We already have official information about the most advanced OLED TV to be launched by Panasonic this year. And it promises. The flagship models that this brand has placed in stores over the last three years have left a great taste in our mouths for their outstanding overall image quality and very interesting sound performance. And its successor, the new LZ2000 which we are dedicating this article to, aspires to live up to them.
As we expected, this TV maintains the hallmarks of its predecessors, among which it is worth noting a professional OLED panel manufactured by LG, but fine-tuned, according to Panasonic, by its engineers. And it also preserves, on paper, meticulous color calibration and a careful sound. At least, this is what this brand assures. And we hope that when we test it will be confirmed.
These have been the clearest assets of Panasonic’s previous flagship models. Last year’s offering, in particular, the JZ2000 model, we liked very much for its overall picture quality, its high brightness delivery capability, its impeccable factory calibration, and its convincing Dolby Atmos sound. It set the bar very high, honestly, so it’s not going to be easy for the new LZ2000 to go even further from a qualitative standpoint.
Panasonic LZ2000: technical specifications
| Panasonic LZ2000 | |
|---|---|
| Panel | Professional 10-bit, 120 Hz 4K UHD OLED with 16: 9 aspect ratio |
| Resolution | 3840 x 2160 dots |
| Inches | 77, 65, and 55 inches |
| HDR | Dolby Vision IQ, HDR10 +, HDR10 and HLG |
| Image Processor | HCX Pro AI |
| Filmmaker Mode | Yes |
| Sound | Dolby Atmos Directional audio 360 ° Soundscape Sound Audio Calibration by Technics |
| Connectivity | HDMI 2.1 |
| Gaming Features | ALLM VRR 4K 120 Hz Latency reduction in games at 60 Hz NVIDIA GPU Auto Detection |
| Operating System | My Home Screen 7.0 |
The HCX Pro AI chip is the real powerhouse of this TV
As I mentioned a few lines above, one of the features of Panasonic’s high-end TVs that we like the most is how well-calibrated they leave the factory. And, precisely, the LZ2000 model takes a step forward in this path to protect color integrity.
In the information, we have this brand explains that it has integrated into this TV several sensors designed to evaluate the color temperature of ambient light. Its purpose is to introduce in real-time the necessary adjustments to reproduce the color reliably, and to direct this procedure is responsible for a new artificial intelligence algorithm running on the HCX Pro AI image processor.
It also incorporates a mode that Panasonic calls ‘Auto AI’ designed to identify what type of content we are playing to introduce in a transparent way the ideal settings to optimize the picture and sound quality of this TV. It doesn’t sound bad, although this feature was already present in last year’s model. When we have the opportunity we will check if this revision performs better.
One of the improvements that surprised us the most is that Panasonic claims that its engineers have managed to improve the performance of this TV when it is forced to deliver a medium level of brightness. And also that it can recover more detail in brighter regions than its predecessors, which, according to our tests, perform well in this area. Again, it will be interesting to see when we can analyze it in depth.
More promises: higher-quality sound and an improved gaming experience
If we stick to the sound the most interesting novelty introduced by Panasonic in this TV consists in the tuning of directional sound, although the 360° Soundscape technology that is responsible for the virtualization of Dolby Atmos audio is still present.
To implement this improvement this brand has replaced the speakers that projected the sound forward in previous flagship models with a speaker array that runs around the TV from one end to the other.
According to Panasonic, this strategy has helped them get this TV to be able to recreate a wider and more immersive sound scene, and also, and this is something we are eager to see firsthand, a more directional sound.
Simply put, this means that users should be able to more clearly perceive the location in the virtual space surrounding the TV from which a particular sound is coming. This technology, interestingly, allows us to adjust the sound pressure level in different areas of the room.
Fortunately, Panasonic has not overlooked that many users are interested in how our TV performs when we use it for gaming. Like last year’s model, it incorporates HDMI 2.1 connectivity, but what is new is the ‘Game Control Board’ module, which is a panel that collects information about the signal that the TV is receiving while we play.
The interesting thing is that this data is superimposed on the images, so we can consult it without interrupting the game. From here we can check the frequency of the incoming signal, if the variable refresh rate is activated or if the low latency mode is enabled, among other parameters.
It also incorporates a mode that allows us to adjust the TV’s performance in dark regions to recover more detail, something that, in theory, should have a positive impact on our experience with some games.
Two more notes that also look good: Panasonic claims to have reduced latency when gaming at 60 Hz, and, in addition, this TV can automatically detect the presence of an NVIDIA GPU belonging to the GeForce RTX 30 family.
To conclude, a piece of bittersweet news: the operating system of this TV is MyHome Screen 7.0, an updated revision of the same platform integrated into previous high-end TVs of this brand. We are not convinced by this operating system (you can check the reasons in our reviews), but it will be interesting to see if this new version invites us to change our minds.
Panasonic LZ2000: price and availability
Panasonic has not yet disclosed how much this TV will cost, nor when it will arrive in stores. However, for the moment we can take as a reference that the 55-inch version of its predecessor, the JZ2000 model, costs around €2700, and also that it landed in stores in July 2021.
This post may contain affiliate links, which means that I may receive a commission if you make a purchase using these links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.