Buckle your seatbelts and keep your arms and legs inside the car; the OLED game is officially “on.” LG Electronics is no longer the sole manufacturer of OLED displays. Several days ago, Panasonic used the IFA 2015 stage to announce a brand-new 4K UHD television that’s OLED all the way.
Panasonic’s previous UHD offerings have been developed using LCD technologies, and its newly invigorated move toward OLED is a positive sign for the company and consumers as a whole. The company’s current LCD-based flagship TC-65X850U display is a moderate performer, as evidenced by its middling showing at this year’s Value Electronics Flat Panel Shootout. The model posted the lowest score in every category as graded by audience participants (and five out of seven categories by expert judges). My impressions during the shootout echoed those results – it was lackluster as compared to visually stellar competition. In contrast, an LG OLED television (65EG9600) won the event despite exhibiting questionable dark scene issues; OLED’s picture quality capabilities are that good (good enough to help LG overcome a rather glaring performance issue and trump several strong LCD performers).
The first release of Panasonics new CZ950 will be of the curved variety, which might disappoint those of you solely interested in flat designs. But, much like LG’s choice to release a flat version (soon), Panasonic is saying that a flat version of the CZ950 is in the pipeline. What isn’t up for immediate change is the unit’s initial cost (which is in the neighborhood of $11,000). That number is nearly two-times larger than current LG offerings. According to a report by Digital Trends, Panasonic says its OLED sets will fall to competitive levels in the next two to three years… that may as well be five to six years in an ultra competitive display landscape. Hopefully we’ll see faster price reductions than predicted.
Panasonic says their new “4K Pro” OLED television has blacks that bury the performance capabilities of its legendary plasma displays, and color capabilities that surpass those of its OLED competition. Much of this is due to a proprietary 4K Studio Master Processor that has been tuned by professional Hollywood colorist Mike Sowa. Panasonic says this processor keeps the display’s color reproducing capability on par with Hollywood standards for reproducing exact director intent. In addition, the company says the CZ950 is HDR compatible and will carry THX’s badge of approval.
The exterior of the unit is flashy, sporting thin and sharp lines. The company says their intention is “not just to produce standalone products, but to build living spaces. Accordingly, we have built the CZ950 from a 360-degree perspective…this is not a tv to hide in the corner of your rooms, it is a piece of high-end furniture in its own right.”
We’ve yet to learn of a release date in the United States (it’s due to hit European store shelves in October), but Panasonic’s new OLED darling is a welcome addition to the television market landscape. Consumers will only benefit from competition in the OLED market, which will push future technologies forward and continue to drop prices.
Image Credit: Panasonic / IFA 2015
Panasonic’s previous UHD offerings have been developed using LCD technologies, and its newly invigorated move toward OLED is a positive sign for the company and consumers as a whole. The company’s current LCD-based flagship TC-65X850U display is a moderate performer, as evidenced by its middling showing at this year’s Value Electronics Flat Panel Shootout. The model posted the lowest score in every category as graded by audience participants (and five out of seven categories by expert judges). My impressions during the shootout echoed those results – it was lackluster as compared to visually stellar competition. In contrast, an LG OLED television (65EG9600) won the event despite exhibiting questionable dark scene issues; OLED’s picture quality capabilities are that good (good enough to help LG overcome a rather glaring performance issue and trump several strong LCD performers).
The first release of Panasonics new CZ950 will be of the curved variety, which might disappoint those of you solely interested in flat designs. But, much like LG’s choice to release a flat version (soon), Panasonic is saying that a flat version of the CZ950 is in the pipeline. What isn’t up for immediate change is the unit’s initial cost (which is in the neighborhood of $11,000). That number is nearly two-times larger than current LG offerings. According to a report by Digital Trends, Panasonic says its OLED sets will fall to competitive levels in the next two to three years… that may as well be five to six years in an ultra competitive display landscape. Hopefully we’ll see faster price reductions than predicted.
Panasonic says their new “4K Pro” OLED television has blacks that bury the performance capabilities of its legendary plasma displays, and color capabilities that surpass those of its OLED competition. Much of this is due to a proprietary 4K Studio Master Processor that has been tuned by professional Hollywood colorist Mike Sowa. Panasonic says this processor keeps the display’s color reproducing capability on par with Hollywood standards for reproducing exact director intent. In addition, the company says the CZ950 is HDR compatible and will carry THX’s badge of approval.
The exterior of the unit is flashy, sporting thin and sharp lines. The company says their intention is “not just to produce standalone products, but to build living spaces. Accordingly, we have built the CZ950 from a 360-degree perspective…this is not a tv to hide in the corner of your rooms, it is a piece of high-end furniture in its own right.”
We’ve yet to learn of a release date in the United States (it’s due to hit European store shelves in October), but Panasonic’s new OLED darling is a welcome addition to the television market landscape. Consumers will only benefit from competition in the OLED market, which will push future technologies forward and continue to drop prices.
Image Credit: Panasonic / IFA 2015