After the announcement of the MZ2000 at the beginning of the year, Panasonic has unveiled its entire catalogs of televisions LED and OLED during an event which we were able to attend in a place ideally chosen for the occasion.
It was at the Berliner Union Film Ateliers, the iconic post-production studios, that Panasonic held its press conference and presented its products. After a start to the year loaded with announcements, it is therefore Panasonic’s turn to unveil its renewed catalog. We take stock of the three new ranges on the program: the MZ2000, already presented at CES 2023, as well as the MZ1500 and MZ800, without forgetting the indicative retail prices at the end of the article.
OLED without MLA, except MZ2000
The OLED catalog is therefore reduced to three ranges this year, with a better divided and undoubtedly more coherent offer. Headlining the MZ2000 had already been unveiled a few months ago.
It’s the only series that uses MLA (Micro Lenses Array) technology to boost the peak light to around 1,500 nits, a lower figure than the LG G3 offers, but Panasonic has other arguments up its sleeve than brightness. Renowned Hollywood colorist Stefan Sonnenfeld helped fine-tune the rendered image for these tiles.
The MZ1500 gains a soundbar
The MZ1500 and the MZ800 are not entitled to the MLA, but they have quite a few advantages to claim. First on the side of the diagonal sizes, since these two series offer 42 and 48 inch televisions, in addition to 55 and 65 inches.
The 1500 series is therefore no longer equipped with the same panel as the flagship in the catalog. The 55 and 65 inch models benefit from a panel stamped “Master OLED Professional Edition”, a distinction which does not concern the two smallest diagonals. The MZ1500, however, gains a far superior audio section than its predecessors, with an integrated soundbar and dual speakers on the sides. The goal is to provide viewers with more enveloping sound effects with a “Dynamic Theater Surround Pro” system.
What can we expect from the MZ800?
The MZ800 will be Panasonic’s most affordable OLED TV, but also the first to try the Google TV adventure. Exit therefore My Home Screen, which nevertheless equips the MZ1500 and MZ2000 well. Panasonic is trying to appeal to a wider audience with this series and an interface that perhaps better suits the needs of the general public. A more affordable television also requires some concessions. The MZ800 is thus content with a 60 Hz panel, where the other models go up to 120 Hz.
TVs made for gaming
Finally, the Japanese manufacturer intends to make its OLED televisions models as well recommended for cinema as for gaming. The MZ2000 and 1500 are therefore displayed with some novelties on this side and have also been chosen by the Activision Blizzard team to be the official televisions of the game Diablo IV just out.
So it’s official, G-Sync compatibility is now available on these TVs. We also benefit from a game bar that evolves with two other functions: the “Game Sound Mode” which offers various choices depending on the type of game, and the “True Game Mode”, which is none other than a game calibrated to obtain faithful rendering with video games.
Indicative retail prices for Panasonic OLED TVs
The availabilities of these different series have not all been revealed yet. On the other hand, we know the indicative retail prices of these models:
- MZ800: 1,699 euros (42 inches), 1,799 euros (48 inches), 1,999 euros (55 inches), 2,749 euros (65 inches);
- MZ1500: 1,799 euros (42 inches), 1,999 euros (48 inches), 2,499 euros (55 inches), 3,299 euros (65 inches);
- MZ2000: 2,999 euros (55 inches), 3,999 euros (65 inches), 4,999 euros (77 inches).
Source: Panasonic Press Conference
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