Panasonic MZ2000 review

Panasonic’s flagship TV will get a critical improve with the adoption of a excessive brightness MLA (Micro Lens Array) OLED show and new Luminance Boosting applied sciences. Panasonic designates this combo as ‘Grasp OLED Final.’ 

The MLA panel makes use of tiny lenses to higher mirror gentle out of the display, thereby growing luminance with out requiring extra energy. The result’s the brightest performer but from the model. 

To strengthen its cinematic credentials, it comes with a Hollywood-tuned HCX Professional AI and common HDR help. There’s no must price range for an extra soundbar both, because the set comes with a 150W audio bundle that’s tailored for dwelling theatre. 

So is that this the blockbuster TV you’ve been ready for? 

Design & Options

• Wafer skinny bezel and swivel stand 
• My Residence Display screen TV sensible platform 
• 4K 120Hz HDMI inputs 

With a fashionably skinny panel border and swivelling pedestal stand, the MZ2000 is each good trying and simple to accommodate.

Admittedly this mannequin isn’t as slim as some rivals, at 69mm, however for good motive. It carries a full complement of audio system, which make up its 360°Soundscape Professional Dolby Atmos system. Along with a ahead dealing with soundbar-style array, there are a pair of side-firing drivers and two up-firing audio system on the rear.   

Steve Could / Foundry

Connectivity consists of 4 HDMI inputs, of which the primary two are 4K 120Hz enabled. One in all these can be eARC enabled.  

Moreover, there’s an optical digital audio output, AV mini-jack enter, three USB ports, Ethernet, offered as an alternative choice to Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and a Widespread Interface slot.

The set provides each a Freeview Play terrestrial tuner, and twin satellite tv for pc tuner connections. Management comes through a single, substantial distant with devoted buttons for Netflix, Rakuten TV, Prime Video, Disney+, YouTube and Freeview Play. 

Steve Could / Foundry

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Whereas Panasonic is dabbling with each Google TV and Hearth TV sensible platforms on cheaper units, it has retained its personal My Residence Display screen platform for this range-topper. 

Now in its eighth iteration, it’s distinguished by ease of use, and fast customisation. Customers can ‘pin’ any service or enter to the Residence display for immediate entry. 

Beneath these shortcut buttons are content material curation rails, for companies and channels, beginning with Freeview Play. From right here you may entry catch-up companies, reminiscent of BBC iPlayer, ITVx, All4, My 5, and CBS catch up.

There’s additionally a devoted Recreation Management Board for console house owners. This supplies at-a-glance data about decision, body fee, enter lag, VRR and HDR. You can even toggle style audio presets for FPS and RTS gaming, however sonic variations are refined. 

Image High quality

• Micro Lens Array
• OLED panel 
• HCX Professional AI Processor 

So simply how efficient is the brand new MLA OLED panel? Very, because it occurs. 

HDR peak brightness was measured at slightly below 1700 nits, utilizing a ten% patch, and over 1800 nits with a smaller 5% window, utilizing the Dynamic picture preset. That is considerably increased than final 12 months’s Panasonic LZ2000 mannequin. 

Measured utilizing the Regular picture mode, HDR peaks drop to (a nonetheless spectacular) 1200 nits with a ten% patch, and 1500 nits at 5%.  

That is comfortably vivid sufficient to current most commercially obtainable HDR content material, with none want for onerous tone mapping.

Steve Could / Foundry

It’s not simply HDR that advantages from the set’s excessive brightness panel and luminance boosting applied sciences. The typical image stage of all content material will get a elevate, making this set a strong choice for daytime viewing. 

General picture readability is phenomenal. Panasonic has at all times been a grasp of cinematic processing, and that continues right here. Whereas imagery is sharp, photos by no means look overly processed. There’s naturalistic depth, ideally suited for motion pictures that run the gamut of vivid transients and moody set items. 

Color accuracy is excessive. Hollywood colourist Stefan Sonnenfeld is chargeable for the ultimate tuning right here, and when watching in one of many many cinematic modes, it’s straightforward to think about this Panasonic a match for a studio grasp monitor. 

Image presets cowl most eventualities. There’s Regular, Dynamic, Cinema, Filmmaker mode, True Cinema, Customized, Skilled 1 & 2, and Sport. If you happen to don’t wish to faff round, I’d recommend leaving the set on its Auto AI setting, which does a remarkably good job of dealing with completely different content material (be it sport, information, or cinematic TV). 

When watching motion pictures, my most well-liked choice right here is Filmmaker mode, though Regular does pack a barely extra dynamic punch. With Dolby Imaginative and prescient content material, image presets change to Dolby Imaginative and prescient Vivid, Dolby Imaginative and prescient IQ, and Dolby Imaginative and prescient Darkish. 

Not like rival screens from LG and Samsung, the MZ2000 provides common HDR format help. 

Steve Could / Foundry

You get Dolby Imaginative and prescient IQ, HDR10+ Adaptive, HDR10, HLG, and HDR Photograph. There’s additionally a service-specific Netflix Calibrated mode, and Filmmaker mode, each now adaptive and in a position to dynamically modify to swimsuit room lighting. 

Upscaling of HD is great and comes with no apparent processing enhancement. A run-through of Paramount +’s gritty motion drama Lioness, which streams in HD, seems each bit as natively pixel dense and sharp as Extremely HD originals. 

For gaming, I measured enter lag at 14.5ms (1080p/60fps), which could be thought of good, however not excellent. 

Sound High quality

• 360°Soundscape Professional Dolby Atmos system 
• Beam steering 
• Dolby Atmos 
• 150W amplification 

The MZ2000 sounds each bit pretty much as good as a nicely specified Dolby Atmos soundbar, due to its 360°Soundscape Professional audio system. The soundstage, created by these side-firing and top drivers, is vast and dramatic, whereas the ahead dealing with left/centre/proper speaker array ensures glorious dialogue readability. 

There’s no scarcity of quantity both, with some cumulative 150W on faucet.  

One novelty which can maintain some attraction is beam steering. Utilizing an onscreen graphic you may direct the output from the entrance speaker to a selected a part of the room, in order that its sounds louder at its goal vacation spot.

Steve Could / Foundry

The sound could also be monophonic nevertheless it might be helpful if you wish to make amends for the information, with out disturbing different members of your clan. 

You can even make the most of all these bodily audio system utilizing a Sound Subject Creation menu, You may choose varied levels of DSP to swimsuit completely different genres – Sport, Dwell theatre, Customary or Discuss. Go for Direct and the sound passes by unhindered. 

Value & Availability  

Hitting shops now, the Panasonic MZ2000 is offered in three display sizes, 55-, 65-, and 77in (TX-55MZ2000, TX-65MZ2000 and TX-77MZ2000). These are priced at £2,699, £3,599 and £4,499 respectively.   

You should buy it from Panasonic, John Lewis, Peter Tyson, Richer Sounds and Hughes.

We’ve got the 55in mannequin on the take a look at bench. It’s value noting that the 77in mannequin doesn’t use an MLA panel, in contrast to its smaller stablemates and the MZ2000 isn’t obtainable in North America.

It’s an costly TV up there with the LG G3 OLED which additionally has an MLA panel. If you happen to want one thing cheaper then Panasonic’s MZ980 would possibly swimsuit or we now have different choices in our greatest TV chart. 

Do you have to purchase the Panasonic MZ2000? 

The Panasonic MZ2000 could be thought of a stunner of a 4K TV. The adoption of an MLA panel has introduced dramatically elevated luminance, which advantages HDR and on a regular basis SDR content material.  

It’s merely brighter and extra three dimensional than any Panasonic OLED we’ve seen to this point. 

Couple this with a strong, intuitive sensible platform, and a particularly achieved Dolby Atmos sound system, and you’ve got a high-end TV nicely value saving up for. 

Specs  

• Sizes: 55/65/77in
• Mannequin examined: 55in 
• OLED 4k show know-how  
• Decision: 3840 x 2160  
• HDMI: x4  
• HDR help: HDR10, HDR10+Adaptive, HLG, HDR Photograph, Dolby Imaginative and prescient IQ 
• My Residence display v.8 TV sensible platform  
• 150W Dolby Atmos sound system 
• Dimensions: 1,227 x 764 x 69mm 
• Weight: 25.5kg