•   Overview
•   Common Strengths and Weaknesses
•   Selected Features
•   Specifications

Here we are comparing TCL 43S517 to TCL 43S515 to reveal their common strengths and weaknesses as well as the differences between them which will help you in making a correct decision before the purchase. Both models have the same 4K UHD (3840 x 2160) resolution and they both support HDR.

We have evaluated the TVs from available features and specifications. They both get the same overall score in our ranking system which is based on the display specifications, video, audio and other features, connectivity and format support.

VA Panels

Both TVs have vertical alignment (VA) panels. Such panels are most commonly used in LCD TVs as they provide deeper blacks compared to the IPS panels. However, they are still limited with the viewing angles compared to the IPS panels or OLED displays.

HDR10

TCL 43S517 and TCL 43S515 support HDR10 which was announced on August 27, 2015, by the Consumer Technology Association and uses the wide-gamut Rec. 2020 color space. It is not backward compatible with SDR. It sends static metadata via video stream to the TV which calibrates its screen brightness and color according to that. HDR10 is technically limited to a maximum of 10,000 nits of brightness and uses 10-bit color which corresponds to 1024 shades of the primary RGB colors.

Dolby Vision

TCL 43S517 and TCL 43S515 also support Dolby Vision which is an update to HDR10 by adding dynamic metadata that can be used to more accurately adjust brightness levels up to 10,000 nits on a scene-by-scene or frame-by-frame basis and supports up to 12-bit color depth (4096 shades of RGB) and 8K resolution.

And in the end we display all the specifications which are present for both models.

Note: The following table shows only those details which are applicable for both models and excludes the ones that are applicable for only one model. If you want to see a full list of specs for each model please visit their individual pages here - TCL 43S517 and here - TCL 43S515.

BASICS	TCL 43S517	TCL 43S515
Brand	TCL	TCL
Series	5	5
Model	43S517	43S515
Size	43"	43"
Country	USA	USA
Release Year	2018	2018
Smart TV

DISPLAY	TCL 43S517	TCL 43S515
Display Type	LED	LED
Actual Size (Diagonal)	42.5"	42.5"
Resolution	4K UHD (3840 x 2160)	4K UHD (3840 x 2160)
Refresh Rate	50 Hz/60 Hz	50 Hz/60 Hz
Screen Design	Flat	Flat
Panel Type	VA	VA
LED Type	Edge LED	Edge LED
Color	WIDE COLOR PERFORMANCE	WIDE COLOR PERFORMANCE
Viewing Angle
Panel Bit Depth	8 bits + FRC	8 bits + FRC
Color Depth	1.07 billion	1.07 billion

VIDEO	TCL 43S517	TCL 43S515
3D Capability
HDR10
HDR10+
Dolby Vision
Dolby Vision IQ
Advanced HDR by Technicolor®
IMAX Enhanced
High Dynamic Range	HDR PRO GAMMA	HDR PRO GAMMA
AMD Freesync™
NVidia G-Sync
4K HFR
2K HFR
VRR
HGIG Compatibility
Picture Processor	IPQ ENGINE	IPQ ENGINE
Frame Interploation Technique	Clear Motion	Clear Motion
Frame Interpolation Frequency	120Hz	120Hz
Black Frame Insertion
Filmmaker Mode
Auto Low Latency Mode

AUDIO	TCL 43S517	TCL 43S515
Speaker Power Rating	8W + 8W	8W + 8W
Dolby Digital Plus
WiSA Ready

CONNECTIVITY	TCL 43S517	TCL 43S515
Ethernet Input
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi Frequency	2.4 GHz, 5 GHz	2.4 GHz, 5 GHz
Wi-Fi Protocol	802.11ac 2x2 Dual Band (support 2.4GHz & 5GHz)	802.11ac 2x2 Dual Band (support 2.4GHz & 5GHz)
Bluetooth
Chromecast
Google Home
Virtual Assistant
Works with Alexa
HDMI Inputs	3	3
HDMI Version	2.0	2.0
HDMI Audio Return Channel (ARC)
HDCP Version	2.2	2.2
HDMI-CEC
USB Inputs	1	1
USB 3.0 Ports
RF (Terrestrial / Cable ) Inputs	1	1
IF (Satellite) Inputs
Component Inputs
Composite Inputs
RCA Audio Outputs
3.5mm headphone Audio Output
Optical Audio Output
RS-232C Remote

OTHER	TCL 43S517	TCL 43S515
CPU Cores	2	2
GPU Cores	2	2
Operating System	Roku	Roku
Parental Control (V-Chip)
Mobile App
Teletext
Closed Captions
On-Screen Display Languages	English, Spanish, French	English, Spanish, French
Advanced PQ Setting with Mobile App

VIDEO FORMATS	TCL 43S517	TCL 43S515
Accessible Menu System (CVAA)
Quick Start Guide (QSG)	1 English	1 English
3GPP
AV1
AVI
ASF
DivX
Flash Video
H.263
H.264
H.265
MKV
M2TS
MP4
MPEG-4
QuickTime
RealVideo
TS
VC-1
VP7
VP8
VP9
VOB
VRO
WebM
WMV
Xvid

AUDIO FORMATS	TCL 43S517	TCL 43S515
AAC
AC4
AIFF
ALAC
APE
aptX
eAAC+
EAC3
FLAC
HE-AAC
LPCM
M4A
MIDI
MP2
MP3
OGG
RealAudio
WMA
WAV

IMAGE FORMATS	TCL 43S517	TCL 43S515
BMP
GIF
JPEG
JPS
MPO
PNG

TUNER	TCL 43S517	TCL 43S515
Digital Tuner	1	1
SAT Tuner
Analog Tuner	NTSC	NTSC
NEXTGEN TV (ATSC 3.0)
Digital Terrestrial TV System	ATSC	ATSC
Digital Cable TV System	Clear QAM	Clear QAM
Color system	PAL / SECAM / NTSC	PAL / SECAM / NTSC

GENERAL	TCL 43S517	TCL 43S515
Power Supply	AC 120 V, 60 Hz	AC 120 V, 60 Hz
Power Consumption (In Standby)	0.5W	0.5W
Dimension Without Stand (W x H x D)	37.8" x 22.1" x 2.9"	37.8" x 22.1" x 2.9"
Dimension With Stand (W x H x D)	37.8" x 24" x 8.4"	37.8" x 24" x 8.4"
Stand Size	27.3"	27.3"
Dimension of Package (W x H x D)	45.1" x 26.2" 5.2"	45.1" x 26.2" 5.2"
VESA Wall Mount
VESA Hole Pitch (W x H)	200 mm x 200 mm	200 mm x 200 mm
Wall mount screw	M6 x 12mm	M6 x 12mm
Weight Without Stand	18.5 lbs	18.5 lbs
Weight With Stand	18.8 lbs	18.8 lbs
Weight of Package (Gross)	25.6 lbs	25.6 lbs
Warranty	1 year limited warranty	1 year limited warranty

ACCESSORIES	TCL 43S517	TCL 43S515
Remote	RC580	RC280