Panasonic TX-55GZ1000: an excellent Oled TV

Presentation

The Panasonic TX-55GZ1000 television uses a 10-bit Oled and 100 Hz panel displaying an Ultra HD resolution of 3 840 x 2 160 px. Like all Panasonic Oled models of 2019, it operates a new HCX Intelligent Pro processor more powerful than that of last year and optimized, especially in terms of the motion compensation engine. This model has an audio part made up of two 10 W speakers and two 15 W subwoofers. The other new feature is the MyHomeScreen 4.0 operating system, which has been upgraded to facilitate access to content. .

The Panasonic TX-55GZ1000 TV is not the entry level Oled of Panasonic in 2019 since the Japanese manufacturer also offers the TX-55GZ950 whose only difference is the foot, identical to that of the Panasonic 55FZ800 of 2018.

The Panasonic TX-55GZ1000 TV is sold for around € 2,300. It takes € 3,300 for the 65-inch version, the TX-65GZ1000.

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Image quality

The Panasonic TX-55GZ1000 television has an Oled panel, which still uses four white, blue, red and green sub-pixels, but whose structure is slightly different from that observed on last year's panels. The red subpixel is now larger in order to support a higher brightness peak while keeping a color temperature close to 6,500 K of reference. Oled technology always offers the best viewing angles since the loss of brightness at 45 ° is limited to 23% and there is no variation on black, the sub-pixels being extinguished individually.

In "True Cinema" mode, we measured the Delta E at 1.4, a value well below 3 - below which the human eye no longer perceives colorimetric drift. This TV simply displays colors perfectly faithful to those sent by the source.

The range curve is stable over the entire spectrum and the mean measured at 2.42 is very close to the reference one (2.4). This television perfectly respects the gray levels.

The average temperature measured at 6,800 K is very close to the reference value (6,500 K) and, above all, the curve displays very good stability over the entire spectrum.

As with all Oled TVs, the measured contrast is considered to be infinite. Indeed, even with a white calibrated at 154 cd / m², black is measured at 0 cd / m² (our probe cannot measure a black less than 0.0049 cd / m²). This contrast is still as impressive and allows you to enjoy all the nuances, even in complete darkness, especially since Panasonic has particularly worked on the display of very dark grays.

The Panasonic Remastering Engine scaling engine does not evolve much since it already offers very good results with 1080p content displayed on an Ultra HD panel. The image is very soft and we did not detect any artifacts in True Cinema mode. The Intelligent Frame Creation motion compensation system is more precise, and Panasonic engineers have worked particularly on the eradication of artifacts. The moving image is always as sharp, with no artifacts, and the camcorder effect is limited. This motion compensation engine has always been part of the leading trio alongside Philips and LG since last year (from the C8 model).

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HDR

The Panasonic 55GZ1000 is one of the rare models on the market to be compatible with all HDR formats (HDR10, HLG, HDR10 + and Dolby Vision). With a maximum HDR signal of 10,000 cd / m², the Display Tone Mapping used by Panasonic follows the recommended curve, which is closer to perceptual reality, but this will result in clipping beyond the capabilities of the panel. We measured the brightness peak at 729 cd / m², still in True Cinema mode. As always, the Oled remains quite far from the best VA type LCD TVs which greatly exceed 1000 cd / m², such as the Sony 65ZF9 and its 1,940 cd / m² or the Samsung 75Q900R (8K) flashed at 2,280 cd / m². It is this limited light peak that prevents TVs from winning the maximum HDR rating for the moment, but this peak is already enough to enjoy HDR content, especially in the dark.

Still in True Cinema mode (with HDR activated), the colorimetry is as good as in SDR. The colors are simply perfect (average delta E measured at 2.2, well below the value of 3).

Like the Panasonic TX-55FZ950, the new Panasonic GZ1000 is content with 71% coverage of Rec.2020, but achieves 97% of the DCI-P3 color space. If the coverage of Rec. 2020 remains low, it is one of the best on the market, as is that of DCI-P3. Recall that the cinema uses the DCI-P3 space, and that it is for the moment this space which prevails for moviegoers.

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Video games

The Oled models from Panasonic are excellent TVs for gaming and the GZ1000 is no exception. Zero ghosting results in very few blurring effects behind moving objects, while the display delay of only 21.5 ms minimizes the lag between action on the controller and its effect on the screen. Panasonic has not improved the display delay on its 2019 Oleds, while LG holds the new record with a display delay of 13 ms on the LG 65C9.

We are now evaluating the color fidelity in Game mode, because the atmosphere designed by the creators of the game must be respected by the television, just like that of a film. This TV is one of the few on the market to offer a "game mode" on all the preset modes (Menu> Picture> Option settings> Game mode). It is therefore possible to benefit from an input lag reduced to 21 ms in True Cinema mode, and therefore to have perfect colors in games.

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Clouding

As with all Oled TVs on the market, each pixel is managed individually and there is therefore no clouding. Banding effects (horizontal or vertical bands) are also absent. We measured the average difference in white homogeneity over the entire 55-inch panel at only 4%. A very good result which is explained by the use of Oled technology resulting in little variation on the white.

From now on, in all Oled TV tests, we are talking about labeling. Extensive tests have shown that the marking of modern Oled tiles is limited during everyday use. On the other hand, continuous information channels displaying banners with saturated colors (red, blue or green) can clearly be a problem, especially when the brightness is pushed to the maximum. This risk exists and cannot be totally overlooked. Remember that you must switch off the television using the remote control and that it is not recommended to disconnect it completely from the power. The television performs maintenance operations on the screen when it is in standby in order to preserve uniformity and precisely to avoid marking problems.

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Ergonomics

The Panasonic TX-55GZ1000 adopts a classic and versatile design. We can just blame him for the size of his foot, a little too imposing for our taste.

As the results show, all TVs, whether 2018 models or new 2019 models, use the same anti-glare filter. That of the Panasonic 55GZ1000 is therefore very good, but it is not the best. Samsung still keeps the first thanks to the new filters introduced this year on the Qled Q85R, Q90R and Q950R.

A new device now allows us to measure the quality of the anti-reflection filter on televisions, a criterion of importance according to our ...

The solid stand keeps the TV in place and, most importantly, it leaves 6 cm between the stand and the bottom of the TV, which allows you to install some sound bars.

Without an backlighting system, Oled technology makes it possible to obtain an extremely thin panel. The upper part of the television is thus content with a few millimeters, while the lower part is limited to 6.2 cm. The size on the furniture is always linked to that of the foot, which here measures 31 cm deep. It thus occupies a good part of our reference TV stand (which measures 160 x 40 cm).

At the back, we find the connectors on the right and the power supply on the left. The connections are hidden behind a cover and the central leg offers a fairly basic, but effective cable routing system.

With the exception of the SD card reader, the connection is identical to that of last year's FZ800 and FZ950. On the side, there are two HDMI 2.0b inputs (Ultra HD 60 fps, HDR, HDCP 2.2), a PCMCIA port (CI + common interface), a USB 3.0 port, the antenna, cable, satellite and TNT inputs, an Ethernet port and a headphone output. At the rear, with a perpendicular output that prohibits the use of the cache, there are two HDMI ports, two USB 2.0 ports, the optical digital audio output and a component input (YUV). The TV has a built-in dual DVB-T / T2 / T2-HD, DVB-S / S2 and DVB-C tuner. It also has 802.11a / b / g / n / ac Wi-Fi, as well as Bluetooth 4.0 for connection with a wireless audio device (headphones or speaker).

The multimedia system is My Home Screen in version 4.0. Recall that this system is derived from Firefox OS, abandoned by the Mozilla foundation in 2018 and from which Panasonic took the source code. If the system is lagging behind Tizen, Android TV and WebOS, especially in terms of the number of applications available, it remains fluid and pleasant to use. This small update still brings some new features such as the ability to take a look at the content of applications like Netflix or YouTube without having to open them. There are a few known applications like Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Prime Video or Molotov.tv, but you have to give up on Spotify, myCanal, myTF1, Bein, RMC Sport and many others. The Panasonic GZ1000 however has fairly unique features like the In-House Server, which allows the TV to encode a TV stream received via the over-the-air antenna, satellite or even cable to send it over the home network to a another brand TV . The interest of the double tuner takes all its sense, since the second compatible television set can use it to change channels without being connected to a conventional antenna. The limitation of the interface is not really a handicap. The user is less dependent on the system of his television and, in this sense, he will be less disappointed when he is no longer updated within 18 to 36 months, because it is often the reality on the televisions on the market. . It is bad for a good for users who prefer a simpler television in order to entrust the intelligent functions to a real multimedia box like the Shield TV or the Apple TV 4K or even a Chromecast Ultra - the latter being more limited, but no less practical .

It takes about 5 seconds to turn on the TV, whether it is the first start or the next. It takes less than a second to shut down and consumes less than 1 W in standby. On this point, it is a flawless for Panasonic, especially compared to Android TVs which take more than 30 seconds when first started.

Like the FZ800, this GZ1000 only has a very basic remote control. If it offers access to all the features thanks to its many keys, it is still quite dated. Fortunately, the rubber keys are quiet and pleasant to the touch. This remote control ignores the integrated microphone, which is essential for research on the Internet. No backlighting of the keys either! Panasonic announces compatibility with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa in the coming months (the TV can be controlled from a connected speaker).

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Audio

The Panasonic TX-55GZ1000 has two 15 W woofers located on the back of the TV and two 10 W tweeters facing down. The audio rendering does not really have to be ashamed compared to the competition and it delivers a rather good and balanced sound for a television set. The low mids are well reproduced from 65 Hz and the speakers cover the entire spectrum above this area. This audio system is Dolby Atmos certified and can therefore produce "virtual" Dolby Atmos sound. This television is also eARC compatible and can thus transmit to Dolby Atmos and even Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master stream via the HDMI 2 or 3 ports. Note that the main difference with the GZ1500 is precisely the audio part, the latter being equipped with 'a sound bar signed Technics.

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Consumption

With a white calibrated at 150 cd / m², the Panasonic 55GZ1000 consumes 86 W on our test pattern, ie a relative consumption of 103 W / m². This consumption is greater than 100 W / m², which is the average of the relative consumption of the televisions tested. The consumption of Oled models is always higher than that of LCD Edge Led models, such as the Sony KD-65XE8505, record holder in the category with its 56 W / m², the Samsung QE65Q9FNAT and its 61 W / m², or even the Samsung UE75NU8005 which tops out at 72.2 W / m². Fortunately, when in standby, the TV consumes less than one watt.

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Conclusion

The Panasonic TX-55GZ1000 television displays a perfectly calibrated image, whether in SDR or HDR. It will follow moviegoers and fans of TV series as well as players. Finally, its most fierce competitor is its predecessor, the Panasonic 55FZ800, which it only stands out thanks to the improvement of the motion compensation system.

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