Panasonic 2019 OLED TVs Preview – With support for all HDR formats
This year started very well on television; at CES, LG announced the very first rollable television. In addition to a rollable screen, as we are used to from OLED televisions, this very innovative TV offers very good image quality and excellent sound. However, this television has an important disadvantage in terms of HDR reproduction, which has actually affected all HDR televisions so far; not all major hdr formats can be displayed. Fortunately, Panasonic revealed the new 2019 top model a few days later , the GZW2004, which can display all major HDR formats.
Last Monday, at our own event in Frankfurt, we were at the unveiling of the rest of the new models for 2019. In addition to the top model, which is indicated in the photo above as GZ2000, but which will be sold with us as GZW2004, there will be three new OLED TVs. This brings the total to four; a record for Panasonic. In addition to hlg and hdr10, which just about all hdr televisions can display, all these televisions will also support hdr10+ and Dolby Vision.
Unfortunately for consumers, there is an HDR format war going on between the two HDR formats that support dynamic metadata. Until now, there were no televisions that support both HDR10 + and Dolby Vision, forcing you to choose sides in this war. Panasonic is now making the choice easier for consumers by supporting everything so that you do not run the risk that you cannot play certain HDR content. In addition, the Panasonics can now also display the new hdr photo format hlg-photo.
GZW954
The OLED entry-level model, which is indicated with GZ950 in the photo at the top, will be sold with us under the name GZW954. From June, this TV will be available in 55 and 65-inch screen sizes. It can reproduce Dolby Atmos sound, but has a regular two-channel audio system. The loudspeakers are mounted at the bottom of the housing and are directed downwards. All new OLED TVs can work with Google and Amazon voice assistants.
GZW1004
In terms of model number, the GZW1004 is placed above the entry-level model, but there will not be much difference in price because this is exactly the same television. Only the design of the foot is different; instead of a central narrow connection between the base plate and the TV, there is a wide piece of metal at the back of the base. As a result, the TV appears to ‘float’ above the base when viewed from the front. The GZW1004 will also be available from June in a 55″ and 65″ version.
GZT1506
The GZT1506 is placed above the entry-level models, which comes in 55 and 65 inches. This TV has been given a somewhat different name. The explanation for this lies in the fact that in the Netherlands we actually have models for the German market and that the GZT1506 at our eastern neighbors is intended for a different retail channel. Incidentally, the model names in Belgium have a 0 instead of a 4 or 6 at the end and this model is therefore called GZT1500 in Flanders. This model is equipped with a soundbar under the screen. The front-facing speakers improve the stereo image and make voices clearer.
GZW2004
Panasonic’s top model is the GZW2004 and, as mentioned, we were able to view and listen to it at CES , but in Frankfurt we learned a bit more about this TV. For example, we have now also been able to listen to the Dolby Atmos speaker system, which is equipped with two upward-facing speakers, in combination with a separate subwoofer. You can use the 3.5mm headphone jack as a line levelsubwoofer output by adjusting a setting in the menu. Panasonic does not sell separate subwoofers itself, so you can connect any active subwoofer and make the bass reproduction as good as you want. Of course, the whole does not sound as good as an AV receiver with separate speakers, but for a TV without visible speakers it sounds quite impressive.
Panasonic also told a little more about the increased brightness of the OLED panel of the GZW2004. The panel, like all other OLED TVs, is purchased from LG Display, but by cooling the screen better, it can be controlled a bit harder. Thanks to the better cooling, the screen does not get warmer than with other OLED televisions, which means that, according to Panasonic, there is no greater wear on the panel. They didn’t want to say anything about the operation of the cooling system, but we don’t think it will be much more than a heat-conducting plate behind the screen, for example made of aluminum.
Nothing has been officially announced about the maximum brightness of this TV, but according to color grading artist Dado Valentic , who demonstrated how hdr grading works in DaVinci Resolve at the meeting , the GZW2004 achieves 1000cd/m². This makes the image performance roughly comparable to Sony’s BVM-X300 professional mastering monitor, which was placed next to the GZW2004 during the color grading demonstration. Of course, this reference monitor, which costs more than thirty thousand euros, performs slightly better, but the differences were not great in the vast majority of images.
It remains to be seen what maximum brightness the OLED televisions of the other brands will achieve, but if the GZW2004 does indeed achieve the highest maximum brightness, this TV could well be the ultimate TV for lovers of (HDR) films and series. People who play a lot may be better off with another brand because the 2019 models from Panasonic have to do without HDMI 2.1. That means1 no 120fps display and the Japanese brand also said nothing about variable frame rates. We will probably have to wait another year for the OLED TV that can really do everything. The GZW2004 will be available in stores in July in sizes 55 and 65 inches. No prices have been announced yet.