast, and the closest-to-director’s-intent picture. Standard mode is a good choice for everyday TV viewing, while Vivid and Sports modes often increase brightness, sharpness, and saturation more than necessary.
In most cases, yes. Turning off Motion Clarity or keeping motion processing to a minimum helps avoid the “soap opera effect,” which can make movies look unnaturally smooth. If you watch a lot of sports, a low level of motion processing can improve clarity during fast-moving action.
On most TCL Mini-LED and full-array LED TVs, High is the recommended setting because it improves black levels, enhances contrast, and helps HDR content look more impactful. If you notice blooming in certain scenes, lowering the setting slightly may produce a more balanced image.
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