Panasonic today announced the launch of its flagship OLED TV for 2021, the JZ2000, available in 65 and 55-inch sizes.
Thanks to their Hollywood tuning and superb colour accuracy Panasonic OLED TVs have always been the best choice for viewing films and high-quality TV series. What Panasonic has done with the JZ2000 is to also make it an excellent choice for gamers too because of its very low latency and support for HDMI2.1 variable refresh rate (VRR) and high frame rate (HFR).
Also, if you are the kind of person who dislikes having to fiddle with settings, the JZ2000 has you covered. It features a new processor which can use AI to identify what kind of content you are viewing and then auto-optimises the picture and sound so you can always enjoy the best experience without having to lift a finger.
The addition of side-firing speakers to Panasonic’s unique implementation of upward-firing speakers also delivers outstanding surround sound which enhances the experience of watching films, sport, or gaming. As the JZ2000 also features Panasonic’s custom modified OLED panel which delivers significantly better peak and average brightness levels, this is an outstanding one-box powerhouse.
Yasushi Murayama, Executive of Product Strategy for Panasonic’s Visual and Sound Business Unit, says: “The JZ2000 is a symbol of what we at Panasonic want to achieve. Building on the superb accuracy which makes Panasonic’s TVs ideal for watching films, we are further improving the experience in other areas such as gaming too. Through the use of AI, we want our viewers enjoy the best picture and sound settings automatically. Our aim is simply to support our customers to really, truly experience their favourite contents. Whether they are into films, games, sports, or something else, we want them to enjoy heightened visual and aural experiences which leave them feeling happy and satisfied.”
HCX PRO AI PROCESSOR & AUTO AI MODE
The JZ2000 will include a brand-new processor called the HCX Pro AI Processor – with the AI standing for Artificial Intelligence.
The new HCX Pro AI helps to deliver an optimum experience for users by accurately detecting what kind of content is being viewed: cinema, sports, music, talk, etc, and then automatically adjusts both picture quality and sound quality.
The HCX Pro AI processor is able to identify in real time the content being played, by analyzing the picture every second. Inside the AI processing enclave within the processor, it then compares what it is seeing against a library of various content which it has learned, in order to be able to automatically optimize both picture and sound quality for that type of content.
If it detects that you are watching football, for example, it adjusts the picture quality to make the grass more life-like, the players more realistic, whilst also automatically adjusting the sound to make it feel like you are right there inside stadium. On the other hand, if it detects that you are watching a film it dials in the most accurate colours and based on the knowhow Panasonic has learned though its long-term Hollywood collaborations, adjusts the picture quality to give a more cinematic experience which you expect of Panasonic.
The AI has been trained for an extended period of time using over a million different pieces of content to make it easier for the majority of our customers to enjoy all their favorite contents in the most optimized picture and sound settings, without them having to think too hard about it.
IMPROVEMENTS TO GAMING EXPERIENCE
Thanks to the power which the HCX Pro AI processor makes available, Panasonic have been able to further significantly reduce the latency when gaming. Latency (also known to as ‘input lag’) refers to the delay between pressing a button on a gaming controller such as a joystick and that action being displayed on screen. The JZ2000 reduces latency down to amongst the very lowest figures in the industry for an OLED TV. These latency reductions are not down to industry wide panel-side improvements, but are the result of significant engineering enhancements made by Panasonic.
This latency improvement is a key component of ‘Game Mode Extreme’ which will be featured on the JZ2000. Game Mode Extreme is composed of the following elements:
Game Mode Extreme will deliver a buttery-smooth gaming experience on the JZ2000, making it an ideal for professional and amateur gamers alike.
AUDIO IMPROVEMENTS
The JZ2000 also expands the boundaries of what is possible in an all-in-one package capable of delivering both amazing sound experience on top of the stunning picture quality.
The JZ2000 includes side-firing speakers in addition to upward firing speakers which were featured on the JZ2000’s predecessor. The total package, known as 360° Soundscape Pro, is capable of delivering Dolby Atmos immersive audio experiences. The multiple built-in upward-firing, side-firing, and front-firing speaker units produce a spatial soundstage with Dolby Atmos content.
The addition of more speakers means that the JZ2000 is able to pick out directional sounds better than ever before, giving viewers a real sense of immersion. If they are watching films, they will feel cinematic-level surround sound; if they are watching sports, they will get an even deeper feeling of being in a stadium. The JZ2000 delivers a powerful and dynamic output complemented by a powerful bass. The total sound system was developed with the support of engineers from Panasonic’s acclaimed audio brand, Technics, making it “Tuned by Technics”.
CUSTOM OLED PANEL
Like its predecessor, the JZ2000 features Panasonic’s proprietary Master HDR OLED Professional Edition panel, meaning that the JZ2000 OLED stands head and shoulders above all other OLEDs in the market when it comes to brightness.
The bespoke Master HDR OLED Professional Edition panel has been exclusively customised by Panasonic R&D engineers. This has resulted in even greater control of the parameters that affect picture quality. Compared to normal OLED TVs, the Master HDR OLED Professional Edition panel delivers higher peak and average brightness levels resulting in increased dynamic range, making HDR content on other OLED TVs look dim by comparison.
TUNED IN HOLLYWOOD AND FORMAT SUPPORT
The new JZ2000 OLED represents the combination of Panasonic’s technical accuracy made possible by Japanese knowhow and engineering with the colour-tuning skills of Stefan Sonnenfeld.
Stefan Sonnenfeld, Founder and CEO of Company 3, is a trusted collaborator of some of the world’s best filmmakers. Sonnenfeld is among a handful of leading artists who has championed the power of color grading to tell stories and communicate emotion. Described by NPR as a “da Vinci of the movies,” Sonnenfeld has applied his skills as a colourist to many of the most acclaimed and popular features of the past decade: A Star is Born, Wonder Woman, Man of Steel, Beauty and the Beast, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Jurassic World, 300 and many more. Like many other leading colourists, he uses Panasonic OLED screens as large-format client reference monitors in his daily workflow. Indeed, Panasonic’s OLED TVs are widely used in studios and post production houses.
The JZ2000 supports a very wide range of HDR formats, including Dolby Vision IQ, Dolby Vision, Filmmaker Mode, and HLG Photo, the still image format which brings still photography into the HDR world.
With regards to Filmmaker Mode, Panasonic has added its original “Intelligent Sensing” which dynamically adjusts the picture based on ambient light levels.
Dolby Vision IQ extends the benefits of Dolby Vision beyond HDR by intelligently optimising picture quality experiences for viewers regardless of ambient light or content type – all without consumers picking up their remote.
The JZ2000 also supports HDR10+ Adaptive feature which dynamically adapts HDR content to the room lighting conditions of the viewing area, maintaining creative intent in any condition whether dark or bright without any loss of detail or contrast.
MY HOME SCREEN 6.0 IMPROVEMENTS
The JZ2000 features the latest iteration of Panasonic’s highly evaluated smart TV OS, My Home Screen 6.0. The new version delivers considerable usability improvements.
my Scenery allows you to choose a selection of restful images and videos, or set your own, to reflect your mood or time of day. Perfect for mindfulness sessions or preparing for bed. In addition to photos from LUMIX CLUB which highlight the beauty of Japan, we also collaborated with LoungeV Studio (www.loungev.com) to provide you with the most beautiful videos to help you relax after a hard day’s work.
Dual Bluetooth Connection allows the TV to transmit sound to two separate Bluetooth devices simultaneously, meaning that, for example, both you and your spouse can listen to a film late at night via bluetooth headphones without disturbing your children’s sleep.
The menu interface has been improved to allow quick access to the most commonly used picture, sound, and other settings..
The JZ2000 also supports major voice services built-in, allowing users to operate some key TV functions using just their voice.