Panasonic has unveiled its 2022 OLED TVs and they sport an improved OLED panel that provides a big boost in brightness. The flagship LZ2000 model will also come in a bigger, 77-inch size for the first time.
The Panasonic LZ2000 will also be available in the usual 55-inch and 65-inch size options and all three sizes boast the company’s traditional custom-tuned OLED panels. The displays are brighter too – probably thanks to LG Display’s new OLED Ex technology – though it has not revealed the exact brightness specifications yet.
What the company did say is that all three sizes use the “very latest 2022 generation Master OLED Pro configuration”, which has been custom designed by Panasonic engineers to boost brightness via improvements in picture processing. The result, Panasonic said, is a bump in mid-level brightness that should deliver more pop with HDR content and better accuracy with details in brighter scenes.
There is no word from Panasonic if it will also sell smaller 42-inch and 48-inch, or even larger 83- and 97-inch models that some of its competitors have announced at CES 2022.
While Panasonic’s OLED TVs have always been popular with movie lovers, the company is now looking to cater to gamers with the addition of two HDMI 2.1 ports for the first time. So Panasonic's 2022 OLED TVs will support 4K120 and Variable Refresh Rate out of the box. The company also reckons it has reduced input lag for 60Hz games, which represent the majority of PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and PC titles, even if the game is rendered in a lower frame rate, through an innovative 60Hz Refresh Mode.
Another nice gaming feature is the SPD Auto Game Mode that automatically detects compatible HDMI 2.1 4K HFR and VRR supporting Nvidia GPUs such as the RTX30. Lastly, the TVs will feature a Game Control Board menu that allows users to tweak the relevant gaming features more easily.
With regards to sound, Panasonic said there’s an improved speaker system for Dolby Atmos surround sound. In addition to the up-firing and side-firing speakers, the company has replaced the front-firing speaker units with a “speaker array” that arranges multiple speakers in a row, producing a wider sound stand and clearer voices. As such, the Panasonic Z2000 makes it possible to adjust the relative loudness of audio in different parts of the room, the company explained.
There are three sound modes, including “Pinpoint”, which allows the sound to be directed to one specific areas, “Area, which makes the sound shift to a group of people sat in a specific area, and “Spot”, where the volume is boosted in one particular spot while others in the room can still hear the sound.
Panasonic said it has extended its collaboration with Hollywood colourist Stefan Sonnenfeld to tune the LZ2000’s picture, while the audio is tuned by Technics.
Other details include improved ambient optimisation capabilities that use sensors to adjust the picture and sound to match the environment. It builds on the Auto AI mode that debuted in last year’s Panasonic HZ2000, adjusting both luminance and colour temperature. The TV can also detect the content genre and apply the most appropriate settings for that. For those who want to calibrate the TV themselves, there is Calman support.
Panasonic said its 2022 OLED TVs also boast multi-HDR support (HDR10, HDR10+ Adaptive, Dolby Vision IQ, HLG Photo), Panasonic's advanced tuner features, Filmmaker Mode, voice assistant support (Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa), and Netflix Calibrated Mode.
The TVs will continue to run Panasonic’s My Home Screen platform, the latest version of which offers new accessibility features and a “myScenery” gallery function with pictures and video created by LoungeV Studio and relaxing nature sounds by the Joy Foundation.
Panasonic said the 55-inch and 65-inch LZ2000 OLED TVs will debut in June or July, with the 77-inch model expected to arrive by August.
