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Official Panasonic TC-65CX850 4K Ultra HD TV Owners Thread

110K views 1K replies 124 participants last post by  Dick W 
#1 · (Edited)
#4 ·
No definitive information, but rumor is it will be available August or September.
 
#5 ·
Looks like the 55" version is up for sale on the Panasonic Canada website at $2500 CDN plus shipping, taxes, fees.

The 65" still shows a price of $3500 but no option to buy yet from the estore. Either way I need to wait for a friends store to start taking orders before I commit (and he's hearing early July). The only deal breaker would be if the set performs poorly at the shootout, but early reviews in smaller sizes suggest we have a true contender (at least against the Sony and Sammy FALD sets).
 
#6 ·
Panasonic has just announced that all nine models in the CX series have received Netflix's "Recommended" designation. This means they've

passed a rigorous evaluation process [ ] based on the factors [Netflix] members tell [the company] matter most. To carry the Netflix Recommended TV logo, a smart TV must have met at least 5 out of the 7 following criteria
Performance - 1) Fast app launch, 2) Fast app resume and 3) Fast video playback
Ease of Access - 4) Netflix button and 5) Easy Netflix access
Features - 6) TV instant on and 7) Latest Netflix version.
 
#9 ·
That is great news I will go this weekend to my local A/V store to see if anything has changed as well. Was it displayed or just in stock?
 
#11 ·
Anyone have this set in hand yet?
My order is nine days old. In that time my Estimated Shipment has shown four different estimated shipping dates, the latest of which is 1-3 business days. It's on day 2 of showing that. Still the Order Status says Order Processing. My case may be unique because of the ship to address.

There was a report, quoting a BB source, that BB would have these in August. Nobody from BB who has posted or who I have been in contact with knows anything about availability of 2015 Panasonic TVs. Oh, and nobody besides BB carried the 2014s. And they didn't carry the whole line and didn't carry it in all stores. Who knows if that will change for 2015.
 
#20 ·
The CX850 adds: FALD with 64 zones (CX800 is edge-lit with 8 zones), Studio Master Processor with Dynamic Range Remaster and HDR Support, Voice Control, THX Certification, and additional configuration modes.

The biggest items there are the different back lighting system and the HDR support. IMO that makes it worth the difference in price.
 
#21 ·
New Video from Panasonic Canada



Published on Jun 19, 2015

In the following video we will show you the Network Wi-Fi connection process for the 2015 Panasonic VIERA televisions series CX600, CX650, CX800, CX850, CS540, CS560 and CX900. This video will show you the process to select your language, country, viewing environment, setting up a network connection, setting the cable antenna, scanning channels and setting the clock.
 
#25 ·
So I finally got to take pics in a blacked out living room (as much as i could).

The TV is calibrated with the same settings as the 55" reviewed at AVForums.

The pictures are taken with a handheld Canon 5D mk3, the same settings are applied for the first 5 set of pictures (iso 200, F2.8, 1/30)

The last set has its ISO boosted to over 2000 to capture the white ghosting, when a black picture is displayed.

Some say that the adaptive backlight control crushes the gamma... I will let you judge from these pictures.

I honestly can barely tell the difference (other than the last set).

I am also wondering if I should exchange the set because of the "ghost" issue, or does it get better with time (200h break in?).
 

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#27 ·
Nice images, thanks for sharing!

There looks like some minor crushing of shadow detail with the dimming set to max in some of the scenes, but not all of them. What is the source for the images?

From reading the Help Guide it looks like using the 'Contrast A.I.' adjustment controls in the Advanced Settings menu you may be able to dial in increased shadow detail to compensate for black crush, that seems like it may be worth playing with, as well as the 'Dynamic Range Remaster' function which looks to be a pseudo-HDR for non-HDR content, it may help increase detail in bright and dark areas.

The real test for the local dimming settings will be some content where there is a lot of dark plus some very bright in the frame, like many episodes of Game of Thrones this past season, space scenes for Gravity, etc, do you by any chance have anything like that you could test with?

Hate to bug you when you're enjoying your new TV, we're just all curious.
 
#26 ·
My CX850 had no ghosting. I ran mine without local dimming enabled as it did more bad than good. The crushing of blacks and strobing lead me to disabling it prior to eventually just returning the set due to a underwhelming picture overall. Colors just felt too flat on this set for me to want to live with it.
 
#37 ·
Thanks so much MR MR for these shots and your impressions and congrats on basically being the first!

A shame the set has that mediocre level of uniformity on the black screen. direct lit sets should be better than this. On the plus side (for Panasonic), the rtings.com review of the JS9500 showed what looks like just as bad clouding so it's not like this is only on lesser priced direct lit sets.

I'm still considering this set yet this is now two reports of mediocre uniformity and good uniformity is one of my biggest wishes.
 
#38 ·
For some reason I am having issues with the uploaded pics... here again:
 

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#43 ·
I have been using a Panasonic Plasma TC-P55ST30, that I loved the picture on, but it was taken out due to a lightning strike. I was hopeful Panasonic's new "highly talked about" TC-65CX850 would be a great replacement but I'm not so sure. I installed it 3 days ago and have tried to work through the settings to eliminate the issues that will follow but my efforts have failed so far. I know there are a ton of settings, so maybe I'm still missing the mark on the setup. (Hopefully the pictures attached show through enough to allow everyone to see my concerns with the TV. They were shot with a Nikon D5100.)

I've attached a few pictures of House of Cards in 4K from Netflix.
  • The Straight on picture is pretty good but just a bit overdone on the colors.
  • The Slight Angle, approximately 15 degrees, is a great picture. The over-saturation is gone and the clarity is really good.
  • Now for the Angle and Sharp Angle, anything over 25 degrees. The entire screen appears to be bleached by the LED lighting and the picture appears pixelated. I thought full array TVs didn't have the bleaching issue since the light wasn't entering from the sides. This may be the killer for us since this TV is mounted on the long wall of our living room so some of the seating is outside this viewing angle.

When I switched over to antenna signal the issues intensify. I snapped a few photos of whatever soap opera is on at this time to show the bleaching and pixelating effects. We also noticed significant jumping when watching Wayward Pines last night as the camera followed them walking up a sidewalk. If was almost as though it couldn't keep up with a feed however this was over the air so there shouldn't have been any issues like that.

On the other hand, when I play a few videos from YouTube the set looks and performs amazing. There is very little "bleaching" when viewing from the sides. Not sure what the difference is.

If this is how 2015 LED TVs perform, I'm surprised nobody commented on these issues after CES or the other international shows. Makes me think I need to adjust something. If anyone has any suggestions I'd love to hear them. Also, those of you who are posting photos, can you take a minute and stand about 30 degrees to the side and let me know if you are having the same issues?
 

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#46 ·
E
I have been using a Panasonic Plasma TC-P55ST30, that I loved the picture on, but it was taken out due to a lightning strike. I was hopeful Panasonic's new "highly talked about" TC-65CX850 would be a great replacement but I'm not so sure. I installed it 3 days ago and have tried to work through the settings to eliminate the issues that will follow but my efforts have failed so far. I know there are a ton of settings, so maybe I'm still missing the mark on the setup. (Hopefully the pictures attached show through enough to allow everyone to see my concerns with the TV. They were shot with a Nikon D5100.)

I've attached a few pictures of House of Cards in 4K from Netflix.

  • The Straight on picture is pretty good but just a bit overdone on the colors.
    The Slight Angle, approximately 15 degrees, is a great picture. The over-saturation is gone and the clarity is really good.
    Now for the Angle and Sharp Angle, anything over 25 degrees. The entire screen appears to be bleached by the LED lighting and the picture appears pixelated. I thought full array TVs didn't have the bleaching issue since the light wasn't entering from the sides. This may be the killer for us since this TV is mounted on the long wall of our living room so some of the seating is outside this viewing angle.

When I switched over to antenna signal the issues intensify. I snapped a few photos of whatever soap opera is on at this time to show the bleaching and pixelating effects. We also noticed significant jumping when watching Wayward Pines last night as the camera followed them walking up a sidewalk. If was almost as though it couldn't keep up with a feed however this was over the air so there shouldn't have been any issues like that.

On the other hand, when I play a few videos from YouTube the set looks and performs amazing. There is very little "bleaching" when viewing from the sides. Not sure what the difference is.

If this is how 2015 LED TVs perform, I'm surprised nobody commented on these issues after CES or the other international shows. Makes me think I need to adjust something. If anyone has any suggestions I'd love to hear them. Also, those of you who are posting photos, can you take a minute and stand about 30 degrees to the side and let me know if you are having the same issues?

I don't own this tv, I have an OLED, but I get some really gnarly picture quality from anything less than good quality hd source... I was told the quality of the tv's processing actually intensifies the weak signal or low quality images...
 
#48 · (Edited)
I received my TC-65CX850U yesterday at 11 am. I got it out of the carton, on the stand, and demonstrated operational--less one cable that didn't reach but is not at all critical (analog video/audio from Zone 2 of my Yamaha RXV-3900 AVR)--at midday. I did not really watch it--beyond seeing that it worked--or play with it until the evening. Quick impressions and thought follow. Spoiler: I have not spent much time playing with PQ settings or watching test patterns or material or conditions intended to stress PQ or local dimming or any of that other stuff. I have not tried to see how bad I can make it look--nor, for that matter, how good. I watch in lit to dimly lit room 99.8% of time and have not changed that practice to watch the new TV or evaluate its PQ. I have zero 3D material, a 2D BluRay player, no glasses, and no interest; none of that has changed.

"Old TV" is a Sony 26" 720P CCFL-backlit LCD from 2008; we have watched it more in the past six months than we did in its previous life with us. It's the only LCD TV we've ever had in the home. We've been watching it at distances from 9 feet to 11 feet. With this experience, my only "qualkity time" spent with LCDs has been in store/in the workplace--neither of which is conducive to critical viewing. As such, I do not have a great "LCDs look like" point of reference.

"Kuro" was a 2007-vintage Pioneer Elite Pro-110FD (50") we had up until we moved six months ago.

"Demo ware" is 90+/137GB of UHS/HDR demo files downloaded from demo-uhd3d.com.

Unboxing / OOBE / Stand Installation
  • Carton was received in very good condition. One of the plastic clips was slightly bent like it got caught on something at some point; carton clearly had been dragged across dock/truck floors, one of the cardboard hand holds was torn out, and there was a minor surface layer puncture/gash in one spot on the rear.
  • Carton says to open top to remove accessories. There was nothing to remove in the top foam so opening the top first wasn't realy necessary.
  • There was lots of tape securing stuff to stuff inside the carton. I generally do not like this. Maybe it's a personal tick?
  • The display was in a film bag but there were no precautions beyond that on the screen face; not mixed foam/film bag, not separate foam sheet, no cardboard sheet, no nothing. The Sony unboxings I've seen make it look like they do "better" in this regard. What Panasonic does may well be "good enough".
  • The stand is remarkably heavy and deep (both of which I knew from the specs) and the front part is silver chromed--I had not expected this from the Panasonic pictures but I don't have a problem with it. Assembly/installation to the display was unremarkable
  • Back is plastic and I don't care.
  • No DisplayPort.
  • Bezel surround trim is not completely matte finish as I expected from Panasonic photos but is closer in impression to the JS850D finish.
  • US remotes are not silver unlike some of the non-US ones we've seen pictured.
  • I like the industrial design and do not get any of the "low quality / cheap / cost reduced" impressions some posters have predicted from it at all. YMMV.
  • Panel surface is neither matte nor high gloss; it's somewhere in the middle. Hard to describe but not really remarkable in the scheme of LCDs. I prefer the clearly very flat, AR coated, surface of my Kuro. Those days are probably gone.
  • There is some protecive film on various bezel surfaces that I haven't yet removed. I also haven't removed the Energy Star sticker. It quotes $35 annual cost. That's at a kWhr rate that's less than 25% of what we pay here. Interesting that they know enough to put the sticker on but the shop.panasonic.com specs for energy consumption are still shown as missing or TBD.

First Start
  • Unremarkable. Click to answer some questions. Meh. Somewhat surprised that the splash screen has Firefox OS all over it but there is no Panasonic branding splash screen. This seems a kind of clueless omission from a company that desperately needs people to know they still make TVs.

Feed it some video from DirecTV HR-44 via AVR
  • Programming that looks bad or so-so (480P, for instance) on Old TV and it looks bad on 65CX850.

Get it on the 'net and poke around in the menus/apps
  • Whole lot of menu choices. I'm a life long geek/gadget freak and find this list daunting. Mucked with some of the PQ related settings--set them all back where they started for now.
  • Connected via Ethernet, then various Wi Fi SSIDs and 2.4/5GHz connections easily. But see below.
  • Set received at the .113 FW level.

Watch some demo ware
  • Demo ware read from new WD Passport Ultra (latest model) via USB3 connection works fine for some formats/file and yielded what I thought were great images/PQ. Great colors. Great blacks. Acceptable but not plasma shadow details. And remember, this is with default picture settings. I noticed some motion characeristics but can't really say if these are just LCD being LCD or are good or bad performance from the CX850. The things I noticed I'm attributing, for now, to LCD being an LCD.
  • Some of the demo ware plays with noticable stuttering. Hard to fathom that the direct USB3 attached hard disk isn't fast enough to stream all of them, but that's what I'm seeing. Very surprised/disappointed by this. Also hard to fathom how we will all be watching UHD HDR material Real Soon Now that is not coming from some media/device/connection (e.g., a next gen BluRay player over HDMI) that is a whole lot better than the average (or even the 95th percentile) US residential broadband connection. Either that or these demo ware files are just not formatted/encoded in practical ways. Either that or Panasonic and/or my brand new WD Passport Ultra have a real problem with sustained read rates. Maybe all of the above. Gives me a new appreciation for the people asking for GigE in their TVs. I used to think that was insane overkill. I may revisit the demo ware at some point from thumb drive or SD card but Flash isn't the fastest thing and my collection of thumb drives/SD cards does not have any high performance/high capacity devices that are not already in cameras.
  • Stutter problem is worse streaming from my Windows Home Server 2011 box over DLNA over Ethernet. The WHS box is no slouch as home NAS/Media Server gear goes--it's a Intel DQ67EPB3 LGA 1155 Intel Q67 Mini ITX with a Core i3-2100T Sandy Bridge 2.5GHz LGA 1155 35W dual-core CPU spinning 2x HITACHI Deskstar 0S03230 3TB 5400 RPM 32MB drives connected to the same switch as the CX850 at GigE rate.
  • Only nine of the demo ware files are in a format that the WHS media server will stream. This is an example of the kind of headaches I've always gotten messing with DLNA and why I prefer just attaching a device and getting on with it.
  • Viewing angle is not wide. But it's not clearly worse than what I've seen on many other LCDs. That was not a deal-breaker when I first heard this set would be VA and it isn't now.

Update to the .119 firmware
  • Performed update to .119 over the 'net. Unremarkable. Maybe five or ten minutes. Certainly not the hour+ some of the Sony/Android TV folks are reporting.
  • Remarkable: post the update, the TV refuses to connect to any of the WiFi networks. Tried WPS PIN, WPS push button, even the hand-keyed passphrase for my guest network. (My regular network passphrases are way too hard to hand key on a TV remote control screen keyboard.) Nothing worked. Thought about trying an open network. Thought about reverting to .113 firmware which I have saved. Decided it's Panasonic's problem and reverted to wired. Hopefully this is already a "known feature" and Panasonic has their finest already working on it.
  • Also note that it does not remember networks. Setup a WiFi, change to wired, go back to WiFi, start over.

Play with the Apps and App Store: AccuWeather App
  • Not impressed. Database of locations is maybe good for an international TV but I couldn't get closer than 100 miles away. Weather varies a lot here in 100 miles.
  • Using it from the touch remote is a real pain; the touch is not really a pointer nor a track pad and only does swipe and almost any touch can be interpreted as a swipe. Being used to trackpads, it will take some getting used to and understand this. And the iconography isn't entirely clear or legibly large/colored. Even the color icons for the "color buttons" are very small. Will need to study the manual and play with more to get used to this one.
  • Looked in app store; think there was only, at most, one other Weather app. It was almost midnight. Got tired and went to bed.

To Do
  • Get all the remotes to make happy with one another. Juggling the AVR, DirecTV, and two CX850 remotes is a headache. I'd never be able to teach those who need to know all the permutations and dependencies here.
  • Get the Logitech wireless KB setup and working.
  • More memu roaming and putzing…
  • Many, many more features to experiment with. E.g., voice control, LifeScreen stuff, etc., ad nauseum.
  • Actually watch some TV with the thing for the sake of watching TV.

It's probably a keeper for me but that may be influenced by my peculiar circumstances of purchase from shop.panasonic.com and my location. I'm not completely wowed. Not sure I expected to be. Certainly not after all the time that has passed and with all the negative press of late. I'm also not sure this TV is any great leap in any dimension ("HDR" capable is the only thing that comes to mind) from its competitors I was considering: the 65JS8500/850D and the XBR65X850C but it absolutely seems to fit in that group. My only real issue with the JS8500 was Samsung who I've always mistrusted and seen as basically challenged in how they do things ethically (e.g., recent episode with turning off Windows Update to "improve" their products), and Tizen which comes from that kind of thinking. I've not seen a 65X850C--they were just starting to rollout in stores the last time I was in a BB--but have read a number of PQ issues from reasonable posters who seemed to have reasonable/realistic expectations. (I.e., discounting the "I see a stuck pixel" and the "I've returned seven less than perfect LCD TVs so far this year" crazies.) Nor do I yet see any obvious way that it should/will command much of a price premium over those sets in the marketplace. Panasonic is selling it right now for $4,499.99 and, if you are on their mailing list, you have the "SAVE" promo code to get it down to the $3,499.99 I paid after getting a price protection credit. They're suicidally crazy if they think that's a price that will move much of this product from a web store only. Not sure it would fare any better in real stores at that price. Especially not if their placement is as bad as it was for the AX800 in BB
 
#49 ·
I should add: have tested HDMI 1 (no ARC capability on AVR), Optical Out, WiFi (see .119 notes), wired Ethernet, USB3. Have no OTA/cable to test in that interface. ATSC tuner might suck or be borken and I'd never know. This probably renders lots of the Live TV stuff useless. YouTube app works. AccuWeather app "works".

Is there anywhere to "manage" Apps? I.e., if I install one, can I delete it from somewhere?
 
#50 ·
I am playing files of my USB3 disk attached to it, and there's zero stuttering... these are 8gb 4k files at around 100mbs.

Youtube app is excellent, but it stutter from time to time, not sure if its my 25mbs connection or the lack of cpu power from the tv.

The Shield pro youtube is much better, but the app lacks functionalities.
 
#55 ·
I also took off the plastic and the sticker. I was hoping taking off the film over the IR remote sensor would help it work a little better but no such luck. It likes pretty close pointing angle. Not a huge fan of that remote, either. If the Netflix, Apps and Home buttons were smaller and more removed from the directional buttons, it would be a huge improvement. Sick of getting Netflix instead of Up. Speaking of remotes, keyboard is working. But there are very limited places and huge app dependency on whether it will work or you have to use a screen keyboard--all of which are different and apparently app-created. In this, Android TV seem 5 years more advanced than what's here. In theory, you can get the keyboard to do what the other remotes do but the process and the guess which key/button does what is maddening. Oh, and many of the special buttons are only mapped to a screen keyboard you popup from r-click and then have to mouse or key navigate through.

While we are speaking of remotes--the CX850 isn't in DirecTVs setup database for programming their remote nor are any other recent Panasonic models I could find. Got nowhere on that problem.

Weather "app" from "app" store vastly better than stock AccuWeather "app". Got Amazon Instant Video working as well.

WiFi magically came back to working. Maybe something somewhere was cached? (Though I did try rebooting the router last night. Go figure.)

Got it talking to my server via SMB/CIFS. Need to go test if that helps the demo ware play.

Still happy enough with the PQ. Maybe I'm just ignorant for not having tried to make it look bad?
 
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