A 32 inch, TCL Roku Color Series Smart TV - with a colored bezel to match any decor!
I was sent one to review, and being a techie, I was tickled pink. (Hey, it's October.)
I have a confession to make. I've been wanting to get this off my chest (what chest I have left, that is.) I actually do like the color pink quite a lot. And these TVs come in three different colors, including pink.
Still, the TV I selected is blue, to match my silver, blue and purple bedroom. I would have felt guilty admitting to wanting a pink one.
Let's get this out of the way: this is clearly not a tech blog, so why would TCL give me a TV to review and give away? Well, they are donating $50.00 for every pink TV sold to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation this month. One of the higher-ups in the company lost somebody to breast cancer, so this is near and dear to their hearts. The donation this month is truly meaningful and not just lip-service to "the cause." Trust me, I sent many emails back and forth before I agreed to this promotion. They did their research and found a good charity - didn't reflexively give to Komen. (I love all my readers and jumped at the chance to give you a TV, but I would not have accepted this if Komen was the charity.) As you know, I don't want the marketing of our disease to be exploitative, and I want it to go to a good charity. TCL (The Creative Life) meets both criteria.
To show you how sincere they are, the company told me I didn't even have to mention the donation if it made me uncomfortable, but of course, I will because I believe it comes from a good place.
Back to the TV:
We women are also in their target demographic so there is more than one reason to have me review their product. The TVs are attractive (the bezels come in blue, green and pink) and maybe tech manufacturers are starting to understand that a big black box that dominates one of our rooms should, you know, be stylish. Women buy TVs, too. Duh.
Not to mention that we are sick. The truth is, sicker people watch more TV than healthy people. Despite my pronounced dislike for daytime TV in doctor's offices, I am an admitted TV addict. I love to read but years of chemo has made concentrating much harder. So I watch a lot of documentaries, among other (trashier) things. I have a Smart TV already, so I watch network shows, cable, streaming, YouTube - I have Amazon Prime, Netflix, and now Roku. I have my media bases covered! Tech cred: I bought a TiVo in the year 2000 when my son was 3 years old, and in his entire life at home, he has never seen a commercial nor known that TV hasn't always been pause-able. All that is to say is I'm not a grandma behind the times - at least on this one front.
I know that not everybody is as into technology as me, so I was eager to see how this TV worked.
The box arrived well-wrapped.
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| Packed beautifully |
While I intend to mount it on the wall, for now I just put it on a side table in my bedroom, where it stood easily without tipping. It is very light, and I was able to carry it myself. People who follow me on facebook know I've been feeling quite ill, and yet I still had no problems unboxing or moving it.
My first impression was that the TV with the colored bezel was attractive. It adds a subtle touch of color to the TV, a welcome change from the normal black or silver. The color is not so bright that it will overwhelm a decor but it adds a much needed touch of charm.
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| Pretty colors! Maybe pink would have matched after all! |
I know that for some, technology can be confusing so I paid close attention to the setup. It was a breeze, and if you know your WiFi password, you can do this without having to call in younger family members. Even my husband could do it! You are guided through it step-by-step. You enter your password, you sign up for a Roku account, and you are done.
The remote is simple It only has the buttons you need. You want to stream something from Amazon Prime? Hit that button. One button access is handy. You can get exactly what you want - streaming videos and shows, with no difficulty at all.
The picture quality is fine at 720p. I haven't spent a lot of time watching shows yet but I didn't see any problems with motion or color control.
I am not connecting it to my Direct TV system (or ATT or whatever it is now) so I can't speak to any complications that may bring. It looks easy as the rest of it, but for me, this is a perfect bedroom TV, where I can watch some YouTube beauty gurus complaining about each other (hilarious drama queens on YouTube if you haven't seen them), or stream a movie while lying in bed. I use my Direct TV DVRs to record all the shows that I want to watch, and my husband and I watch TV together in the evening. This is the perfect TV to put in a bedroom, office, or craft room and watch all that weird stuff your husband doesn't want to see.
Botched? My 500 pound life? Hoarders? I'm in!
This may be a perfect TV for cord-cutters too. It is not expensive, it's fashionable, it is easy to move and set up and it functions perfectly with all the streaming services available. It also comes in larger sizes so is perfect for a living room wall/main TV.
And I cannot believe how good this is, that I get to give one to you! I love my readers so much. You have propped me up during times good and bad, and I'm so happy to be able to give back this way.
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| Bathed in the glow of happiness that I can give you one too! |
So enter the contest below and good luck! I am using Rafflecopter, which picks a winner randomly.
For more information about TCL, please go to http://www.tclusa.com/, follow them on twitter or Instagram at #tcl_usa. To enter the contest, you get an extra entry if you send a tweet, so tweet away!
I am not entering this contest, but wanted to say I think this is a great giveaway. There is nothing worse than being ill and not having the ability to watch a good movie that will lift your spirits!
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