I turned this 98-inch TV into an immersive at-home theater system (and it’s $1,500 off)

Over at Finest Purchase, the 98-inch TCL Q6 TV has been discounted by $1,500, primarily knocking off 50% from its authentic retail value.

TCL makes some spectacular TVs utilizing superior show applied sciences, specs, and optimizations for one of the best image high quality potential. But generally, they put all that apart and say, “Hey, let’s simply make a extremely large TV for the sake of constructing a extremely large TV.” And that is what this 98-inch set is all about.

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I have been residing with the 98-inch TCL S5 Sequence, and this is how the expertise has been.

Establishing a 98-inch TV

The most important problem this TV poses is becoming it in your house. This factor is gigantic; it is 85.7 inches huge, 49.1 inches tall, and the toes are 68.5 inches aside. When you have a wall large enough to mount it on, then you definately’re all set. However if you happen to do not, you could be scrambling to seek out an leisure middle large enough to accommodate this behemoth.

The latter was me, by the way in which — I used to be the one scrambling. My brothers helped me unbox the TV (which felt not possible since our drop ceilings stopped us from lifting the lid straight up within the air), and after we ripped by all of the Styrofoam and plastic wrap, we would have liked to determine a spot to set it up in our comparatively small front room.

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My first thought was to depart it on the bottom, however who needs to look down to look at TV? Then we thought-about ditching our present leisure middle and shifting our 65-inch LG TV someplace else to caddy nook it (once more, on the bottom), however that meant we might should dismember our complete front room.

So, we got here up with a compromise: we arrange two folding catering tables, pushed our sofa and loveseat towards the wall, and plopped the 98-inch mammoth proper in entrance of our fire. Is it good? Probably not, nevertheless it works for the sake of this overview.

Probably the most immersive expertise out there (except you discover one greater)

None of us had been fairly ready for simply how large this TV is. Positive, I had a way of how large it was earlier than we plugged it in, however as soon as that 98-inch display screen lit up, we had been all stunned. Many individuals dream of getting a movie show of their residence to get pleasure from their favourite cinema flicks and video games, and shopping for a TV like TCL’s 98S550G will get you as near that actuality as potential.

Possibly it is as a result of we’re sitting so near it, possibly it is the swap from watching on a 65-inch TV for thus lengthy, however regardless of the motive, the sensation of immersion you get from watching this 98-inch TV by no means appears to fade away. Every little thing you tune into will really feel extra lifelike than you possibly can think about — that goes for films like “Oppenheimer” and “Spider-Man: No Approach Dwelling” to cable TV exhibits like “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.” 

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My solely want is that I had gotten to see this yr’s Tremendous Bowl on it. That mentioned, I can already inform this TV would be the good match for anybody who makes use of multiview by the NFL Sunday Ticket.

I imply it after I say that your jaw can drop at any second whereas watching this TV. When you have a favourite film or TV present, it merely makes it higher because it’s simply so large. It is easy to see, regardless of the place you might be within the room, and it ensures there is not a nasty seat in the home.

Strange specs, however stable image high quality nonetheless

Past its magnificent 98-inch measurement, the remainder of the 98S550G is fairly primary, at the very least in the case of high-end TVs. It makes use of a QLED panel, which helps ship brighter colours and higher distinction. I can confidently say it is probably the greatest LED TVs I’ve ever seen. Nevertheless, you will not get the identical luxuries as one thing like an OLED or Mini LED TV with native dimming, richer distinction, and elevated brightness. 

On the intense aspect, because it makes use of one enormous backlight, you will not get any mild haloing round your content material.

The TV has a 4K decision and helps refresh charges as much as 120Hz, which is a pleasant contact for any players who need to get pleasure from silky-smooth gameplay on the panel. I’ll say, although, 4K on a 98-inch panel would not really feel the identical because it does on a 65-inch panel; pixel density is not practically as excessive since they’re scattered throughout a a lot bigger canvas, and if you happen to get near the TV, you possibly can positively see particular person pixels. It isn’t a difficulty by any means, however I discovered it fascinating nonetheless.

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The image high quality is first rate total. “Oppenheimer” regarded nice enjoying off the 4K HDR DVD I bought, whereas 1080p upscaled cable exhibits weren’t too shabby, both. You will have loads of choices to manage how all the pieces seems within the settings menu, and when you set it up, I might extremely advise turning off movement smoothing. On a 98-inch tv, the added frames don’t do most content material justice.

With the 98-inch S5, TCL made positive to incorporate a number of specs and options clients could be excited about, together with HDR Extremely (consisting of Dolby Imaginative and prescient IQ, Open HDR, HDR10, HDR10+, and HLG), a devoted Recreation Accelerator 240 for 240 VRR help, Dolby Atmos, AirPlay, Chromecast, voice assistant integration, and even dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi. There are 4 HDMI ports to reap the benefits of, together with optical audio and Ethernet ports. 

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Its sound high quality can be stable. At larger volumes, mids and highs can begin to screech, however the built-in subwoofer helps anchor all the pieces with a shocking quantity of bass, which may be tuned within the settings in order for you kind of growth throughout your films. I might nonetheless go for a dedicated sound system in order for you a real movie show setup, however my household and I had been proud of what the TV kicked out.

ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation

At its value, it is arduous to disregard TCL’s 98-inch Class S5 Series TV for lengthy. When you have a spot in your house the place you possibly can match a TV of this measurement and magnitude — and you do not thoughts dropping a cool $2,000 — I can see this TV making a number of sense for an immersive leisure setup. 

Granted, you will not get one of the best image high quality on the market, nevertheless it’s vital to do not forget that something higher than what TCL offers you’ll run you $5,000 to $10,000 — possibly extra.

In the long run, I had a number of enjoyable reviewing this enormous 98-inch TV, however I am able to ship it again. For our residence, it’s kind of too intrusive and will get in the way in which most of the time. (Let’s do not forget that it is blocking my complete fire.) However when you’ve got the area for it, a part of me needs to let you know to hurry out and seize one whereas the deal’s occurring. 

I feel you may dig it, and your complete family can be hooked on taking a look at it. And on the finish of the day, is not that what we’re all after when shopping for a brand new TV?

How we take a look at TVs

Whereas testing and researching the TV featured on this overview, I, and different ZDNET consultants, saved these standards in thoughts:

• Value: Not all budgets are created equal. And if you happen to’re working with a restricted funds, that should not imply you must accept a subpar TV. Every TV mannequin we overview has been chosen throughout quite a lot of value factors to assist accommodate completely different wants.
• Display measurement: Crucial issue to contemplate, after value, when purchasing for a brand new TV is whether or not or not it’ll match into your area. Whereas this particular display screen measurement is phenomenal, the QN90D is out there in all kinds of smaller sizes to swimsuit completely different rooms.
• Image and audio high quality: A brand new TV does not imply a lot, even when it prices an arm and a leg, if it would not present an ideal image and clear audio. Every TV on this record has been ensured to help varied HDR codecs, together with HDR10+ and Dolby Imaginative and prescient, in addition to enhanced audio software program like Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital Plus, and object-tracking sound.

For a extra detailed look, try our extensive TV testing methodology.

This text was initially revealed on March 5, 2024, and was up to date on June 13, 2025.