exam with features, prices and specifications

This Panasonic TV has arrived on the market with a very clear objective: to measure face to face high-end OLED models from brands such as LG, Sony or Philips. Interestingly, the panels with organic diodes those who use these four brands (and some others that I have not mentioned) are manufactured by LG Display, the subsidiary of LG specialized in the development of panels.

Given the circumstances, it seems reasonable to think that if the OLED TVs from these manufacturers use very similar or even identical panels, their image quality should be very similar. But in reality, this is not the case. And that's not because each of them implements its own processing technology and calibrates its televisions with a different visual finish. And these two elements can make a difference. In fact, these are the two features that can help this Panasonic OLED TV stand out from its competitors. I propose that we discover together whether it is "simply" a more OLED television or whether it is really worth taking it into account.

Panasonic TX-65FZ950: technical specifications

The heart of this Panasonic TV is its 10-bit OLED display, which, according to the Japanese brand, can reach brightness peaks of up to 1,000 nits. This feature is precisely what makes it compatible with the specifications HDR10 and HDR10 + (This allows the TV to adjust the lighting of each sequence when playing back content using dynamic metadata).

However, as I have advanced you in the introduction of this article, the performance of the panel is clearly conditioned by Image processing and calibration during reproduction, it is therefore interesting to delve into these characteristics. We will do it a little later, in the section devoted to image quality.

A very interesting feature of this TV is that it integrates the voice assistants Alexa, Amazon, and Assistant, Google, so we can use them to perform tasks. some basic functions, how to change the volume, turn on the TV or turn it off, change channels, etc.

Panasonic's experience of allowing us to control this TV with our voice is similar to that offered by Android-powered smartphones or smart speakers from Amazon and Google, with whom you should be able to communicate without problems, provided that all devices ecosystems are connected to the same home network.

This TV has a sound bar with four speakers and a total power of 80 watts, the sound was set by Technics.

Although we are looking into what this offers us later, I think it's a good time for you to anticipate that next to this TV, the Japanese brand includes a sound bar equalized by Technics, a company belonging to the Matsushita business group, which is the same one that owns the Panasonic brand property.

What is interesting is that Technics is a company specializing in high-level audio that seems to have recovered the form after putting on the market since its return in 2014, several products very well received by fans, as per example the seventh revision. we do not include special editions of its famous SL-1200 direct drive hub. In the section devoted to the sound quality of this analysis, we will see if you notice the hand of Technics in the audio of this television. Or if, on the contrary, it is not a differential characteristic.

As for connectivity, users have the right to require that all HDMI inputs from a high-end TV costing 4,000 euros implement the 2.0 specification. And, rightly, the four inputs of this model (it has two side connectors and two back) are HDMI 2.0. Nowadays, this feature may seem basic, but it is surprising that many TVs still include one or two HDMI 1.4 ports, which are much more limited.

Nevertheless, in this area, Panasonic did not do its homework well. And while we can send 4K UHD signals at 50 and 60 Hz to the four HDMI ports of this TV, only ports 1 and 2 support color coding. 4: 4: 4 and 4: 2: 2, which are the ones that offer the least compression, and therefore the highest quality. If we use HDMI 3 and 4 inputs, the clever color coding is 4: 2: 0, which has a lower quality than the previous ones. This is nothing dramatic, but it is something that is usually of interest to image geeks. In any case, it is good to keep in mind that not all HDMI ports are the same.

In addition to the HDMI connections I just talked about, this TV has three USB ports (two of the 2.0 type and the other 3.0) we can both use to connect hard drives or other devices to power devices with low power consumption, such as consoles in Nintendo or Sony mini format. It also has the corresponding Ethernet jack, two slots for the 1.4 CI cards (Common Interface) and an additional slot for reading SD cards, among other connections.

PANASONIC TX-65FZ950	Characteristics
PANEL TECHNOLOGY	OLED (10 bits) / Ultra Bright Panel
CUT	65 inches
Resolution	4K UHD (3,840 x 2,160 points)
HDR CERTIFICATIONS	HDR10, HDR10 + and HLG (maximum brightness of 1,000 nits)
IMAGE PROCESSOR	Panasonic HCX (Hollywood Cinema Experience 4 cores)
THX CERTIFICATION	Yes
ISF CALIBRATION MODE	Yes
DIGITAL TUNER	DVB-T / T2 / DVB-S2 / DVB-C
The sound	Integrated bar with a total power of 80 watts (20 watts x 2 + 20 watts x 2)
COMPATIBILITY WITH VOICE ASSISTANTS	Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant
TRIPLE HD TUNER	Yes
OPERATIVE SYSTEM	Panasonic My Home Screen 3.0 / Panasonic Media Center
DLNA	Yes (DTCP-IP / DMP / DMR / DMS)
BLUETOOTH	Yes (keyboard / mouse / audio device)
VIDEO FORMATS SUPPORTED	AVCHD / Progressive, AVI / HEVC / MKV / WMV / MP4 / M4v / FLV / 3GPP / VRO / VOB / TS / PS, MP3 / AAC / WMA Pro / FLAC / Apple Lossless / WAV and JPEG
HDMI CONNECTIONS	4 x HDMI 2.0 (2 sides and 2 at the back) with HDCP 2.2
USB	3 (2 x USB 2.0 and 1 x USB 3.0)
ADDITIONAL CONNECTIONS	1 x RJ-45, 2x CI Plus 1.4, 1x SD Card Slot, 1x Component / Composite Video Input, 1x EIAJ / TosLink Audio Output and 1x Headphone Output
ENERGY LABEL	Class a
DIMENSIONS	1.449 x 909 x 330 mm (with stand)
WEIGHT	36 kg (with support)
PRICE	€ 3,999

Design and user experience: fluidity is one of the strengths of this TV

If you look at the photos illustrating this article, you will find that the design of this Panasonic TV is consistent with what we can expect from a high-end model: their frames are thin, the base is stylized and the sound bar included in the packaging harmonizes well with the aesthetics of the television.

Behind, like most TVs from major brands of consumer electronics, it's not so attractive as before, something should not be a problem if we place it near a wall. Interestingly, the manufacturer behind the aesthetics of the rear panel of their televisions is Bang & Olufsen, but it is also one of the most expensive brands on the market.

In the picture you have under these lines, you can guess how close the OLED panel of this TV is. In fact, the upper third of the device has a thickness of only about 5 mm because the electronics are in the lower part, which is noticeably thicker, although that does not seem to me at all exaggerated (it has a depth of 62 mm if we do not take into account the support).

The back panel of the TV is made of a polycarbonate of some quality (the polycarbonate is an industrial polymer used to produce plastics), but the frame surrounding the panel it's metallicwhich, in addition to protecting it from accidental knocks, makes it more attractive from an aesthetic point of view.

The antenna jack, several HDMI inputs, some of the USB ports and other connections are located on the far right of the back panel (if you are watching TV from the back), but they are not visible because they're hidden by a large plastic cover. I do not think that it is a bad idea to use this protection because it hides the connections and a part of the cable length, but if we use several HDMI and USB interfaces at the same time, especially if the first ones are of high quality and include an important section, we could see each other. forced to do without the cover so as not to force the cables with a fold too pronounced.

Let's move on to what is undoubtedly one of the virtues of this television: fluidity with which it allows us to navigate the interface and run applications. The high-end OLED model introduced by Panasonic last year, the TX-EZ950E, surprised us when we analyzed it for the agility with which it runs My Home Screen 2.0, the system of Derived from Firefox OS implemented by the engineers of this brand

The model we are analyzing incorporates My Home Screen 3.0, the latest version of the operating system that Panasonic has adapted for its TVs. The good news is that it continues to work very well, a quality that allows this TV to offer us a more satisfying experience the one that offers most TVs with Android TV, which is a heavier software solution.

My Home Screen 3.0, which is the operating system derived from Firefox OS of this TV, is faster than Android TV, but also generates less results than Tizen OS, Samsung's TV operating system. .

But unfortunately, not all are good news. My Home Screen 3.0 is a lightweight software layer, but it's also more spartan and less attractive From a visual point of view, the interfaces of TVs of other brands, such as, for example, those of Samsung, which have an interface with a sophisticated design and more efficient.

What seems to me to be a success is the inclusion of a second remote next to the main control, which is equipped with a small touch screen which facilitates a lot of navigation in the applications and options of the interface. It has far fewer buttons than the main remote, but even so, we will not miss any important option when we use it daily. In fact, it is the remote control that I used the most during the hours I spent analyzing this TV.

Another option for interacting with this TV that we have at our disposal is voice control, which works and does it very well. Nevertheless, in practice, this solution seems to me slower than the control by the remote control, especially if we use the reduced command that you can see in the image that you have above these lines. However, that does not mean at all that the integration of Alexa and Google Assistant on this TV does not seem like a good idea. Have these assistants it's a benefit, but its true value comes from remote manipulation of the TV or its interaction with other devices, and not so much, in my opinion, during a conventional use.

Image quality: it is one of the best calibrated OLED models from the factory

To test the picture quality of this Panasonic TV, I turned to my usual movie drums: "The Arrival", "The Revival" and "Blade Runner 2049", all in 1080p (Blu-ray). ray Disc) and 4K Ultra HD (4K Blu-ray), as well as the first two on DVD to test the sizing algorithm. These bands are distinguished by their great photography and high quality of image. During the colorimetry, contrast and brightness tests, I also used the White Screen Page and Lagom LCD Test tools.

From a global perspective, this TV gives us the picture quality that we can expect to find in a high-end OLED device: deep blacks, a level of detail in fantastic dark areas, and a wide and reliable colorimetry. In addition, in the section in which other OLED TVs are insufficient, especially if we compare them to the most advanced LED LCD solutions, which is none other than the provision of high brightness peaks, this model is performing. And is it reaches heights of 1000 nits, which allows you to play content compatible with the HDR10 + specification.

The second sequence of "The Reborn", in which Leonardo DiCaprio crosses a swampy area within a forest that allows us to see the sun shining between two treetops. The extraordinary photography of Emmanuel Lubezki looks great on this TV. Of course, the good performance of the HDR is based not only on the brightness capacity of the OLED panel, but especially on in the depths of the blacks, which are as intense as we can require from a panel that uses this technology.

All this is very good, but we have seen it on other OLED TVs. What really makes this Panasonic model different and allows it to outperform many of its competitors is its excellent calibration of the factory. The Japanese brand boasts of having appealed to professionals in the digital mastering industry for film and television in order to get their TVs, and it's the most sophisticated ever, to recreate the images of the film in the most respectful way possible. with the original vision of the filmmakers (especially the director of the film and the director of photography, who have the last word in terms of visual style).

Leaving aside the arguments of marketing used by Panasonic to watch your TV, the fact is that the default calibration is excellent. THX Cinema is the most compelling image mode for a reason: it offers us a very cinematic aesthetic, with colors that are not excessively saturated, it looks incredibly good when the film's photography accompanies, which happens in the three titles I mentioned at the beginning of this section.

However, the merit lies not only in the careful calibration done by Panasonic, but also in effective image processing which runs the HCX processor of this TV. In all honesty, it's the only TV to date with which I have not been forced to manipulate either image settings or processing algorithms in order to adapt their performance to my preferences. With more days of use, I may have decided to slightly adjust some parameters, but I assure you that this TV is spectacular, because we have taken out of its packaging.

In terms of resizing, this TV is in the same category as the high-end models of Sony, LG or Samsung, among other brands. Scaling from 1080p, especially if the source disk is a Blu-ray disc, is very accurate, so much so that we can sometimes believe that we are seeing native 4K content. However, when the TV resizes a video source with a standard resolution or 720p, the result is far from convincing. And it makes sense that it be so because the algorithm of scaling has a lot less information when you have to take up the challenge of assigning a specific color to each of the pixels that are not part of the source of origin.

One last note before concluding this section: on the photo you have below these lines, you can see what are the Predefined image modes with which this television has. Of course, users can manipulate them and create their own custom mode, but on a TV with a calibration as well tuned, it is far from necessary that we invest our time in these settings. If you do it with him, I actually suggest you spend a little time on the available modes so you can choose the ones that best fit your preferences.

It's the experience that he offers us with the games

All that I have defended with regard to the picture quality of this television when we use it to reproduce cinematographic content is perfectly applicable to video games. Its natural contrast, its level of detail in the dark areas, its dynamic range and its colorimetry give the games an appearance of a thousand wonders. We connect it to our Xbox One X and titles like "Gears of War 4" or "Forza Horizon 4", this TV leaves you petrified.

Regardless of image quality, one of the benefits of OLED TVs when we play them in front of LED LCD models is that response time OLED panels are virtually imperceptible. In fact, they are even faster than TN LCDs used in some monitors for Thu (Many OLED panels manufactured by LG Display have a response time of about 0.1 ms).

Of course, if we want your input latency to be reduced, it is essential to activate the "Game" mode, which disables much of the image processing. When you do, the latency is set at both 1080p and 4K UHD resolution between 20 and 25 ms, a figure that is really good when compared to OLED TVs of other brands, which are typically well above 30ms, but not as attractive as the 15-20ms of latency around which QLED TVs orbit more Samsung advanced.

Playing with this Panasonic TV is a real joy. The only disadvantage that I can put in this area, and more than one disadvantage, is a reasonable doubt, stems from the possibility that in the long run there will be permanent retention in the panel caused by the static elements of video game images. OLED TV makers say it's a problem they've controlled and that their algorithms are effectively preventing, but it makes sense to put that doubt on the table. If you are curious and want to know what techniques they use to avoid image retention, you can read the article in which we explain it in detail.

Sound quality: Panasonic did his homework

The sleek chassis of modern OLED and LCD LED TVs does not provide much joy in terms of sound. To reproduce mid and high frequencies, we do not need very large diaphragm speakers and it is not necessary to apply pressure to large volumes of air. But some blunt and percussive basses require a woofer with a respectable diameter and able to move a lot of air. Next to this Panasonic TV includes a soundbar designed specifically to offer us a set with an attractive visual finish that, I must confess, has pleasantly surprised me.

And this bar sounds really good. It reproduces medium and high frequencies with a high level of detail, has a convincing dynamic and was able, during our tests, to fill the room with its more than 40 square meters in which I analyzed this television. Without a doubt, this is a good cover letter. But as expected, his performances are not as convincing in the face of extreme extreme breeding.

To reproduce a bass with extension and collage, it is essential that the diaphragm of the woofer apply pressure on a large volume of air, and the obvious physical limitations imposed by the size of the sound bar prevent it. Users who wish to obtain a serious sound, plethoric or multichannel, will be obliged to bet on dedicated audio equipment. But everyone is likely to be satisfied with the sound offered by the bar that accompanies this TV.

As I had anticipated in the first paragraphs of this analysis, Panasonic has turned to Technics engineers to tweak the sound of this TV. And it looks like the maneuver went smoothly, as its overall performance in this section is superior to other OLED and high-end LED LCD TVs that I've had the opportunity to try . Still, I think it would have been a good idea for a model at 4,000 euros also include a subwoofer able to play without flinching the extreme end of the frequency spectrum.

One last note to wrap up this section of the article: from the "Sound" section of the TV's settings menu, we can act on audio equalization to adapt it to our liking. It is useful to give energy to the bass, although the ideal is to adjust this parameter according to the proximity of the TV with the back wall. If the wall is very close, we will not need to insist too much on the bass, and if it is far, we can give more energy to these frequencies. In any case, no matter how much "cane" is given to the bass from the settings menu, we will not achieve a performance comparable to that of a subwoofer. And it is better that we do not propagate because, otherwise, the distortion could be increased significantly.

Panasonic TX-65FZ950: Xataka's review and rating

This OLED TV is one of those that goes to the bottom of things. As we have seen throughout the article, it has a neat design in its favor, a sound superior to that of many of its competitors and most importantly Outstanding overall image quality. But the thing that allows you to watch some high-end models from other brands is its precise calibration in the factory, which is largely responsible for the superb quality of its images.

I've also left a good taste in the fluidity with which it moves the interface and runs the applications, though, as I explained a few paragraphs above, with respect to its My design Home Screen 3.0 I like it less other competing options, such as, for example, Tizen OS, the operating system used by Samsung in their TVs.

The best of this TV? The fluidity with which the operating system works, its good care and, above all, the calibrated good that comes out of the factory

A lack that I can not ignore in a product of its price is the lack of compatibility with the standard Dolby Vision, which currently. we offer the most spectacular HDRand with which TVs in the same segment count, for example LG and Sony. However, these two "flaws" do not tarnish the good work done by Panasonic in the development of this model. In my opinion, this is one of the best high-end OLED TVs on the market today. Therefore, if it fits into our budget, it is worth taking into account.

The equipment has been assigned to testing by Panasonic. You can consult our policy of relations with companies

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