OLED HDTVs have set a new standard in the television industry by delivering what is considered by industry experts and enthusiasts, the best picture image currently available, with its greatest attributes being its strong contrast and perfect black level capabilities. For more info on OLED technology click here.
To date, OLED-based TVs still aren’t widely known or very popular among consumers; however, this situation is changing daily as LG continues to aggressively push this technology to consumers with its massive marketing campaign, which by the way, is starting to pay off as more and more individuals discover OLED TVs.
Panasonic recently announced its entry into the OLED TV business, and now joins LG as the only other major manufacturer producing these displays. This is good news, since having more manufacturers in the OLED market brings more competition which should result in lower pricing. In addition, it also allows for more exposure to this excellent technology.
Panasonic’s first OLED entry is their flagship TX-65CZ950 featuring a beautifully sculpted 65″ curved display panel. And speaking of display panels, it has been generally acknowledged that Panasonic is using an LG panel for this TV. However, Panasonic claims their OLED TV is superior to LG’s.
This superiority is accomplished by Panasonic beginning with a raw LG panel and identifying its flaws and weaknesses and applying their own electronics and technology to eliminate these shortcomings.
One element that refines the CZ950’s picture quality is Panasonic’s 4k Studio Master Drive video processing engine. This processor analyzes all picture aspects including sharpness, brightness and color for a more refined and accurate video presentation. In addition, Panasonic enlisted the help of Mike Sowa, a professional Hollywood Colorist who worked with Panasonic’s engineers to fine-tune this TV’s color accuracy and performance.
The results: This is the most color-accurate OLED TV on the market and Panasonic’s most color-accurate TV ever created.
CZ950 Rear Panel
The CZ950 also features a 10-bit display panel and HDR capability. What this means is more shades of color and a brighter picture image with increased contrast and more detail. This TV also covers 90 percent of the (Digital Cinema Initiative) DCI-P3 color spectrum which ensures full reproduction of vivid colors from various types of image sources.
The CZ950 is also the first 4K THX certified TV. THX 4K Certification is an assurance of image quality and consistency, confirming that a display not only meets industry 4K performance guidelines but that it maintains content accuracy true to the original HD image.
Panasonic has also eliminated one particular weakness of OLED displays, which is a lack of screen brightness consistency across the entire screen. Unlike some LG OLED models that are brighter in the center, while the edges of the screen are less bright. The CZ950 eliminates this anomaly by delivering a uniform image in brightly lit motion picture scenes across the entire screen.
The future continues to look bright for OLED TV with Panasonic’s jump into the market. However, the only downside I see with their debut entry is their extreme price tag of over $11,000 dollars.
Panasonic had a long-standing tradition of producing some of the finest picture images in the TV industry with the now-defunct plasma technology.
It’s my hope that Panasonic can continue this tradition by bringing its picture quality expertise to the OLED TV market.
Click here to see a very informative video interview with Ron Martin – VP/Director of Panasonic Hollywood Labs regarding the TX-65CZ950.
Note: US release date has not been announced.