@tomek
@madmozg
Update from my side
I've come to realize that my symptoms are likely caused by a combination of light sensitivity, PWM/flicker issues, and a mild eye alignment problem (a small prism deviation). After going without a TV for six months — to give my eyes some rest — I recently purchased a new television: the TCL C6K (Europe model name). In the US, this model is sold as the QM6K, but the hardware is identical. With current promotions, it’s also very competitively priced.
What makes this TV special is the combination of relatively modest peak brightness and a very high PWM frequency of around 10,000 Hz. With PWM, it’s not just about frequency — the “off time” (how long the LEDs are turned off per cycle) also plays a major role. TVs with very high peak brightness (1000+ nits) often need aggressive dimming to reduce overall brightness, which can cause symptoms even at higher frequencies. This TCL seems to handle that quite well, and as a bonus, it's probably more energy-efficient too.
Last year, the only somewhat tolerable TV for me was the Samsung Frame in Filmmaker Mode. That model ran at 960 Hz (only in that mode), lacked local dimming (since it’s edge-lit), and had BFI turned off. Even then, I still experienced discomfort — especially with HDR content. SDR was somewhat bearable, but I eventually sold that TV too.
So far, the TCL C6K seems to be the best match for me. SDR content is bright enough for daytime viewing, and HDR/Dolby Vision look surprisingly good in a dark room. One of the standout features is the excellent tone mapping — despite its lower peak brightness, HDR looks natural and well-balanced, with good detail in both highlights and shadows. On my Sony TVs, I often had to tweak settings depending on the series or streaming app. On the TCL, things look great out of the box. I only reduced peak brightness slightly. The black levels are also impressive — not quite OLED, but surprisingly close.
Another positive: I no longer have to disable local dimming, something I always had to do with Sony (720 Hz) and Samsung (960 Hz) to avoid immediate eye strain — which, of course, came at the cost of black level quality. The TCL seems to minimize the visual noise associated with local dimming quite effectively.
Interestingly, BFI is disabled by default on this TV. TCL calls it “LED Motion Clear”. I suspect they’ve done this deliberately, because many people — often without realizing it — experience discomfort from it. I definitely do; the moment I switch it on, I feel eye pressure building immediately.
A small caveat: reflection handling on sizes up to 75 inches is rather poor. That’s why I’ve decided to exchange my 75" unit for the 85" version, which features a matte coating. I had the same experience with my previous Samsung S95D and Frame TVs — a matte screen is much easier on the eyes, especially during daytime viewing. There’s a reason office monitors have used matte coatings for years. Matte screen comes at the expense of black crush, but I watch dark shows only in a much dimmed room anyway.
As for my vision: As stated earlier I wear glasses with prism correction, which improved my vision slightly. But strangely enough, I actually experience more symptoms with the prism glasses when using the TCL. I feel eye pressure more quickly with the correction. It seems even a small miscalibration can make a difference — potentially relevant for others facing similar issues. I'm planning to get a second opinion soon, as I’ve read that prism measurements are partly trial and error and prone to miscalculation. With my old glasses I have no issues with this TV.
All in all, I’m very positively surprised by the C6K. The picture quality is so good that it’s hard to believe this TV sells for such a low price. I’ve owned more expensive models like the S95D and Bravia 9, but the TCL holds its own surprisingly well in many respects. The natural presentation in Filmmaker Mode really stands out — something supported by measurement data. Caleb Denison’s review on Digital Trends pretty much nails it. Yes you miss brightness impact during the day, but in a darker room at night, for me the HDR impact is more than enough. With Sony still at very low brightness you would get blinded when a white screen occurred.
One area where there’s still room for improvement is image processing: upscaling and motion handling are slightly behind Samsung and Sony, though still good enough in practice. If TCL can improve in that area as well, I truly believe they’re on track to become the new industry leader in the next decade.
For now, I’m slowly easing back into regular viewing — but so far, so good. I wanted to share this in case it helps others, especially with the current pricing promotions. Time will tell whether this continues to go well in the long run.