Walmart deal drops the price of the 55-inch TCL 4K Roku smart TV to just $338

By Parker Hall April 19, 2019

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Was streaming the first episode of Game of Thrones a bit more difficult (and worse quality) than you wanted it to be? Well, right now you can snag an awesome 55-inch 4K TCL model with Roku built-in for just $338 at Walmart, down from its usual $368 list price.

We’ve been a fan of TCL’s low-cost, great-looking TV models for the past few years now, with the growing TV maker often boasting models with some of the best price-to-performance ratios you’ll find. In fact, the updated version of this very model currently sits atop our list of the best TVs we think you can buy under $500.

The fact that this model features Roku’s awesome streaming video software for free is a serious bonus. While many other budget smart TVs feature somewhat janky interfaces, Roku offers a streamlined, easy-to-use experience. In fact, the increasing prevalence of Roku TVs in the budget price class means that there has never been a better time to buy an affordable TV model.

This particular TV isn’t lacking when it comes to specs, either. It features 4K resolution with HDR 10 support, with a 120hz refresh rate to keep action scenes and sporting events from coming across blurry on the display. Got a video game system or Blu-ray player that you want to hook up? No problem: This model features three HDMI 2.0 ports, making it super easy to connect all your outboard devices.

That’s a lot of great features for such a low price, and one of the reasons why we can easily recommend this sale to those of you who’ve been waiting to upgrade your TV since the 1080p era. And at 55 inches, you’re not getting some tiny cheap piece of trash: This TCL model is great, and it’s pretty astonishing how much TV you’re actually getting for the money here.

With such a great deal, you might as well start planning your first binge-watching session. Here’s our lists of what’s new on Netflix, what just came to Amazon Prime Video, and the freshest content on Hulu, to sate your ravenous streaming appetites — and give you some stuff that will let you show off that new screen.

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Parker Hall is a writer and musician from Portland, OR. He is a graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Oberlin…

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The hidden costs of buying a 4K TV are way higher than you think

Toshiba 55-inch-class C350 series 4K smart Fire TV on a gray shelf and light gray background.

There’s never been a better time to buy a 4K TV. Prices have continued to drop even as screen sizes and smart TV features have continued to grow. But now that 4K TVs are priced within reach of almost anyone who wants one, are you actually going to be able to enjoy all of the extra detail and picture quality that 4K promises? The answer is, sadly, not as often as you expect, and not without some considerable extra investment over and above the cost of the TV.

Modern 4K TVs are packed with a lot of impressive technologies that can make picture quality look amazing, no matter what you’re watching. With upscaling driven by complex algorithms and often aided by AI, even watching an old DVD on a 4K TV will look way better than it did on an HDTV from 10 years ago. But to truly get the best possible results, you need access to native 4K content, preferably with some flavor of HDR, like Dolby Vision, HDR10, or HDR10+.

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Should you install beta updates for Apple TV 4K?

Apple TV beta software options as seen on a TV.

This is sort of one of those things that you see pop up from time to time whenever Apple unleashes an onslaught of new beta software. And it's worth discussing. Should you, proud owner of an Apple TV (or the newer Apple TV 4K, which is still our pick for the best streaming hardware you can buy), simply sit back and let production-level tvOS updates hit your box as Steve Jobs intended? Or should you live on the edge and take your chances with beta updates?

It's a fair question. I'm a sucker for updates. But there's a little bit to think about here.
What is a beta update?
For us mere mortals (as in someone who doesn't work at Apple), there are three software tracks from which you can choose on Apple TV. There's the regular software that everybody gets, which we'll call "Production." Because that's what it is. There are two types of betas. There's "Developer," and there's "Public."

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Sony’s A75L is its most affordable 4K OLED TV so far

Sony Bravia A75L OLED 4K TV.

Sony has announced that it's about to begin taking preorders on its 2023 Bravia A75L OLED 4K TV -- a model that shares all of the same high-end picture quality technologies found on the company's Bravia A80L, but costs much less. The A75L is available in 55- and 65-inch screen sizes, for $1,600 and $2,000 respectively. That's up to $500 less than the same sizes of the A80L. Sony expects preorders to begin in early October.

The A75L definitely brings the price of Sony's incredible OLED TV picture quality within reach of more people, but if you're in the market to buy a new TV right now, you may want to check out Sony or Amazon for their current pricing on the Bravia A80L: the 55-inch model is $1,600 (the same as the A75L) and the 65-inch model is just $1,800 ($200 less than the A75L).