Panasonic TX-55GZ2000: simply the best Oled TV on the market

Presentation

The Panasonic TX-55GZ2000 uses a 10-bit Oled 100 Hz 55-inch (approximately 140 cm) panel with an Ultra HD resolution of 3 840 x 2 160 px made by LG Display. The name Oled 4K Pro (professional edition Oled screen) comes from the use of a homemade pixel power management system associated with an improved cooling system allowing to limit the wear of the sub-pixels, even with strong brightness. The other originality lies in the presence of two speakers oriented upwards for true 3D audio rendering Dolby Atmos. The total power of the audio system is increased tenfold and reaches 140 W.

Like all Panasonic Oled models of 2019, the GZ2000 operates the new HCX Intelligent Pro processor, more powerful than that of last year and notably optimized in terms of the motion compensation engine. The TV still uses the MyHomeScreen 4.0 operating system, which in 2019 has received a nice update to facilitate access to content.

The Panasonic GZ2000 is the highest-end Oled TV from Panasonic in 2019. It sits above the GZ1000 and GZ1500 that we have already tested.

The Panasonic TX-55GZ2000 is sold for around € 3,500 while the 65-inch model - the Panasonic TX-65GZ2000 - is priced at € 4,500, which is € 1,000 more than the equivalent diagonal GZ1000.

All the brightness and colorimetric measurements mentioned in this article were carried out with a SpectraCal C6-HDR probe and the CalMAN Ultimate software.

---

Image quality

The Panasonic GZ2000 uses a latest generation Oled panel from LG Display [/ media]

The Oled panel always uses four white, blue, red and green sub-pixels. The structure of the sub-pixels is identical on all Oled models released since the end of 2018. The red sub-pixel is now larger in order to support a higher brightness peak while maintaining a color temperature close to 6,500 K of reference. As we will see in the HDR section, if the structure of the sub-pixels does not change, this Oled panel, stamped professional edition, displays a peak in brightness far higher than that of its competitors. Oled technology always offers the best viewing angles since the loss of brightness at 45 ° is limited to 22% and there is no variation on black, the sub-pixels being extinguished individually.

This is now a known characteristic of Oled televisions and more generally of Oled screens: the measured contrast is considered to be infinite. Indeed, even with a white calibrated at 149 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.

In True Cinema mode, the Panasonic TV simply displays perfect colors. The average delta E measured at 1.8 is less than the value of 3 below which the eye can no longer distinguish the color drifts. With the exception of grayscale, no hue exceeds this value of 3.

With an average measured at 2.44, the gamma is very close to the reference value of 2.4 and the curve is stable across the spectrum. There is a slight drop in the very light gray at 95%, but it is not really visible in the image.

The temperature curve is perfectly stable over the entire spectrum and the average measured at 6,820 K is close to the 6,500 K reference. Again, this is flawless for Panasonic which offers excellent factory calibration.

The Panasonic Remastering Engine has not changed much since last year. Panasonic has obviously not yet given in to the sirens of artificial intelligence which improves the clarity of images by interpreting different objects. The Panasonic engine 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 particularly efficient. This year, 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 is still part of the top three alongside those of Philips and LG since last year (from the C8 model).

---

HDR

Like the Panasonic GZ1000 and GZ1500, the Panasonic TX-55GZ2000 is one of the few models 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 perfectly follows the reference EOTF curve (in yellow). Unfortunately, this absence of smoothing of the curve results in a phenomenon of clipping beyond 70% of luminance. The parts of the image displaying a brightness greater than the capacities of the panel cannot necessarily be distinguished from one another. We would have liked an option to smooth this curve.

We measured the brightness peak at 952 cd / m² in HDR10 on a 10% window in True Cinema mode, and therefore a perfect temperature close to 6,500 K. The previous record was held by Philips with its Philips 55OLED803 television which displayed a peak brightness of 859 cd / m², so it's almost 100 cd / m² more for the Panasonic TV. If the Japanese manufacturer does use a latest generation Oled panel similar to that used by other manufacturers, it operates a sub-pixel power management system developed in-house as well as a house cooling system to achieve this peak in brightness without compromising the life of the panel. This peak in HDR brightness brings a real plus to the image, especially at the specular level (light reflections) and clearly makes the difference compared to other Oled TVs on HDR content.

Lab - Panasonic TX-55GZ2000: a record peak in brightness for an Oled TV

If the Panasonic GZ2000 is the brightest Oled TV on the market, it remains far behind the high-end LCD TVs which can reach or even exceed 2,000 cd / m² (Sony 65ZF9 or Samsung 75Q900R).

As in SDR, this television is perfectly calibrated in HDR. We measured an average Delta E of only 2.3 in True Cinema mode. The colors displayed are therefore considered to be faithful to those sent by the source. Only two shades see their Delta E exceed 4.

The coverage of the Rec. 2020 color space increases to 71%. In absolute terms, it is a fairly low value, but it is nevertheless one of the best on the market. Indeed, only a few televisions manage to display more than 70% of Rec.2020 including the Oled models and some high-end LCD televisions.

The coverage of the DCI-P3 color space reaches 97%, which is almost all the colors used by the cinema industry for most Ultra HD films.

---

Video games

Like the GZ1000 and GZ1500, the Panasonic TX-55GZ2000 is a great gaming companion. Oled technology eliminates afterglow, which results in very little blurring behind moving objects, while the delay in displaying only 21.5 ms minimizes the delay between the action on the joystick and its repercussion on the screen. Small flat all the same, Panasonic has not improved the delay in display on its Oled 2019 while, for its part, LG holds the new record with a delay in display of 13 ms on the LG 65C9.

Panasonic's game mode is just as good as True Cinema mode. 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.

---

Clouding

Oled technology makes it possible to manage each pixel individually without using a light distribution filter: there is therefore no clouding. Banding effects (horizontal or vertical bands) are also absent on our test model. We measured the average difference in white uniformity over the entire 55-inch panel at only 5%. This very good result is explained by the use of Oled technology resulting in little variation on the white. Recall that the eye begins to see a difference from 20% average deviation.

We are now talking about marking in Oled TV tests. We have never faced this problem and the tests we have carried out have not shown any marking for a short period. Long-term tests have shown that the marking of modern Oled tiles is limited during everyday use. On the other hand, continuous news 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 standby television performs maintenance operations on the panel in order to preserve uniformity and precisely to avoid marking problems.

---

Ergonomics

The design of the Panasonic TX-55GZ2000 is classic and resembles that of the GZ1500. From the front, the two models are almost identical. Only the front soundbar is a little higher.

Like most Oled models, the edges of the screen are very thin. This television is particularly well finished, which is the least of things for a high-end model.

The Panasonic anti-glare filter is excellent. In view of the results, we also assume that it is identical to all of the Oled models from 2018 and 2019. The anti-reflective treatment manages to dilute most light reflections. The result is among the best on the market, but does not equal that of high-end Samsung televisions like the 65Q85R, a real benchmark on this point.

The profile of the Panasonic GZ2000 is not as elegant as that of other Oled models. The fault with the audio system which takes up space at the back of the television, in particular the two vertical speakers which clutter up the upper part. In all cases, the footprint is always linked to the depth of the foot (here 31 cm). This is a lot since some Oled models, like the LG 55B8, rest on a foot only 23 cm deep.

The back of the TV is neat. Panasonic hides part of the connector on the right, but this mask cannot be used with part of the connector placed at right angles (two HDMI ports, the optical output, two USB ports and the component input).

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 (which also serves as a subwoofer output). At the rear, with a perpendicular output which prohibits the use of the cover therefore, 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). Note that if Panasonic does not mention HDMI 2.1 compatibility, the TV does offer an HDMI 2.1 ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode) option which automatically reduces the delay in display when a compatible device (a game console using ALLM) is connected. For now, this only works with Xbox One S and X, but this feature should be supported by all future consoles, including the PS5.

What will HDMI 2.1 change?

The My Home Screen 4.0 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. This Panasonic has quite unique features, however, such as the In-House Server, which allows the television to encode a television stream received via the air antenna, satellite or even cable to send it over the home network to another. brand television. 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.

If this can be disappointing in the case of a high-end TV, the limitation of the operating system 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 .

This TV takes a little longer to turn on than other Panasonic models. It takes approximately 12 seconds to power up (compared to 5 seconds for the GZ1000). However, it takes less than 3 seconds to wake up. The extinction is always done in less than a second.

On its high-end televisions, Panasonic is now satisfied with a single classic remote control, but with an aluminum finish and a backlighting of the most used keys. On the other hand, Panasonic ignores the built-in microphone and therefore does not allow you to control the TV by voice, which is however essential to perform searches effectively.

---

Audio

One of the main originalities of this television lies in the Dolby Atmos audio system designed by Technics. It consists of 7 speakers: three speakers on the front, two woofers on the back and two speakers facing up; a first on a television. The audio rendering - for a television - is generally excellent, even if we sometimes regret the prominent megaphone effect at high volume. We therefore advise not to exceed sound level 40 to make the most of the sound. We refer you to the full article on Dolby Atmos audio rendering of the 55GZ2000 TV.

Lab - TV Oled Panasonic GZ2000: the Dolby Atmos sound system tested

---

Consumption

We measured consumption at 95 W on our target with a white set at 150 cd / m². The relative consumption thus reaches 114 W / m², which is higher than the average of the televisions tested (approximately 100 W / m²) and therefore results in a score of 3. The consumption of the GZ2000 is higher than that of the televisions equipped with '' Edge Led backlighting system like the Sony KD-65XE8505, the category record holder with its 56 W / m², than that of Full LED televisions like the Sony 65ZF9 (72 W / m²) or even other Oled TVs. The LG 65C9 particularly surprised us with a consumption of only 85 W / m². Standby consumption is always less than 1 W.

---

Conclusion

With its GZ2000 television, Panasonic shows that it is possible to push the limits of Oled panels manufactured by LG Display. The Japanese manufacturer manages to stand out from the competition by offering a higher brightness peak which enhances HDR content. To top it off, the audio system - if it does not replace a sound bar - comes to compete without problem with those of the market leaders like the Sony Acoustic Surface and is clearly one of the best audio systems integrated on a television. The Panasonic TX-55GZ2000 TV is one of the very best TVs on the market and finally stands out from the sometimes too smooth competition. At € 3,500, the Panasonic 55GZ2000 is still sold three times more expensive than the Panasonic TX-55FZ800. It is the price to benefit from the best HDR and audio rendering on an Oled panel.

---