Following on from the Panasonic CX700 4K Ultra HD television we tested earlier this month, today we’re taking a look at the step-up CX802 (marketed as CX800 elsewhere in Europe) which is designated as the company’s top-ranked flat-screen TV for 2015, at least until unconfirmed plans to launch higher-end models materialise at IFA later in September. Fans of curved TVs can also look forward to the corresponding Viera CR852/ CR850 series that should arrive pretty soon.
In the UK, the Panasonic CX802 range is available in four screen sizes, namely the 40-inch TX-40CX802B, the 50-inch TX-50CX802B, the 55-inch TX-55CX802B (which is the subject of today’s review), and the 65-inch TX-65CX802B. There exist some differences in LED lamp arrangements and local dimming capabilities between the smaller and larger sizes, so please be wary of extrapolating our picture quality findings across the entire lineup.
In keeping with the next phase of UHD (ultra high-definition) evolution, the Panasonic TX-55CX802 not only features a native screen resolution of 3840×2160, but is also scheduled to receive a firmware upgrade in the near future to add support for high dynamic range (HDR) content, though it remains to be seen whether it’s limited to streaming from Netflix 4K/ Amazon Prime Instant Video, or can be extended to Ultra HD Blu-ray via a HDMI 2.0a update.
Other specifications include 4K Studio Master processing, a BMR (Backlight Motion Rate) rating of 1600Hz, quad-core processor, ISF and THX certification, HDMI 2.0 and HDCP 2.2 compatibility, built-in HEVC and VP9 decoding, as well as the firm’s a new Firefox-based Smart TV platform.
Design
With a slim gunmetal grey bezel framing the semi-glossy LCD panel, the Panasonic TX55CX802B exudes an air of understated elegance which should please most owners. The only thing to watch out for is the supporting stand which not only spans the entire width of the screen, but also curves backwards in a manner not dissimilar to the arc stand seen on Samsung’s F8000 LED televisions back in 2013, pretty much demanding an AV rack that’s both deep (at least 25 centimetres) and wide enough (1.24 metre) unless you go the wall-mount route.
Its direct LED placement means that the chassis of the 55in CX802/ CX800 isn’t as streamlined as edge-lit rivals, but since we don’t watch TV from the sides, we’re not one to complain. A bendy Smart remote is supplied in addition to a more traditional-looking wand featuring a silver front fascia and backlit buttons.
Connections
The provision of only three HDMI ports (albeit all equipped with HDMI 2.0 and HDCP 2.2 spec) on such a high-end model, not to mention the removal of DisplayPort compared with 2014’s AX802 and AX902, may disappoint some potential buyers. Panasonic continues to be the only major TV brand to include an SD card slot on their displays.
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| 3xHDMI, 3xUSB, comp, SCART, aerial+satellite tuners, LAN, CI & SD slots, audio outs |
Calibration
Out of the box, the most accurate picture preset on our Panasonic TX-55CX802B review unit was [THX Cinema]. However, because gamma in [THX Cinema] mode tracked closer to 2.2 with no easy way to correct it to the 2.4 standard, we calibrated the Viera UHD (ultra high-definition) TV in its [Professional] mode which provided such controls.
Gear used to calibrate the 55″ CX802 included a profiled Klein K10-A meter, a DVDO AVLab test pattern generator, and CalMAN video calibration software. The television’s comprehensive suite of 10-point white balance and gamma controls plus 3-axis CMS (colour management system) allowed us to dial in greyscale and colours to supremely accurate levels.
In fact, we’d go so far as to say that no other TV we’ve reviewed this year could beat a properly calibrated Viera TX-55CX802 in terms of colour accuracy, as you can judge for yourself from the CalMAN charts below (particularly the saturation sweep and colour checker ones).
Greyscale
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| Pre-calibration [THX Cinema] RGB tracking and delta errors (dEs) |
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| Post-calibration RGB tracking and dEs in [Professional] mode |
Gamma
![Pre-calibrated Gamma tracking in [THX Cinema] mode](/news/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/uhdtv_Panasonic-TX55CX802B_pre-gamma.png) |
![Post-calibrated Gamma tracking in [Professional] mode](/news/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/uhdtv_Panasonic-TX55CX802B_post-gamma.png) |
| Pre-calibration gamma tracking (2.21) | Post-calibration gamma tracking (2.38) |
Colour
![Post-calibration Colour saturation tracking in [Professional] mode](/news/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/uhdtv_Panasonic-TX55CX802B_post-strack.jpg) |
| Post-calibration colour saturation tracking |
![Post-calibration colour errors in [Professional] mode](/news/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/uhdtv_Panasonic-TX55CX802B_post-strack-de.png) |
| Post-calibration colour errors (<3 not appreciable to the eye) |
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| Post-calibration Colour Checker Classic test |
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| Post-calibration Colour Checker Classic errors (<3 not appreciable to the eye) |
Benchmark Test Results
| Dead pixels | None |
| Screen uniformity | Very good for an LED LCD TV |
| Overscanning on HDMI | 0% with [16:9 Overscan] set to “Off“ |
| Blacker than black | Passed |
| Calibrated black level (black screen) | 0.002 to 0.007 cd/m2 if [Adaptive Backlight Control] enabled |
| Calibrated black level (4×4 ANSI) | 0.042 cd/m2 |
| Black level retention | Stable |
| Primary chromaticity | Excellent |
| Scaling | Good |
| Video mode deinterlacing | Effective jaggies reduction |
| Film mode deinterlacing | Passed 3:2 & 2:2 in SD & HD if [Film Cadence Mode] on |
| Viewing angle | Average for a VA LCD panel |
| Motion resolution | 1080 lines with [IFC] “Mid” or “Max“; 600 “Min“; 300 “Off“ |
| Digital noise reduction | Optional; effective when engaged |
| Sharpness | Defeatable edge enhancement |
| Luma/Chroma bandwidth (2D Blu-ray) | Full luma; chroma slightly blurred vertically even with [1080p Pure Direct] on |
| 1080p/24 capability | No judder in 2D; mild judder in 3D |
| Measured panel refresh rate | 120Hz |
| Measured DCI-P3 coverage | 81% |
| Leo Bodnar input lag tester | 40ms if [Intelligent Frame Creation] “Off“ |
| Full 4:4:4 reproduction (PC) | Yes for 3840×2160@60Hz |
Power Consumption
| Default [Normal] mode | 75 watts* |
| Calibrated [Professional] mode | 73 watts |
| Standby | <1 watt |
*Note: [Ambient Sensor] was engaged by default in the [Normal] picture mode out of the box.
Picture Quality
Black Level & Contrast
The TX55CX802B’s measured black level came in at 0.042 cd/m2 natively (i.e. without the help of local dimming) with peak white pegged at our usual target of 120 cd/m2 for critical viewing in a dimly-lit room. While this figure is slightly higher than that we extracted from the TX-50CX700B (difference may be caused by 50-inch vs 55-inch panel), it’s still deep by LED LCD standards. Unlike most other TV brands, the 2015 Panasonic Vieras that we’ve tested don’t dim down/ shut off their LEDs when asked to display full-screen black.
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| Closeup of RGB subpixels indicating VA LCD matrix |
We proceeded to investigate the local dimming function – activated through the [Adaptive Backlight Control] option in the user menu – on the CX802B. Aided by our custom-authored pattern showing a small white box crawling horizontally and then vertically against a black background across the borders of the screen, we counted only 18 dimmable zones (9 rows x 2 columns) on the TV. Although there’s no doubt that the 55CX802B’s LED backlight is of the direct-lit variant, we’re not entirely sure if the set even qualifies as FALD (full-array local dimming) given the meagre number of zones.
Rather than improving matters significantly, Panasonic’s dimming algorithm also left a lot to be desired. For example, a full-screen black scene with only a small white box on the top-left corner would result in the entire width of the first row lighting up, instead of only the left-side column, which in theory should be programmatically possible since the zone was physically present and could be controlled independently. In fact, that’s what happened when we replaced the white box with a Blu-ray player pause icon on the top-left corner, suggesting there may be some sort of APL (Average Picture Level) detection at play too.
All three [Adaptive Backlight Control] intensities of “Min“, “Mid” and “Max” didn’t deepen ANSI blacks beyond 0.042 cd/m2, but lowered black-level measurements on full-field black to 0.007, 0.004 and 0.002 cd/m2 respectively. The higher settings also dimmed the whites, thus skewing gamma and preventing any sizeable gain in contrast. To summarise, the Panasonic Viera TX-55CX802B’s native black level was good, but we’ve seen edge-lit LED TVs with better pseudo-local dimming than what’s implemented on this display.
With both [Backlight] and [Contrast] cranked up to maximum, the 55CX802 yielded a light output of 427 cd/m2 on both a full-field and a windowed peak white pattern. While this isn’t the brightest we’ve measured, there’s a possibility it could be driven higher by the appropriate HDR metadata when standards are finalised.
Backlight/ Screen Uniformity
Helped by its direct LED configuration, the Panasonic TX55CX802 didn’t exhibit any noticeable clouding or corner bleed even when scrutinised in total darkness once we calibrated the set, though blacks would brighten considerably off-axis given the restricted viewing angles of the VA-type LCD panel used. Overall screen uniformity was good: we didn’t spot any major DSE (dirty screen effect) to complain about when we checked using various shades of full-field grey and also football programmes.
Motion
We previously criticised the low-ish motion resolution on the Panasonic CX700, and the step-up CX800/ CX802 did bring some improvement. The television could reach a motion resolution of 1080 lines (as determined via the horizontally scrolling pattern in Chapter 31 of the FPD Benchmark Software Blu-ray disc), but only with [Intelligent Frame Creation] set to “Mid” or “Max“. Because either of these settings caused 24p film to look like unnaturally smooth, cheaply-shot video, it’s advisable to use them only for fast-paced video-based content such as live sports broadcasts.
Indeed, when watching the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2015 in Canada on the TX-55CX802B , [IFC] “Mid” added further solidity and sharpness especially to panning shots compared with “Min” or “Off“. In terms of objective measurement, [IFC] “Min” doubled the motion resolution to 600 lines from the vanilla LCD baseline of 300. Regular HDTVTest readers may recall that [Intelligent Frame Creation] “Min” was sufficient to produce 1080-line motion resolution on last year’s AX802/ AX800 and AX902/ AX900, representing a better set-and-forget setting that substantially reduced motion blur without introducing overt soap opera effect (SOE).
4K
With [4K Pure Direct] engaged, the Viera TX55CX802B fully reproduced 4:4:4 chroma at 4K@60Hz through any of its HDMI 2.0 ports from a Geforce GTX 970 graphics card installed in a Chillblast gaming computer. Full luma detail was also passed at 3840×2160 resolution for 24Hz, 30Hz, 50Hz and 60Hz timings from a DVDO AVLab TPG 4K signal generator.
Strangely, although it’s been said to be capable of hitting 98% DCI colours, our TX-55CX802B review sample could achieve no more than 81% of the DCI-P3 standard, which is even lower than the coverage provided by its step-down TX-50CX700B cousin. We experimented with various settings, including using [Dynamic] mode, increasing the [Colour] value and enabling [Vivid Colour] (which just forces the [Colour Gamut] to “Native” as far as we could tell) to try and expand the gamut but to no avail.
3D
Our custom-authored test pattern confirmed that the 55in CX802B successfully delivered full HD 3D resolution – an upgrade over the step-down 50in Viera CX700B which merged the alternating black and white horizontal single-pixel lines into a grey smudge. Whether this improvement in tri-dimensional resolution is due to the screen size or model range remains unclear until we can get our hands on either a 50″ CX802 or 55″ CX700.
The TV presumably handles 3-D at 60Hz internally, because 24Hz and 50Hz extra-dimensional material exhibited noticeable judder which could only be smoothed by bumping [24p Smooth Film] or [Intelligent Frame Creation] up to “Min” or “Max“. Unfortunately this in turn introduced the dreaded soap opera effect to films, so 3D movie lovers are stuck between a rock and a hard place.
The Panasonic TX-55CX802 doesn’t ship with any 3D glasses, but when we tried out some compatible active-shutter ones on the 3DTV, crosstalk was faint and not distracting.
Gaming
Like the step-down Viera CX700, the Panasonic TX-55CX802B didn’t really need its [Game Mode] enabled to obtain the quickest response for playing games. As long as [Intelligent Frame Creation] was disabled, our Leo Bodnar input lag tester returned a figure of 40ms which is relatively low by 4K TV standards.
Since [Game Mode] isn’t really necessary, the Panasonic CX802/ CX800 is one of the rare UHD (ultra high-definition) TVs that can provide both satisfactory responsiveness and 4:4:4 chroma reproduction for gaming at 4K@60Hz (you’ll need to enable the [4K Pure Direct] mode). Engaging [IFC] in any of its three intensities increased input lag to 56ms.
Conclusion
The Panasonic TX-55CX802B improves upon the TX-50CX700 in two areas: 1080 lines of motion resolution is now attainable (boosting the clarity of moving images); and resolution in the third dimension is full HD 3D. Nevertheless, compared with last year’s outgoing Viera AX802/ AX800, we couldn’t help but feel that some cutbacks have been made: omission of DisplayPort and a fourth HDMI input; presence of judder with 24Hz and 50Hz 3D material; and a blurrier [Intelligent Frame Creation] “Min” setting. On the upside, the CX802/ CX800’s native black level was slightly lower, and there’s always the promise of forthcoming HDR update.
Looking further afield, if the CX802 is indeed the nominated spearhead of Panasonic’s 2015 Viera TV campaign (at least for the moment), then the TX-55CX802 will be going up against the Samsung UE55JS9000 (the South Korean manufacturer’s top-of-the-line JS9500 series is not available in 55 inches) and the recently reviewed Sony KD-55X9305C. The Panasonic comfortably delivered the most accurate colours, and its upscaling of HD and SD content was right up there with Samsung’s. The TX55CX802B’s native black level was also deeper than the other two, but once local dimming was taken into account, the Viera television was edged out in low-APL scenes when it came to overall contrast performance owing to low zone count and questionable dimming algorithm.
Of course, price is firmly stacked in the Panasonic CX802B’s favour, which undercuts the Samsung JS9000 and Sony X93C by at least a few hundred pounds. The TX-55CX802B represents good value for money then: sit within the TV’s sweet spot, and you’ll be rewarded with deep blacks, gorgeously realistic colour rendition that’s easily the most accurate on the market, and high-quality video processing.
Many thanks for the review!
However, could you help me on one point? You say “There exist some differences in LED lamp arrangements and local dimming capabilities between the smaller and larger sizes, so please be wary of extrapolating our picture quality findings across the entire lineup.”
What differences are there? As far as I have seen on the data sheets, only the 40CX802 seems different (with no local dimming pro and no HDR which implies a highly probable Edge LED backlight). In my case, I’m interested in the 50, is it similar to the 55?
Hi Vincent,
Many thanks for this review, have been waiting for this one!
Did you notice any significant halo problems around bright objects ie, white credits against a black background?
In terms of picture quality alone, would you say the 802 would be a significant upgrade over my Sony HX923?
One more question: does it worth the price difference compared to the CX700? A part from the motion resolution, the CX700 seems to offer a better black level for a similar color management (or even better) and Edge LED doesn’t seems to be an issue on the CX700 (and it’s not even sure that the 50CX800 is a Direct LED).
When AV forums reviewed this set theirs met 90% of the DCIP3 figure,so perhaps you had a rogue TV?
@Frederic: You’ll have to wait until I get my hands on a 50″ CX802 for separate testing… I’m not confident that the findings are similar between 50-inch and 55-inch panels.
@JB1: I didn’t notice halos that are usually seen with FALD sets, because there simply weren’t enough zones. Instead, half or whole (more likely) horizontal stripes would light up.
The CX802 would be an upgrade over the Sony HX923 in terms of colours and potential HDR compliance.
@charles almond: That’s certainly not beyond the realm of possibility, but AVforums reviewed the 50-inch version which uses a different-sized panel from the 55-incher I tested.
Also, AVforums only plot the native gamut on a chart, but don’t calculate the exact coverage (yet). Instead, they use phrases like “about”, “seem”, “pretty much” and “would appear to be” to describe their subjective approximation. From their reviews:
“We checked Panasonic’s claim of being able to reach around 90% of the DCI P3 colour space… and the CX802B makes a good fist of things. Red and Green are, as Panasonic says, about 90% of the way there to full DCI saturation targets and Blue – and the secondaries containing it – are pretty much there.”
“Samsung claim that the JS9000 has a colour space that’s 92% of DCI and as the graph below shows this would appear to be the case.”
“We measured the JS8500 against the DCI golour gamut and Samsung’s claims of it being able to hit about 92% of this extended colour space seem about spot on”
“If you look at the graph below you’ll see that although the EG960 does have a wider colour space that Rec.709, it doesn’t get as close to DCI as some of the TVs being made by Panasonic and Samsung”
Warmest regards
Vincent
Thank for your prompt and detailed reply.Should this low figure be of concern?
Thank you Vincent for the quick answer! Will you get the 50″ CX802 soon? And do you know if this is a Direct LED (AVForums’s review is not clear on that point)? And one question: Panasonic promises HDR support through an update, does it means that the CX802 has a 10-bits panel?
Thanks for the review.
At last week VE 2015 Shootout someone measured 30 dimming zone on the 65″ US equivalent, with only 18 on the 55″, then it must be true.
I thought the rumored 64 zones were too low, but only 30, what a disapointment Panasonic, also still no BFI technique.
Samsung only delivers curved tvs, Sony doesn’t support 444 4k@60fps, and now Panasonic cut too many corners :(
So much for “the bigger the better.” For Panasonic: the bigger the tv, the weaker the performance.
@charles almond: Not when there’s no widely available consumer DCI-P3 content.
@Frederic: I’ll put in a request for a 50″ CX8 sample at some point. The CX802 has 8-bit panel + FRC.
Warmest regards
Vincent
So if one doesn’t care about motion interpolation and 3d, is it a worthless upgrade from the CX700?
Thanks Vincent,as in depth as ever.
Was hoping for a more favourable review to be honest – been waiting months for this!
So if I was to put you on the spot, as I can get both sets for ‘around’ the same sort of price – which would you choose out of the 55CX802B and the 55JS9000?
@Realdeal: Pretty much, but CX802 will also support HDR streaming after a firmware update.
@Lee: If it’s the same price, I’d choose the 55JS9000.
Warmest regards
Vincent
Hi Vincent, what about the sound quality on this set?
@Vincent you should try get the 65CX800/2 after the HDR firmware update for review to see if there is any improvement. and the Sony 65X93C as well.
really disapointed with Panasonic, they ruined AX900 last year by choosing an IPS panel and now they put stupid a low zone local dimming system on this year flagship, What were their engineers thinking?
A 9×2 grid is pretty much useless besides the movie black bars, it will not handle subtitles and movies credits well, they need a least 5 or 6 columns at minimum, what were their engineers thinking?
Hi Vincent,
Last year’s AX 55 902 is now selling at a couple of outlets for £1500. Would you say, bearing in mind it’s IPS panel, in terms of overall picture quality, would it be the better purchase? Also are the blacks as deep as my Sony 46HX923?
Thanks Vincent – appreciate your reply.
@Zubs: Decent sound quality, but nothing special. Certainly not a Sony X93C.
@JB1: The AX902 is better in almost every aspect apart from input lag. Regarding blacks, if you get me to calibrate it, likely yes.
Warmest regards
Vincent
Dear Vincent,
Wich tv would you recommend if i want to game on it?
The panasonic, the samsung or the sony.
Price is not relevant
Vincent
Hi!
I can get a new 58ax800 for about
$1500 in sweden. So i get 3tum more for alot less money. But how do you rate the overal picture
against a new 55cx800?
Let say im lucky to get a good 58ax800 with not so much clouding and banding- thats very common with that set sadly.
My guess is better ifc -min setting for ax
eaqual blacks i guess. Dont now if the dimming function of ax is better or worse.
Ok so no hdr of course and worse smart tv.
But im going to buy the new nvidia shield with 4k netflix and 4k youtube.
/S
I have just purchased , right or wrong the TX40CX802B , you have said that the series may get an update for HDR !
Will that include my model as well , as this does not have the bells and whistles the larger models have . I am pleased with the set so far , purchased , for the possible future . Will you do a review for the TX40CX802B , or was this review to be a standard for the CX802 ?
Thank you in advance. .
According to our Panasonic trainer, the claims of 98% DCI only apply to the 65CX802, so we’ll have to wait and see if those claims are true.
I have the 55CXW704 and i just dont like the motion blur. Now i am thinking to exchange the TV for a 50CXW804. The 55cxw804 fares well with motion as stated in this test, but how about the 50cxw804 without direct led?
Please can anyone help with advice of what tv is the best to be reliable out of the Sony KD55X9005CBU or Panasonic TX-55CX802B for internet web browsing. hopefully whatever one i eventually decide does not go same as Samsung ue55f7000 what crashes when it says lack of memory restore last browser session. be
Great review as always. I just changed to the 65CX802 from a Samsung 59″ D6900 plasma.
Impressed so far. I am using professional mode 1 and just wanted to know if you could publish your calibration settings?
Hi Vincent.
I’m considering to buy 65cx800e or Samsung 55JS9002. I can have them for approximately same price. My main usage is watching movies from htpc (kodi) and console gaming (not fastpaced fps).
Can you please tell me which of these two you prefer?
Thanks a lot.
Hi Vincent,
I struggle to make a choice between this and a Sony KD55X9305C. Obviously your expert opinion would matter to me.
Hi Vincent,
Also struggling between the Panasonic 55cx802 and Sony 55x9305C, especially since the price of the Sony is not that high anymore.
I truly would appreciate your thoughts about it.
Kind Regards, Jan
The one thing I notice that no one, and I mean noooo one is ever concerned with is longevity. After having gone through 2 Sony “top of the line” Bravia XBR panels within 4 years, the first only lasting 1 and a half, then having to deal with their 1-800 (lack of) customer service nightmare, I couldn’t be ANY more hesitant to ever buy Sony again. Had I not paid the $300 fir the extended warranty I would have been out $2800 CDN 6 months after the 1 year warranty was up! They upgraded the replacement to the KDL52XBR9 but that panel didn’t last long either. Only by fluke did I recently find out on avsfourms.com and community.sony,com that there was a 2 year recall on that model which expired Mar30/15. The store I purchased at never informed me, neither did Sony and to make matters worse, BOTH denied there was even a recall, and after multiple back and forth insanity with Sony humanoid robot customer service reps, was told that I missed the cutoff and don’t qualify! Luckily the head office isn’t far but upon my initial visit, was told to call the 1-800 # because there was no one at the head office that would even talk to me. Only after threatening to sit by the busy street out front with my 52″ TV and boycott them, did the secretary find someone but to this date it’s still not resolved (although it does look hopeful finally) Talk about stress though!
Sure, if you pay through the nose for the 65XBR930c to have the X1 PRO chip and Triluminous display and killer sound, or even pay double that at $8000 CDN for the added full array local dimming on the 75″ XBR940c version, you will be getting an amazing TV. But how long will it last? After a decade of LCDs, with the exception of these two models, every other TV including LG OLEDs have flaws. That is an EPIC fail.
Instead of making 75″ and even 85″ tvs with flaws, that cost up to $30,000 CDN or in Samsungs case, making a million different models to choose from (ALL with their own flaws), why haven’t they been able to make even a 55″ with NO flaws and will last 10 years? (As they should for $2500 CDN and up) And how hard is it after a decade to make FLAWLESS, AFFORDABLE, killer tvs that will last as long as the old CRTs did? This whole thing has been a scam.
Sony was #1 fir years but have paid dearly for taking their loyal customers for granted.. Unless you pay an arm and a leg for the top models, Samsung and LG included) everything else is overpriced junk. At least with Panasonic, they are trying to make a good impression as they did with their world reknown plasmas. They have those plasma engineers fully focused on LCD to make as good and even better picture than their plasmas and by the looks of their 2014 AX800/AX900, and 2015 CX800/CX850 models, they are succeeding. The 55CX850 claims to hit 90% DCI with the 65CX850 hitting 98%, plus ultra bright panels, 176* viewing angles and 40watt speakers (compared to 10-20watt of most others except Sony 930/940c 90watters).
Pannys CZ950 OLED is by far THE best tv on the market. Unfortunately, few can afford it right now. With the hiring of Mike Sowa, a top Hollywood colourist, we will finally get to see movies the way the directors intended. If you haven’t seen youtube reviews of the cz950 OLED and interviews with Mike, I suggest you get on it before plunking down thousands of your hard earned dollars on a TV made by ANYONE other than Panasonic. At least with them you will get a product that lasts. If Yamaha can make killer receivers that last 15-20 years, it should be no different with tvs and if I had to dish out cash on a bet, I would be all in on Panasonic. I can’t wait to see their 2016 lineup at CES in Las Vegas next month. Wether it’s the 2015 cx850 (U.S. Model#) or one that’s as good, if not better in their 2016 lineup,, like an affordable version of the cz950 OLED, my next TV will most definitely be a Panny. And yes, I will pay a couple hundred extra for 5 years of peace of mind warranty, as should anyone who invests $3000-$5000 on sensitive electronics. All it takes is one person on the production line to be having an off day so paying 5-10% extra for insurance against that is a no brainer. Sorry for the rant. It’s been building for awhile!
Just to Iterate WiserOnes rhetoric and agenda is on a few AV websites and in general buying public should be advised of this. Someone with an issue with a rival should not be allowed to post such nonsense so easily just to smear one manufacturer and plug the other… This post is all over DisQus and incl. Flatpanels HD.
How can such advice be left floating around is beyond comprehension.
In 2016 a £8k OLED non-HDR capable is the best TV on the market?
It was an LG curved bulk panel sale to Panasonic that had Panasonic’s processing just about stopping it from being one of the biggest wastes of money ever in a high-end TV.
As promised from DisQus and FlatpanelsHD:
Ron Nemeth >johnj259 • a month ago
Too bad for Sony that longevity trumps innovation and that is their Achilles heel. They can put all the latest techno gadets they want in their TVs, if the panels turn into 65″ red lava lamps or get blue streaks that look like dripping paint going from top to bottom within 24-48 months, their once loyal customers are going to to companies like PANASONIC, a company that is making a serious effort to impress. There are numerous websites filled with thousands upon thousands of Sony customers with defective TV’s and even worse, terrible customer support.
If you want a $3000-$5000 paperweight, go right ahead and buy a Sony. I’m spending my next $4800 on the PANASONIC 65″ DX900. If that model isn’t available soon, their flagship 2015 model, the CX850 which is 4K, HDR and 3D is now widely available for $2900 for the 65″ and only $1900 for the 55″. Much better options then any other brand. Their CZ950 OLED while pricey, is absolutly stunning and is the best TV money can buy and with Mike Sowa on board doing the fine tuning for PANASONIC, every other TV maker has no choice but to play catch up.
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This is being posted on main AV websites about Sony, LG and Samsung. We all realise Panasonic are also a great TV co but this agenda based propaganda is wrong. Regards.