'You need more than great panels to build a great TV

Steve May hears how widespread adoption of 'OLED.EX' panels and new gaming technologies will define Panasonic's 2022 TV range, while its flagship LZ2000 TV ups the audio ante

- Steve May

PANASONIC IS BANKING big on OLED.EX, the new higher-brightness OLED panel technology from supplier LG Display. All of the Japanese company's 2022 OLED sets sport the new glass, including the 42in models it hopes will fly off the shelves. Rival QD OLED technology, as championed by Samsung and Sony, isn't getting a look in.

On the evidence of the models previewed at the brand's 2022 showcase (the sets should be arriving at retailers by the time you read this), its confidence in OLED.EX is well placed. The TVs, from range-topper down, look impressive.

Custom engineering

After Panasonic's plans to develop its own OLED panels, first announced in 2012, were quickly scrapped, it became an early pioneer of customising OLED technology. Back in 2017, it introduced a 3D LUT to combat crushed blacks; this enabled a smoother transition from pure black to near-black, restoring detail previously lost in dark image areas. Then, in 2019, it innovated with the first heat management system, creating extra headroom for picture brightness.

Panasonic marketing guru Paul Williams says that work has continued apace. 'You need more than great panels to build a great TV,' he says. 'You also need the module and SoC [System on a Chip] to work in perfect harmony. All three are equally important. Our factory is now using a very sophisticated camera that allows us to carry out pixel-by-pixel uniformity compensation to make sure we're getting the most out of our panels.'

To ensure colour accuracy, the sets continue to be tuned by long-time collaborator and award-winning Hollywood colourist, Stefan Sonnenfeld.

'Our goal,' says Williams, 'is simple: to bring enhanced OLED performance even to our core OLED models.'

Expanded lineup