Description
To demonstrate exactly how the local dimming backlights operate in real-time, TCL removed the LCD panels from several TVs and presented it to the European reviewers on their annual Experts meet Experts event in Warsaw in May 2026.
Looking at raw, unshielded Mini LEDs would blind the viewers and wash out all perceived details. To solve this, the LCD screens were replaced with a special dark glass/film that blocks 95% of the light -—allowing only 5% transmission. This perfectly mimics the natural light absorption of a real LCD panel, allowing observers to comfortably see the precise zone mapping, specular highlights, and hardware structures underneath.
TCL purposefully used realistic reference content (such as standard faces and natural lighting) rather than oversaturated, artificial marketing demos with solid bright colors, ensuring a completely transparent look at how the TVs handle normal viewing.
TVs that were presented are the following:
1. Reference 65C8L (Fully Assembled)
This fully assembled TV serves as the baseline. It displays the final, processed reference video so the audience can compare the finished image to the raw backlight activity happening on the other screens.
2. 65C8L (LCD Replaced by 5% Glass)
This screen demonstrates the SQD (Quantum Dot) Mini LED backlight mapping in real-time. The 5% glass allows the audience to clearly see how the zones light up to create specular highlights directly behind the image.
3. 65RM7L (LCD Replaced by 5% Glass)
This unit showcases the behaviour of the RGB Mini LED backlight. Because the human eye struggles to resolve the raw intensity of the shifting RGB LEDs, the presenter notes that taking a picture with a camera helps viewers see the details and color shifts of the individual zones much more clearly.
4. 75X11L (LCD Replaced by 5% Glass)
This is the top-end SQD flagship demonstration. By stepping up close, viewers can physically see the transparent support pillars inside the optical stack, which maintain an incredibly tight 5-millimeter gap between the backlight and the screen. With 11,000 dimming zones on the 75-inch model, the backlight resolution is so dense that the audience can easily recognize the shapes and details of the actual video purely from the white LED grid.
5. 85RM9L (LCD Replaced by 5% Glass)
This displays the flagship RGB Mini LED backlight structure. The presenter compares the high resolution of this RGB backlight grid to a 1990s Atari video game because you can distinctly recognize the shapes and moving colors of the video. This unit also visually highlights the hardware differences between RGB and SQD: because the RM9L uses individual Red, Green, and Blue LEDs clustered under lenses, it requires a thicker 20 mm optical space to properly mix and distribute the light, compared to the ultra-thin 5 mm space of the X11L SQD models.
This is not the first time that I saw such demo - in previous EME events they had such setup, but this year I could see RGB mini LED backlight which was interesting from technical perspective.
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Additional info and links:
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EME 2025: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFRBWDFMPwA
EME 2024: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfFjkWiyGPs
Related article on FlatPanelsHD:
https://www.flatpanelshd.com/news.php?subaction=showfull&id=1780038087
Related video from the event - hands on with TCL 98X11L:
https://youtu.be/V8P42ifXEos
TCL 2026 lineups - TVs, soundbars, monitors, gaming, Google TV,...
https://youtu.be/C08XKciiAFg
TCL 2026 TV performance - Experts meet Experts presentation
https://youtu.be/LiVYPAa2JdQ
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TCL TVs on Amazon:
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UK: https://amzn.to/4fNfMvx
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