TCL Australia Shares Three Quick Tests To Help Consumers Detect TV Blooming At Home

TCL Electronics Australia is urging consumers to put their televisions through a series of simple visual tests to check for blooming, a common display issue that can compromise picture quality.

Blooming, also known as the halo effect, occurs when light from bright sections of a television screen bleeds into surrounding dark areas, creating a hazy glow that reduces contrast and image clarity.

The company has outlined three two-minute tests that viewers can perform at home using content they likely already have access to, covering contrast performance, motion handling and colour uniformity.

Chessboards, credits and solid colours

Product Training Specialist at TCL Electronics Australia, Patrick Chen, recommends watching scenes featuring chessboard or checkerboard patterns, movie end credits and solid-colour test videos available on YouTube or Google.

“Consumers are spending serious money when it comes to their home entertainment, so understanding a few visual cues can give real peace of mind,” he explains. “Putting on a scene with a chessboard pattern is a very easy way to evaluate contrast and panel quality. Each black-and-white square should look crisp, rather than displaying a halo effect around the edges.”

End credits offer another useful diagnostic, according to Chen. Motion blurring in scrolling text can indicate how a panel handles fast-moving content, which has implications for sports viewing in particular.

“The end credits of a movie or TV show are another clear tell. Motion blurring can sometimes occur with the text, which can translate negatively later on when watching fast-moving sports. On the flip side, smooth text movement can signal fluid motion handling,” Chen comments.

The third test involves playing a solid red, green or blue video from YouTube, which can help identify patchiness or colour discrepancies in picture uniformity.

What to look for when upgrading

Chen suggests that consumers who notice issues during these tests and are considering a new purchase should ask retailers about two specific specifications: local dimming zones and peak brightness.

“Testing TVs shouldn’t be overly complicated – a two-minute check with everyday videos can quickly reveal if viewers are getting the quality that they paid for,” he notes. “If certain TVs struggle with these tests and consumers are considering an upgrade, I recommend asking retailers about any new TV’s local dimming zones and peak brightness.”

He describes these as two of the most influential factors when it comes to blooming, and encourages shoppers to press retailers for details on the underlying technology before making a purchase.

Mini-LED as a countermeasure

Advances in display technology, such as Mini-LED backlighting, are designed to address blooming by delivering light with greater precision, ensuring illumination reaches only the intended areas of the screen.

For consumers looking to avoid blooming altogether, TCL pointed to its SQD-Mini LED TV range, which includes the X11L, C8L and C7L models. The X11L features up to 20,736 dimming zones, designed to reduce light bleed and deliver deep blacks.

More information on TCL’s SQD-Mini LED TV lineup is available on the TCL website.

Last Updated on September 23, 2026 by Nick Ross