FIRST LOOK: PANASONIC 2019 OLED TV RANGE
Panasonic held the launch of its 2019 AV range last week at Four Points by Sheraton at Sydney’s Central Park. Of course, StereoNET was in attendance to get the scoop on what we can expect from Panasonic for the remainder of the year.
While we were expecting Panasonic’s 2019 lineup of OLED TVs, we didn’t expect to see one of the few prototypes of its Transparent Glass OLED. And in true form, it doesn’t turn much of an eye, remaining transparent until an image is displayed. Sadly, there is no release date set or indication of expected pricing.
Turning our attention back to the 2019 OLED range, Panasonic has three models in their upcoming lineup, consisting of their range-topping $8,299 TH-65GZ2000U (September), $6,199 TH-65GZ1500U (July) and $5,799 TH-65GZ1000 (July).
While it may come as no surprise to learn where Panasonic source their OLED panels, the GZ2000 breaks the mould, with a custom panel. The GZ2000 incorporates a new substrate, engineered by Panasonic, which is claimed to not only improve heat dissipation but also increases brightness by 30%.
A side by side comparison between Panasonic’s 2018 flagship FZ-950 and GZ2000U illustrated the difference, with the GZ2000U noticeably brighter. While the average brightness of the GZ2000U has been improved, it shares the same peak brightness of 1,000 nits as the outgoing FZ-950.
Panasonic has continued its mission to provide colour-accurate images in customer’s homes, with all of its 2019 OLED’s tuned by leading Hollywood colourist Stefan Sonnenfeld. Sonnenfeld has some impressive credentials to his name, including A Star is Born, Wonder Woman, Man of Steel, Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Jurassic World.
Coupled with Panasonic’s HCX Pro Processor which has three dynamic LUT’s (look up tables) to reproduce accurate colour based on content, colours looked bright and punchy yet not overdone. Likewise, images were pristine, with an excellent sense of depth and detail, although it’s important to note we had no control over the content.
All of Panasonic’s new 4K televisions support HDR10+ and Dolby Vision, in addition to Hybrid Log Gamma (HLG) and HLG Photo. Of course, to take advantage of HLG Photo, you’ll need a compatible camera.
A world first, all of Panasonic’s new OLED’s are Dolby Atmos capable- which is achieved through upward and forward firing speakers which have have been tuned by Technics. While I imagine few will take advantage of it, there is the ability to connect a wired subwoofer directly to the television.
Bereft of both our test material and equipment, we're keen to put Panasonic’s claims to the test and of course, check our observations were correct! To this end, we will be reviewing Panasonic's new OLED’s as soon as samples are available.
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Tony O'Brien
As the owner of Clarity Audio & Video Calibration, Tony is a certified ISF Calibrator with over a decade of experience. Tony is an accomplished Audio-Visual reviewer specialising in theatre and visual products for over a decade at StereoNET.
Posted in: Visual
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