Your thoughts on Panasonic LCD TV's?

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BlueHorizon87

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#274470 23-Aug-2020 19:29

I'm looking specifically at the Panasonic TH-50HX700Z which is currently on sale for $1400 at several retailers here in New Zealand. Can anyone vouch for this TV, or Panasonic 4k LCD's in general? If it's no good, which 4k TV within the 45-55 inch range would you recommend, and why? Cheers!

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#2548495 24-Aug-2020 08:39

Welcome, new person.

First thing, you are in the wrong forum; stuff like this typically goes in the home theater forum. I would check out the most recent pages of this thread here to see what's happening in the TV space at the mo.

For that TV, they do an alright job at the right price, but the picture quality is firmly "meh". I'm not a fan of any of Panasonic's LCD range to be honest though. It's definitely over-priced currently though, given the 2019 model could be had for <$1k. Especially when their oft-recommended 55" OLED model is going for just north of $2k.

That is par for the course at the moment though, since the 2020 models have only just been released and are at the peak of their pricing cycle. Prices will start coming down the closer we get to Black Friday/Boxing Day.

What do you use your TV for? Gaming, movies, TV shows etc

How do you consume content? Streaming TV apps, over-the-air broadcast, external boxes etc

Do you need any fancy features? Chromecast, Airplay etc

And most importantly, what is your budget?

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BlueHorizon87

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#2548504 24-Aug-2020 09:02

Thanks for letting me know, I will try post in the right place next time, rookie mistake ;).

I use my TV for mostly gaming (PS4) so input lag is important especially for the upcoming PS5, but I also use Kodi a lot to watch my movies stored on a HD, my Sony has Kodi. I occasionally watch YouTube, and Netflix. Dolby Vision/Atmos is quite important to me also, which does rule Samsung's out. Having said that, it isn't crucial, but would be nice to have since Netflix uses that standard. It needs to be 4K, and preferably have hdmi 2.1 for the upcoming PS5.

Unfortunately, I've got a small cabinet, and mounting to the wall isn't possible, so I am kinda limited to a TV that has a stand in the middle as opposed to the edge like TCL, Sony do otherwise it just won't fit. I could buy a new cabinet I suppose lol. Samsung, LG and Panasonic's have a stand in the middle on most TVs.

I am interested in LG Nano TV's, specifically the 91, or 86. The 91 is on special at $2,800 approx. I realize they are IPS panels though, so bad contrast, but they have the latest hdmi 2.1 spec which is a rarity at the moment.

Panasonic GZ1000 is the other one I am interested in, great price currently at $2,200, which is cheap for an OLED. No hdmi 2.1 though but excellent picture. But will I get a problem with burn in gaming on the Panasonic? What are your thoughts on the LG's, and would you have any other recommendations that suits my needs? Thank you very much for your help it's really appreciated!

ShinyChrome

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#2548517 24-Aug-2020 09:34

Someone that has done their homework, noice... And don't worry about the forum thing, hopefully a mod can shift it.

Avoid that Panasonic like the plague then, it's a crappy 60hz IPS frame/edge lit panel, like the rest of their LCD range. Fine for your grandma, not so much for you.

Burn-in is an all-but-solved problem on the most recent OLED TVs; unless you are playing hundreds of hours of the same game/other static content, I wouldn't worry about it. The superior picture quality is worth the remote risk IMO, and most OEMs have generous warranties around burn-in to boot. There is still issues with temporary image retention, but typically goes away after some time/ running the pixel refresher.

If you are getting a PS5, the lack of HDMI 2.1 features might be a turn-off for the GZ1000 though. The big killer will be VRR, since I suspect we won't see many games doing 4k HDR at 120fps, outside of battle-royale style shooters; honestly, if most can keep a stable 4k HDR @ 60fps, I'll see that as an absolute win. ALLM and QMS are convenience features, really. Up to you if the trade-off is worth it for the price.

The NanoCell TV's are an interesting one: on one hand, HDMI 2.1 in a good quality TV; on the other, as you already are aware, IPS panels and terrible local dimming. So bad for HDR/dark content, but fine for brightly lit SDR content and games where you aren't concerned about the beautiful scenery. I guess that is gonna be over to you about how much the PQ bothers you; for what it's worth, I own one of its predecessors and it's hot garbage for watching movies. Local dimming is flashlights firing across the screen and all blacks are actually very grey. Never again.

The Nano91 might be better in that regard with a FALD backlight, but for $2800 though, I would wait until the 55" LG CX or BX TVs are getting closer to the $3k-and-under mark (hopefully Black Friday, the economy permitting) if you can, they are true BFGDs. Or if we ever get 48" versions here.

I don't know how Kodi gets on with onboard apps on non-Android TV OSes though, since I exclusively use a Nvidia Shield for my streaming. Hopefully someone else can chime in with that. For what it's worth, I would look into a streaming box like the Shield if you are getting a non-Android TV; TV OS support is mostly a dumpster fire.

Another option is the Sony X9000H series that should hopefully be making it's way here soon, which would make sense with using Kodi too.

BlueHorizon87

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#2548573 24-Aug-2020 11:07

That's great to hear about OLED tech not having as many issues with burn in. I'll certainly consider the Panasonic since it's so darn cheap for an OLED, but yes, the lack of hdmi 2.1 is slightly off putting, but not a deal breaker. Tbf, most TVs don't have that technology other than LGs.

I know your thoughts on IPS LCDs in general, but I'll just ask you about the LG Nano 91 which is the top of the range LG model. The 91 is a Full Array panel (I think), so should not suffer with poor contrast as bad as the lower end LCD's. Do you know anything about this TV, and whether it's any better than edgelit LCDs?

The LG BX and CX are actually the TVs I wanted, since they have excellent picture, but also full spec hdmi 2.1 as well! Unfortunately though, my Sony Android TV died last night, so I'm after a TV ASAP, before the weekend comes, otherwise yes, I absolutely would of waited for the CX to come down in price since that is one of the best TVs you can buy. Unfortunate timing really!

I think it really comes down to the Panasonic OLED which ticks the picture box, or the LG Nano 91 for full spec hdmi 2.1. Both TVs have Dolby Vision/Atmos support. I just don't know whether the Full Array Backlighting on the 91 makes it an improvement over the cheaper Nano panels which are only edgelit. If it does then I will absolutely be interested in the LG over the Panasonic to get hdmi 2.1 which would future proof my TV.

The Sony you mentioned would be great, but since I need a TV by the weekend it rules it out.

As for the Nvidia Shield you mentioned, it's a great piece of tech, highly regarded, so I could buy one to be able to use Kodi on a none Android TV. Alternatively I buy a new modem with a USB 3 port, and use the modem as a NAS drive to 'stream' my movies locally.

ShinyChrome

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#2548645 24-Aug-2020 11:42

That sucks about the broken TV; these things rarely come at convenient times!

That's the tough one, but reading a few reviews of the 2019 LG SM9000 that I believe the Nano91 is the successor to, it sounds like the FALD backlight doesn't actually help a whole bunch. Not to say its not a good TV for general use, but I believe it will suffer greatly for HDR content, or anything making use of contrast for effect. The outdoor battle in the GOT episode "The Long Night" (S8E3) sucked big time for me 😱

Unfortunately you just can't mitigate the inherent characteristics of IPS panels, the low contrast, the grey blacks... I have an LG ultrawide IPS monitor for my home office and it is great for general productivity tasks, so they have their place really. I was even thinking of turning my current 55" TV into a computer monitor when I replace it haha.

TBF, I don't think we are going to fully realize high frame rate 4k content for a few years yet, and certainly I would be surprised if many next-gen games are going >60fps. For cinematic story-driven games, I can see them focused on a stable 4k60 with a greater focus on eye-candy like HDR and ray-tracing. Racing or shooters might be a different story, so YMMV depending on your tastes. VRR is good to have, but really I would imagine you would only maybe notice side-by-side with another VRR capable TV in some situations. So maybe the lack of HDMI 2.1 is not such a big deal?

I don't doubt for a second that games are the only real use case for 4k HFR content though, so if you are doing 50/50 games/movies, PQ is more important I reckon and nothing beats OLED panels currently. Personally, I would take the beautiful OLED panel of the Panasonic GZ1000. You deserve better. I'd buy one myself if I wasn't fixed on getting at least a 65" panel for my space.

The other thing worth mentioning with OLEDs is the issues with brightness and light reflection, so I'd only use in a room with good light control.

BlueHorizon87

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#2548668 24-Aug-2020 12:02

Yeah it's a tough decision, because I do use my TV just as much for gaming as for watching movies.

I agree with you regarding hdmi 2.1 not being a huge issue currently, but it would be nice to have. However, you mentioned racing games, and funnily enough, Gran Turismo 7 is what excites me most about next gen games. I've played every GT game since the PS1 came out back in the 90's!... So that complicates things a bit lol since it would be very nice to see GT running at 120fps. Again, not needed, but it sure would be nice!

I might call up Harvey Norman to see if they can knock any more money off the LG Nano 91, which would make the decision to get that future proofed LG a bit easier. I've always had cheap LCD TVs so tbf I'm sure the LG Nano 91 would look pretty darn good to a pleb like me lol. If they can't, and I don't think they will, I think that cheap price of that OLED Panasonic which is about $2,200 at JB Hi-Fi is absolutely the way to go!

Thanks so much, you've been incredibly helpful! I really appreciate it! This is why I joined this forum, and I'll sure be sticking around to learn more about tech from you guys, and also to help others like myself in future. Cheers!

ShinyChrome

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#2548861 24-Aug-2020 16:07

Fair enough, GT5 does look awful puuuuuurrrrtttyyyyyyy and I can imagine even more so at >60fps. Hopefully they do the same thing with the next Forza.

Even new, they will still have massive margins on them, so don't be afraid to push them a bit.

I feel ya on the relativity of PQ difference; I complain about my TV, but really it's not bad most of the time. One of my many faults is being intolerant of the less-than-perfect options when it comes to tech haha.

It doesn't help that we don't have all the good mid-range LCD options here too; Hisense (No HDMI 2.1 though), Vizio, TCL's good range (the 2020 PQX series has a next-level up-to-792 LD zones). Even better, Vizio's OLED range is a genuine LG BX/CX competitor. We also have a fair amount of "NZ tax" applied to our prices as well... people in the US complaining that $3500 USD is too expensive for their 77" CXs...

Good to have you on-board; feel free to introduce yourself in the appropriate forum and get to the sh*t-posting like most of us.

ShinyChrome

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#2549222 25-Aug-2020 08:49

I came across a review of the LG Nano90 (the 91 looks like it has a different stand) while I was browsing rtings.com this morning, don't know how I missed it the first time. Funnily enough, they rate it as performing only slightly better, or in some areas ever-so-slightly worse, than the Nano85.

It's a shame that the Samsung Q80T is priced almost as high as the LG BX; it would have been a good option for you if it was priced sub $3k, since it certainly has nothing on OLED.

BlueHorizon87

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#2549255 25-Aug-2020 10:25

Yeah I noticed that review, and was a bit disappointed. But then I read one from tech radar and they admitted it wasn't perfect, but said it was the best LCD LG have made. Mixed reviews really.

I also read user reviews on Australian websites and they were all positive, so in the end, it pushed me into purchasing the LG. I think overall it was HDMI 2.1 that really pushed me in that direction, however, I'm doubting my purchase now if I'm honest with you.

I bargained Harvey Norman down to $2500 on the phone, which I was stoked about, since it's on sale for over $2800, but when I called back later in the day to say I was coming to pick it up, and to check that it was still there, she apologized and admitted she made a mistake. The lowest she could do was $1700. So jumped in the van, went to pick the Panasonic up, but changed my mind at the last minute! I paid the $2700, still below sale price.

The TV's blacks are quite impressive for an LCD screen. The full array panel makes a big difference. However there was still blooming on the TV around objects. So I changed the gamma settings, and turned up the local dimming to high, which made a huge difference. For an LCD, it's not bad at all. But, when playing a 4K test video on YouTube, I notice a tremendous amount of noise in the picture. It's hard to know if it's my TV or bad compression on the test video. I've posted the link below, if you have time later it would awesome if you could try it on your TV to isolate whether it's an issue with the video, or my TV. It's at the 2 minute and 30 second mark that the noise appears covering most of the screen. It's when the title 'This is Dolby Cinema' pops up.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3VZFpwlXKpg&list=PLcU1S6mSrmg6rsvc7gWPz44f_aioAWsl7&index=1

Hopefully the issue is on the video, but just in case it is on my TV do you think I would have any chance at taking the TV back?

Hopefully i don't need to, I'll test it again after work today, and have another look.

I do think the blacks are pretty good for an LCD though, not bad at all actually. The magic remote is fantastic, and so is Web OS!

I think I'm just having doubts because I feel as though i bought the TV just for HDMI 2.1, and feel silly purchasing it for that reason over an OLED TV that actually has incredible reviews. The guy at Harvey Norman told me the apps on Panasonic was rubbish, that also had an effect on my decision. Harvey Norman actually had the Panasonic there, but it was a display only model which I didn't want. It was a lot of money for me also. My last TV was $1000! When she backtracked on that $1500 offer when I initially called them I should of probably backed away... Oh well, hind sight is a wonderful thing!

I'll test it again tonight now I've adjusted the picture settings on it, and I will let you know how it goes! :) If you could test your TV with that YouTube video i would be really grateful, but if not that's all good, but it would just confirm to me whether it's my TV or the video. Thanks again!

frankv

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#2549427 25-Aug-2020 13:23

I have a Panasonic of a couple of years ago -- maybe it doesn't apply to the model you're looking at. But it's a bit of a pain, tbh.

There are virtually no useful apps on it (Netflix, Firefox and YouTube are the only ones that spring to mind). No TV on demand, unless you go through the horrendous onscreen keyboard with the remote thing. Samsung Smart Things does work to screencast to the TV, but in a non-obvious way.

shk292

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#2549432 25-Aug-2020 13:39

The new Panasonic apps are fine (I was a bit dubious about Panasonic apps due to some older items I have). There is a dedicated Netflix button, and an easy menu to access all the others - TVNZ, Youtube, Plex etc etc. I can't think of any obviously missing ones. They are very quick to load and run. This is on a tx-55gz1000

frankv

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#2549573 25-Aug-2020 16:14

shk292:

There is a dedicated Netflix button, and an easy menu to access all the others - TVNZ, Youtube, Plex etc etc.

How did you get the TVNZ one?

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#2549707 26-Aug-2020 05:48

frankv:

shk292:

There is a dedicated Netflix button, and an easy menu to access all the others - TVNZ, Youtube, Plex etc etc.

How did you get the TVNZ one?

@frankv: I have the 65” version of shk292’s TV, and the TVNZ app came preinstalled on this. Coincidentally, though, I was searching for a list of available apps the other day and came across a page on the Panasonic website that should help you:

https://www.panasonic.com/nz/consumer/televisions/televisions-learn/how-to-use-smart-features/let-s-welcome-the-tvnz-app-to-panasonic-smart-tvs.html

(And I agree the apps on the newish Panasonics are fine, as is the interface; it and they just work without any fanfare, which is all I want.)

ShinyChrome

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#2549827 26-Aug-2020 09:41

BlueHorizon87:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3VZFpwlXKpg&list=PLcU1S6mSrmg6rsvc7gWPz44f_aioAWsl7&index=1

I tried that video on both the LG's onboard YouTube app and the Shield app, and it seemed to have a little bit of compression artifacts going on around the 2m:30s mark, as well as a few other points. I'd say it is just low-bitrate video noise. Post up a picture of it if you are really concerned.

If you want something to test drive it, I would try these clips from Ang Lee's Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk and Gemini Man. They are shot in 60fps, so they might be an acquired taste, but they seem to be high quality captures.

bfginger

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#2551023 27-Aug-2020 23:23

"Meh" is relative. Panasonics have had the best reliability of any brand since the mid 2000s. They do well at image processing and their interface is more straight forward. LCD gaming response times have been very good in recent years. In short they're well suited to what most people want.

There is little market for high end full array dimming VA panel LCD televisions remaining now OLEDs are available so there aren't too many affordable models to choose from there. Sony has transitioned some of their more expensive units to having a filter that makes their VA panels have about the same viewing angles and contrast ratio as Panasonic's better IPS models likely still can do. Go figure. Sony's IPSes have horrific contrast ratios. LG's past attempts at high end LCDs have been best forgotten. Samsung has long liked to overcharge for their better models. OLEDs remain horribly expensive to produce so all in all it's not a buyer's market.

I doubt the 50" HX700 has an IPS panel. The public likes IPS more than VA so Panasonic's marketing dept thinks they're a positive and usually boasts about it in the specs. The other HX700s have VAs. 40", 50" and 58" are usually VA while 43" and 49" are usually IPS.

Discounting usually starts in late November. Introductory time isn't the best time of year for pricing. Unfortunately as more people are buying junk like TCL and Veon the retailers are treating the likes of basic Panasonic and Sony as premium products which should see thicker margins.

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