Panasonic TX-55EZR950 with OLED screen

The EZR950 line consists of Ultra HD 4K TVs from Panasonic, which will be available in two versions. This model with 55 diagonal TX-55EZR950 and 65-inch screen TX-65EZR950. For the British market, the designation of the series will be EZ952, for Europe EZ950. In Russia, the model is supposed to come out with the EZR950 label. The Panasonic EZR950 supports two HDR standards: HDR 10 and HLG (Hybrid Log-Gamma). Models are equipped with a traditional stand, a dual satellite receiver and a Freeview tuner. The operating system shell came out with an updated version of My Home Screen 2.0.

The overall design of the EZR950 highlights the ultra-thin panel of the TV, as you would expect for a modern OLED TV. You can say that the appearance is standard, but the subtle tiny frame around the screen is present. The back panel is made of black plastic and harmoniously emphasizes the elegance of the design. It seems that the new model EZR950 uses the finishing as in the previous plasma panels from Panasonic.

At least, the stand, located in the center of the screen, allows us to understand this and remember the "plasma". Nevertheless, this arrangement of the stand, according to the manufacturer, is very harmonious in terms of mechanical loads. The manufacturer emphasizes that with such a complete set of a new TV, it can be placed in any convenient place on a horizontal surface. In addition, the design provides the possibility of attaching the EZR950 to the wall via the VESA standard bracket.

Most interfaces are on the back left panel of the TV. This part of the body is covered with a decorative cover. The cover hides the wires well when connecting external devices to the TV. Agree that the neatly laid wires hidden by the panel will look good. A pair of side interfaces on the HDMI 2.0a standard when upgrading the software will "turn" into HDMI 2.1 (according to the promise of Panasonic).

The TV has three USB ports (two with an output to the rear and one on the side), a dual satellite and one Freeview HD tuner (not for all markets). In addition, we find a reader slot for SD memory cards and an interface for CI + conditional access cards. Both ports are accessible from the side of the TV. The side connectors are complemented with an interface for connecting headphones and a digital optical audio output system. There is also an Ethernet RJ-45 port. The Wi-Fi network interface is built into the TV.

The power cord does not disconnect from the TV set. The EZR950 comes with two remote controls. One of them is made as an intricate silver controller, the second one is standard.

The EZR950 series in the minimum volume for the Ultra HD 4K OLED TV contains the smallest diagonal of 55 inches. This size, according to the manufacturer, is the most optimal to enjoy the quality of 4K images. Panasonic claims that the EZR950 series is capable of delivering an image brightness of 1000 nits (excluding 3% of the screen surface) and reproduces 100% color gamut coverage of DCI-P3.

The model is equipped with two standards HDR - HDR 10 and Hybrid Log-Gamma (HLG). But EZ952 (EZ950) does not support Dolby Vision, as well as a 3D image. At the factory, TVs undergo ISF calibration and compatibility with CalMAN software for deeper image adjustment. Apparently, the manufacturer will announce this series as THX and Ultra HD Premium certified.

To process the image in the EZR950 is applied Panasonic Studio Color HCX2 processor, which has 3D LUT image processing. Such a statement gives the right to expect indicators that are compatible and are at the level of professional monitors with a greater color rendering. The HCX2 processor is designed to improve and almost perfect reproduction of black colors on the screen. Thus, the amount of detail on dark tones will be more available for a simple look.

The new EZR950 from Panasonic was presented at the exhibition. It was possible to draw attention to the image for a short time, but the conditions were far from ideal for testing and objective review. All models showed on their screens the manufacturer's prepared content. As it usually happens, Panasonic carefully "licked" the picture that the potential buyer was ready to provide.

The first impression of what you see on the screen EZR950 creates an excellent opinion on the quality, and if compared with the flagship model EZR1000, then it's about the same level. According to Panasonic, both TV lines are essentially the same with some minor differences. The TV screen of the EZR950 is indeed equipped with a black filter and a 3D LUT.

The Panasonic EZR950 is capable of delivering brightness at 1000 nits, but it has yet to be tested in the laboratory. This indicator gives a high percentage coverage of the color gamut by the standards of DCI-P3 and Rec.2020. In the future, the current characteristics of EZR950 in terms of color accuracy, playback of HDR content, black levels will be supplemented in the characteristics table.

The EZR950 series, as well as the EZR1000, supports 4K HDR streaming of Netflix, Amazon and YouTube resources.

As we recall, officially Firefox stopped further development and support of the operating system. Panasonic uses in its Smart TVs a revised version of this operating system. At the moment, OS is an open source system. Therefore, the manufacturer decided to independently develop and promote it in the 4K TV market. In the EZR950 as a platform Smart TV uses a modified version of My Home Screen 2.0.

Many OS functions are already familiar to users on past models. For example, select channels for different ages. All channels can be configured and configured for easy access from the control panel. A separate category is occupied by the installed applications, called through a separate button on the remote control "My App".

The player application "Media Player" now fully supports 4K HDR10 and Hybrid Log Gamma content. For users of the UK market, an updated version of Freeview Play has become available, which more advanced offers fast and smart content search.

The HDR standard is now increasingly becoming available for 4K games. According to the manufacturer, Panasonic TVs are the best for 4K HDR Gaming. It is possible that this is an advertising move, but in the prospectuses it is indicated that the models in question meet the requirements of the most experienced players.

The input video delay was significantly reduced in the EZR950 and EZR1000 series. Now shooters perfectly displayed on the screen without visible friezes in 4K HDR Games mode. But the concrete values of the in-lug, as you can see, are nowhere mentioned in the characteristics ...

Unlike the British version of EZ952, where Freeview Play is available, the service in the continental version of EZ950 (EZR950) supports IPTV technology. With this function it became possible to convert the content displayed on the screen and transfer it to other devices in the home network. The 55EZR950, like the whole new series, supports the Control4 Simple Device Discovery protocol and is certified with Control4 Certification.

If you expected to see the same advanced acoustic system as in EZ1002 in the model EZR950 from Panasonic, then nothing will come of it. Despite the fact that this is an OLED TV, it is one step below the flagship model, where Dynamic Blade Speakers were applied. There is a usual stereo system with a configuration of 2 x 10 W + 2 x 10 W speakers. The innovative system from Technics is not installed.

As we said earlier, only two diagonals of screens will be available in the EZR950 line. As for the price, the model with 55-inch size 55EZR950, presumably, will be at the level of 2500 € (no less than € 2000), accordingly 65 diagonal OLED 65EZR950 will cost more.

4K UHD OLED TV is a next-generation technology for maximum precision and image contrast.

• Studio Color HCX2 Processor - Professional 3D table of reference images for color reproduction from Hollywood Cinema.

• Extreme Brightness - adjust the brightness of HDR content to incredible levels.

• Multi HDR Support - support for HDR10 and Hybrid Log Gamma for Blu-ray sources, streaming and broadcast.

• Picture Tuned from Hollywood - the worked colors of the image from Hollywood colorists, now you see it the way a director sees.

In conclusion of Panasonic EZR950 review it can be concluded that the model in question with the 55 inch Ultra HD 4K OLED screen of this manufacturer will become a bestseller, even in comparison with LG TVs. The ideas applied in OLED TV from Panasonic give an excellent prerequisite for good sales of these models. The main advantages are the support for HDR 10 and HLG, which become relevant in the models of 2017.

Of the minuses, we can note the lack of 3D on the TV EZR950, and the support of Dolby Vision is omitted. But, despite these little things, the EZR950 can boast of all the other twists and turns that must be in a modern 4K TV, including design and multiple interfaces. It is planned, the date of sales of Panasonic EZR950 - June 2017.