A Sharp And Detailed Picture Panasonic TX-40DX700B

FOR Detailed picture; HDR support; smart design.

AGAINST HDR could be more convincing; screen is too dark.

The Panasonic TX-40DX700B’s little sibling, the DX600, first convinced us that 4K on a 40in screen makes sense with the right set. In fact, so convinced were we that, despite its four-star verdict, we gave it an Award at its screen size.

This set has a few added extras up its sleeve to tempt the upgrade though, not least HDR support. Can this addition give it the bump it needs for that fifth star?

The TX-40DX700 offers a decent enough build – sturdy, with a slim silver bezel, even though it doesn’t have the slimmest of profiles. Two metal feet sit at either edge and unlike the larger screen sizes in this range, don’t offer the “Switch Design” flexibility that allow you to move them to a more central position.

They face inwards which seems odd – so much so it makes us think we’ve fitted them wrongly at first – but they let you squeeze the DX700 on to a smaller rack.

Around the back you’ll find three HDMI inputs, two of which are HDCP 2.2 certified, three USBs, an optical input and a shared composite/component video input.

No premium badge

There’s ethernet or wi-fi to get you online, and indulge in hours of web related content consumption.

For its main interface, Panasonic continues its collaboration with Mozilla Firefox OS, which remains one of the more intuitive systems we’ve come across, and also the most simple.

With Netflix and Amazon among others available here – and support for both in 4K HDR - Panasonic’s on-demand service is one of the most complete  currently available.

We particularly enjoy the ability to pin various bits of content – whether it’s in an app, web page or favourite channel – to the home screen for easy access.