TVs are a dime a dozen. Walk into any electronics store (or just go online), and you’ll be assaulted by a bewildering array of choices.
When it comes to modern TVs, we’ve reached a point when everything has already hit a level of “decent”.
So where do you get the standouts?
Amazing image quality is one, and for that you can turn to OLED TVs. But the challenge for brands then is to catch consumer attention from the sea of OLED TVs out there.
Panasonic—a company that can now claim exactly 100 years of history—is gearing to join that scene with their new 4K OLED TV.
They announced their new line up of OLED televisions earlier this year, with three new models across two ranges. The FZ950 is available in 65-inch and 55-inch screen sizes while FZ1000 is only available in the 65-inch.
Among all the OLEDs on the market, here are 4 facts that make the Panasonic FZ950 and FZ1000 just a little bit different—but it’s these small details that might just push consumers in their direction.
1) It played a role in some of your fave movie blockbusters.
Let’s start off with the first key feature this TV has: the image quality.
Everyone can claim their OLED TVs are top notch, but having Hollywood back up that statement is a nice boost to credibility, and an added touch of glam, befitting their tagline “as tuned and used in Hollywood”.
As part of the movie production process, professional studio colourists are specifically hired to colour-grade films during the post-production of blockbuster films.
Even when I was just watching the trailer on the TV, I was pretty impressed with how Gal Gadot stood out in contrast to the muted hues in the background of her action scenes.
That’s in part thanks to the impressive colouring job done. And one of the TVs you’ll see used in Hollywood studios as part of that process is the Panasonic 65FZ1000.
According to Panasonic, one the reasons why the TV is preferred by Hollywood professionals is because of how it stays true to the original colours, lighting, and tones of the recorded footage.
So you if you get the FZ1000, that’s the exact same TV model that’s used to work on some of your favourite releases, like Wonder Woman, for example.
2) Your “Netflix and chill” experience gets an upgrade.
I prioritise image quality in the movies or videos I watch. They have to be a minimum setting of 720p HD or nothing.
So yes, I fork out that extra few bucks monthly to get better quality on Netflix.
Since this TV comes with Hollywood credentials, I expected them to knock the ball out of the park when it comes to watching my favourite shows.
And I wasn’t disappointed.
Panasonic really upped their game with the FZ950 in terms of the picture quality. Over the years, OLED TVs have been known to reach absolute black levels—meaning you won’t need to squint your eyes during those fast-paced action scenes shot in the dark.
But the company’s going further than that and adding more fine detail in the areas just above black, which means you’re able to see more depth and intricate details in dark or night shots.
The FZ950 also has excellent control of highlights, so if you were looking at shots with shiny cars for example, you’d be able to see the bright sunlight glinting off metal.
One thing I was personally attracted to was how vivid yet nicely saturated the FZ950’s colours are, which takes away any unnatural look when it comes to sceneries with grass, skies and skin tones. The shading was done well too.
I tested the TV out with a variety of videos, from gameplays to movie trailers to actual footage of monumental landmarks in the world, and what I noticed was how each one has a different level of sharpness to it.
Buildings are cleanly and starkly drawn, while fur or creases in fabric look softer, keeping it all looking natural.
As 4K and HDR are also supported when available, I can expect to get bang for my buck with my Netflix subscriptions, if I’m marathoning my shows.
3) If you thought HDR was great, wait until you see HDR10+.
Fact of the day: HDR is a form of technology that improves the range of colour and contrast in a digital image. It may be used for both photos and videos, though the implementations are different.
There’re a few different HDR standards out there that you’re probably familiar with, like Dolby Vision, HLG, and so on.
Then there’s HDR10+, which optimises HDR information in each scene. TVs using this can receive extra “dynamic” metadata from HDR10+-encoded sources, basically making sure that the best picture quality is achieved on a scene-by-scene basis.
The FZ950 will support this HDR10+ format, and this marks Panasonic’s first time testing out this form of technology with their OLED display screens.
Though this HDR10+ standard promises a dynamic punch of image quality, there are a few downsides. This technology is currently limited to Amazon Prime Video so there aren’t a lot of clips we can test it out on, but there have been talks from various video companies looking to adopt this standard into their content.
4) The screen is no thicker than a stack of six credit cards.
Diverting away from harping on the colours and all, another thing that caught my eye immediately was the TV’s sleek and slim design.
I purposely compared it to the size of my iPhone 6S (which I consider to be quite slim already) and noticed how the TV was significantly thinner. The bottom two-thirds of the screen houses the electronics, which adds up to the overall thickness being about 5 cm.
Relatively thin for a TV that has quite a sturdy build.
Since Panasonic designed the TV to blend well in any environment, the FZ950 does look a little less “bling” compared to its predecessor. The neck connecting the TV to the base is all black and tucked behind the soundbar, so it doesn’t really stand out.
But the brand’s known to strike a balance between having an eye-catching and unobtrusive design, which I think they mostly pulled off.
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As the latest contender to bring in their flagship OLED TV to the scene, I’d say Panasonic has a strong one with the FZ950.
For someone who particularly watches out for any blemishes or grains when it comes to video quality, I was very satisfied with how the FZ950 performed.
With this launch celebrating the 100th year of the company’s operations, this is a good option to add onto your list if you’re looking for a TV that provides the best image quality possible, at a competitive price.
Malaysians can now purchase this TV from 55-inch to 77-inch, starting from RM10,999.
- For more information on Panasonic and their new OLED TV range, you can click here.