Many of TCL’s 2025 Google TV models are about to get a major firmware update with the arrival of Android 14, which will bring valuable new features including Super Resolution upscaling and support for HDMI 2.1 Quick Media Switching.
According to reports on AVForums and a TCL discussion group on Telegram, firmware version 590 is currently available as a manual download, and is likely to be rolled out automatically in the coming weeks via the TV’s auto-update feature. It’s a big update, as the Google TV platform that currently runs on TCL’s TVs is based on Android 12, which is two years older than Android 14.
One of the biggest new features in Android 14 is the support for HDMI 2.1 QMS, which is already available on TVs from LG Electronics and Samsung Electronics. According to users who have already downloaded the new firmware manually, QMS can be activated by going to the Settings menu > Channels and Inputs > External Inputs and clicking the appropriate function.
With QMS enabled, the TV should be able to switch its frame rate seamlessly and avoid the temporary black screen interlude when a device such as the Apple TV 4K alters its own frame rate to match that of the content being watched. So, if someone is trying to switch from watching a series in 24Hz to a movie in 60Hz, this will be much more fluid than before. To benefit, users must make sure that the QMS-compatible media device is connected directly to their TV, rather than through an AV receiver or soundbar. They must also realise that the black screen is still unavoidable when switching from SDR to HDR media formats.
Admittedly, QMS is more of a cosmetic update rather than a truly Earth-shattering feature, but that’s not all that’s coming to TCL’s TVs. Android 14 also introduces support for Picture-in-Picture and a new energy saving mode as well as Super Resolution upscaling, which should improve the quality of lower resolution content. There’s also a new HDR conversion feature, the reports indicate.
TCL firmware v.590 will only be compatible with models powered by the Pentonic 700 chipset, such as the TCL C8K (known as the QM8K in the U.S.), C7K (QM7K), C6K (QM6K), C855 (QM851G) and C845 Mini-LED TVs, the C805 (C755) LCD TV and the TCL Nxtvision gallery-style TV.
HDTVTest's Vincent Teoh reviewed the TCL C7K just a couple of months ago:
