Finally, Panasonic's OLED has arrived. The TX-65CZ950 range has been one big tease from Samsung. It has been a prototype since knowledge of the set leaked at CES 2015 but now it's here at IFA 2015 and first impressions prove that it is worth the wait.
Panasonic has decided it only needs one version of its OLED, but it's a good one. It has a 65-inch curved screen that's packed with imaging tech that's been given the greenlight from Hollywood.
Panasonic has managed to become the first manufacturer in the world to get THX certification on a 4K OLED TV and it's enlisted colourist Mike Sowa (who has worked on Insurgent and Oblivion) to make sure the colour reproduction is as good as it can be.
Compare this to Samsung pulling the Michael Bay card last year at CES and it seems that Panasonic is using its Hollywood links to improve the quality of their devices, rather than trying to grab the headlines.
Panasonic's link with Hollywood is a strong one that dates back to when it played an important part in the creation of Blu-ray, so it is good to see it continuing.
Round the back of the CZ950, cloaking the chrome chassis, Panasonic has decided to give its OLED a premium look by cladding the thing in Alacantara.
According to Panasonic, as it has spent a long time making sure its OLED is right for the marking, it didn't want to scrimp when it came to the things look, so it is treating its television like a piece of high-end furniture. This doesn't mean it wants you to sit on it, rather appreciate its upholstered back cover.
Given Alacantara is usually found wrapped around posh pillows, costly lamps and sofas, it proves that Panasonic has definitely gone premium for its first 4K OLED.
We have only seen the Cz950 on a brightly lit show floor but its picture quality does look stunning. Panasonic seems to have nailed the black graduations that have so far not been seen in OLED panels. Powering this is the company's 4K Pro chip.
This has given Panasonic's engineers complete control of picture quality. This is the first time since its heady plasma days that Panasonic has the ability to fine tune in this way - as the pixels are self emitting - and the 4K Pro chip means it can take full advantage.
According to Panasonic, the look-up table (LUT) technology found in its OLED blows its rivals out of the water so any inaccuracies that would normally be found in colour reproduction should be neutralised nicely.
In fact, there so much going on under the hood, it seems that Panasonic wants the world to know that what makes a good OLED isn't just the display but what is actually displayed.
Panasonic has been coy on the price of the Cz950 but given it's an OLED, 65 inches in size and clad in material fit for a king don't expect to spend anything less than £5,000.
Given this is the closet TV Panasonic has made to its plasma past, it does feel like Panasonic is in its element with OLED - here's hoping there's a market for a TV of this spec.
Early Verdict
from TechRadar: Technology reviews http://ift.tt/1JQf5Yn
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