Picture settings for TCL TVs, Nebula Smart Projectors are the Sound Advice 2021 Product of the Year (Week 6, 2022)

Sound Advice
By Don Lindich

Week 6, 2022

Q. I have a new 65-inch TCL 6-series TV and I know you have given advice on picture settings before. What picture settings do you recommend for this TV?

-S.S.

A. I have not tested the latest TCL 6-Series televisions so I do not have specific setting recommendations. If you search my website you can find my settings for the previous model, which would be a good place to start. I also suggest you try the settings from rtings, found at https://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/tcl/6-series-r646-2021-qled/settings.

For the most natural picture with any TV I recommend the color temperature be set to warm and the motion settings be turned completely off.

Nebula Smart Projectors are the 2021 Sound Advice Product of the Year: Looking back at last year’s reviews and what impressed and brought the most delight, over and over Nebula Smart Projectors kept coming to the front of my mind. There is a Nebula projector for most everyone, and the award spans the three models I tested: the $579 Capsule II, $599 Solar Portable, and $1,599 Cosmos Max.

A Nebula Smart Projector and a white wall or screen are all you need for big-screen entertainment at home, and they double as great business projectors, too. Though resolution, brightness and screen size vary, all have a permanent LED light source with a 30,000 hour lifespan (no expensive bulbs to replace) as well as built-in sound systems and the Android TV operating system. Just connect your projector to the internet, load your apps and the fun begins. They support Chromecast and have HDMI inputs, too.

What did readers say? Capsule II owner E.S. of Youngstown, Ohio said, “Don, you hit a home run with this one. It’s awesome how big the image is and I’ve never watched anything like it. My two little girls are loving it! As I write this, they are watching Looney Tunes projected on a wall and we are going to make a movie room. My family will get many hours of enjoyment from this product.”

D.E. of Orlando, Florida, said, “I am an artist who works in the theme park industry and I have worked on many projects for Disney and the Universal Parks, among others. I painted some of the dinosaurs on the Jurassic Park river ride late at night when the park is closed and it is dark. I would often bring my Nebula Capsule II with me, hang up a screen outside and play movies as we painted the dinosaurs. My team loved it and if any of your readers ride the Jurassic Park ride in Florida and see the freshly-painted dinosaurs, now they know the rest of the story! I am currently using the Capsule II as part of the layout for my own Westward Ho!e in One park project (westwardholeinone.com), currently in development. I am projecting on to a large wall or canvas and tracing the graphics to create realistic large images for the layout of the park. It can go even bigger than the rated 120 inches.”

As for myself, I used the Capsule II around my home and held several outdoor movie parties with the Cosmos Max. The big, bright images from 4K Blu-ray were simply stunning and my guests, who usually expect a lot from me when it comes to any AV presentation, were still floored by what they were seeing and how easy it was to achieve.

Congratulations, Nebula! See the projectors, and the new Nebula laser projector, at seenebula.com.