2023 promises to be a great year for TV buyers with plenty of great sets including the LG G3, LG C3, Sony A80L And Samsung S95C we’ve already gone through our test rooms and were impressed.
Keen to see how Panasonic plans to compete, our intrepid TV/AV editor, Tom Parsons, left to take a look behind closed doors at Panasonic’s TV line-up for 2023.
As well as a new hands-on look at the flagship Panasonic MZ2000 step-down MZ1500, he also had the chance to chat with some of the company’s top executives to learn more about the whole range and for the cheaper models.
Here are the five biggest things he discovered.
Only one model has MLA technology
Micro Lens Array (MLA) is a fashionable screen technology that made its debut at CES 2023. It is basically an answer to the second-generation QD-OLED screen technology seen in certain flagship TVs from Samsung and Sony, such as the Sony A95L we’re looking to get into our test rooms soon.
The technology is important because, like QD-OLED panels, MLA aims to help OLEDs overcome their biggest perceived weakness, their lower maximum brightness levels. Specifically, it is intended to allow TVs to reach a peak brightness of more than 2000 nits. To put that in context, most traditional OLEDs struggle to get past 700 nits.
Having tested the technology on the LG G3, we can personally confirm that it works brilliantly. During our checks, MLA allowed the new flagship LG OLED to reach higher peak brightness levels than its predecessor, the LG G2, and delivered a wonderfully dynamic, fun-to-watch picture. In fact, our only annoyance was that it has dramatically inflated the prices for the new sets.
That’s why we were sad to learn that Panasonic currently has no plans to bring the technology to any of its lower-priced TVs. Like LG, the technology will be limited to Panasonic’s flagship MZ2000 set. Not even the slightly cheaper MZ1500, which will rival the LG C3, will get the technology.
There is a lot of focus on gaming authenticity
If you’ve read any of our recent reviews of Panasonic TVs, you’ll know we’re big fans of their ability to produce “as the director intended” color accuracy when playing movies. This is a big reason why today’s flagships are a fixture in our best TV guide.
It’s also why we’re pleased to see Panasonic interested in delivering the same level of accuracy to gamers with a new True Game Mode.
According to the Panasonic representatives who attended the event, the mode should automatically improve color accuracy during gameplay, but as a perk for true purists it can also be fully calibrated using the Calman calibration system – unless you really know what you do. do it, even if the latter matters, we recommend paying a professional to do it.
We didn’t get a chance to really try it out during our hands-ons, but it does have an impressive array of features. Highlights include source-focused HDR tone mapping and G-Sync certification for most higher-end sets. The latter is a feature designed to stop screen tearing while gaming.
But there are only two HDMI 2.1 connections left…
Despite Panasonic’s avowed focus on selling its new sets as “perfect for gamers” at the event, we found that even the flagship MZ2000 still has one critical flaw that could limit its appeal to next-generation Xbox Series X/S owners. and PS5 will reduce – the only one has two HDMI 2.1 connections, one of which doubles as eARC.
This is a major annoyance we have with many TVs. The reason it’s a problem is simple: you need HDMI 2.1 to take full advantage of the most interesting features of the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S – chief among them being that they can play games at over 60fps and with variable refresh rates can play. Having only two HDMI 2.1s, one of which doubles as the eARC needed for a decent modern Dolby Atmos soundbar, is really annoying as it means constantly swapping cables if you have more than one console from the have the next generation.
There’s a 42-inch MZ1500, but it’s not coming to the UK
It’s no secret, we at Which Hi-Fi? always love it when a company produces a decent little TV. While 65in and larger TVs are great for immersive viewing, the truth is, especially for those of us in the UK, we don’t all live in places big enough to accommodate them comfortably.
This is problematic as there aren’t many good small TVs around that come fully equipped with all the features seen on larger flagship sets. In fact, the only notable exception to this rule we’ve seen recently comes from LG’s C line. This was most recently demonstrated by the 42-inch LG C3, which earned a perfect five stars when we reviewed it.
We had hoped that Panasonic would enter the race and release a smaller MZ1500 this year. Sadly, that won’t happen in the UK, as the company confirms it will be launching a 42-inch MZ980 instead – which appears to be a slightly stripped-down version of the full-fat MZ1500, based on our first look at it.
There’s a cheap (ish) OLED with Android TV and an LCD with Fire TV
The latest, and potentially most interesting, insights we’ve gleaned from our time at Panasonic stemmed from the choice of TV software.
Interestingly, the company will be releasing several TVs this year that don’t run on its proprietary MyHomeScreen 8.0 operating system.
At the top of the stack are two mid-range MZ800 and MZ700 OLED TVs that will instead use the Google TV operating system seen on most current Sony handsets. Both models will be available in 42, 48, 55 and 65 inches. Pricing hasn’t been confirmed, but we’re told they’ll be “affordable” by OLED standards.
At the lower end of the range, Panasonic also has an affordable MX800 set that surprisingly comes ready to ship with Amazon’s Fire TV platform. This is a surprise, given that Fire TV is an operating system tied directly to Amazon’s Prime ecosystem. Traditionally we’ve only seen it on Amazon’s own Fire TV range and very affordable sets from the likes of TCL. Details on the MX800 hardware are a bit sparse, aside from the fact that it will have a standard LCD screen. We’ll be curious to see how it compares to Amazon’s flagship Fire TV Omni when we test both.
MORE:
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