Panasonic OLED TV 2022: Italian launch and first impressions

Panasonic Italy has formalized the arrival of the new one 2022 TV range and, in particular, the new ones OLED series. This year, fans of the Japanese brand will be able to choose between 4 series and 5 diagonals starting from 42 inches of the LZ980 and LZ1500 seriesup to the 77 inches of the LZ2000 series.

To the 4 “official” series there is then to add a fifth LZ800 series, which essentially incorporates the characteristics of the “entry-level” LZ980 series, except for small aesthetic differences and the lack of the “Cinema Surround Pro” audio processing algorithm. . The LZ800s will be sold in 42, 48, 55 and 65 inch diagonals and will be available exclusively on Amazon.

Thanks to the excellent presentation and availability of Aster Crumb – Panasonic Italia Marketing Specialist – we can confirm all the features announced in the past weeks and now add some more details. In particular, the use of OLED WRGB “EX” type panels (the very latest OLED panels developed and supplied by LG Display) for all models (choice which also explains the delay in the arrival of the new range). Panasonic also carries out acareful selection of panels (and this in general for all series), with the best panels ever that will then be “customized” and mounted on the “Master OLED Pro” LZ1500 and LZ2000 series.

In addition, all series – LZ800, LZ980, LZ1000, LZ1500 and LZ2000 – are equipped with heat dissipation layer (except for the 42-inch models), with the “top” LZ1500 and LZ2000 series that can count on an even more advanced and effective solution, to the full advantage of performance in terms of peak luminance (as well as color luminance) and also greater “hold” of the same. To distinguish, however, the 1500 series from the 2000 series, we have the Integrated Atmos soundbar and also an even more refined power section in the top model.

About the soundbar (developed in collaboration with Technics – the Hi-Fi audio brand of the group), although aesthetically identical to that of the previous “2000” series, this year the new version can count on a beamforming speaker array system and a sophisticated directional audio solution. It is, in fact, possible to move the “focus” of the sound emission towards a precise listening point or towards an area of ​​the environment (in the case of a sofa not perfectly aligned with the TV, for example) and also modify its depth of intervention. We have had the opportunity to test its effectiveness and it actually works excellently! This sound system integrated by ben 160W of total power it also supports the Atmos complete with upward-firing rear speakers and also allows the connection of an additional subwoofer.

As for the doors HDMI, all series have four, including two in version 2.1 (from 40 Gbps). HDMI 2.1 ports that support all the latest generation features such as eARC, ALLM, HFR and VRR up to 120 Hz (also in AMD Freesync Premium proprietary version). All of this, of course, also in HDR, while in Dolby Vision the maximum supported refresh-rate stops at 60Hz. Still on the gaming front, the new one makes its debut this year “Game Control Board”the “pop-up” interface that allows you to change and keep all game parameters under control.

Recall that Panasonic OLED TVs are, of course, all resolution 4K Ultra HD (3840 x 2160 pixels) and support all current HDR standards: HDR10, HDR10 + (also in Adaptive version able to adapt to ambient lighting), Dolby Vision (also in the IQ version which uses the brightness sensor) e HLG. From this year, a new color temperature sensor: in addition to adapting to the light intensity in the room, the electronics of the TV will therefore also be able to take into account the type of light that is more or less warm or cold in the environment, to reproduce a correct perception of the images on the screen. Both sensors (brightness and color temperature) can be deactivated at any time.

Finally, the Proprietary Smart TV “My Home Screen 7.0” now complete with all the most requested apps on our market. Therefore, Disney + and AppleTV + are now also available, while Now and Tim Vision are still missing.

During the two hours post-presentation event, we had the opportunity to preview measurements of the new top of the range LZ2000. A 55-inch specimen that had just 7 hours of use on its shoulders (therefore not yet fully stabilized) but which was nevertheless capable of showing off almost touching performances.

Since we are talking about the absolute top of the range, we assume it will be of particular interest to fans of cinema and TV series, we focused on the most suitable image presets for this purpose: TrueCinema, Filmaker, Professional 1 and 2. All were able to return excellent measurements, but above all it was the ones who stood out the two “Professional”with the first ideal for reproducing cinematic contents in a daylight environment by virtue of the gamma 2.2 and luminance exceeding 200 nits, all with an average E deta of just 1.6.

The second one it is perfect for dark room playback with gamma 2.4, luminance of just over 100 nits and color temperature of just under 6500 K of reference. All with a average delta E of only 1.2. The gamut then perfectly centers the REC 709 color space.

In short, already from the factory we touch absolute perfection! Then we had fun measuring the “Dynamic” preset (not to be used !!!) just to understand what luminance peak we would have obtained: almost 600 nits in 10% windowwhich I guarantee you are a lot for an OLED

Moving on to HDR, Filmaker and the 2 professionals have brought to light truly exemplary measurements and capable of exceeding 1000 nits of peak luminance without problems.. The tone mapping tracking is just perfect, as is the durability over time! The ABL (the luminance limiter) intervenes instead starting from windows at 25% down to about 185 nits at full screen. We have achieved maximum performance, once again, with the “Dynamic” preset capable of reaching almost 1400 nit peakbefore settling at just over 1000 nits after about 30 seconds.

The BT2020 gamut coverage, which now reaches 76%, while DCI-P3 coverage reaches 100% and is almost perfectly centered (except for a slight excess of blue). Finally, the ColorChecker verification confirmed the excellent situation “out of the box”. Really difficult to ask for more on the front of correctness and rigor.

We also did some HDR vision tests quickly and the overall quality was superb in every respect. But what struck us most was the luminance of colors. I don’t know how much the new “EX” panel affected and how much the electronics / power supply, but the improvement in our eyes was pleasantly significant.

In conclusion, an excellent first contact, waiting to be able to then calmly get our hands back to the editorial office and find out all the details. The new OLED range will hit the market in Septemberat prices not yet officially announced, but that Panasonic Italia has anticipated will be aligned with the corresponding 2021 series.