Panasonic introduced four new series of 4k UHD TVs at CES 2015—the CX850 , CX800, CX650, and CX600—which add up to nine different models. All four series offer smart features, expanded color gamut, improved brightness, and Firefox OS.
Unlike many of its competitors, Panasonic's solution for expanding the color gamut of LED-lit LCD does not involve quantum dots. Instead, the company uses blue LEDs coated with phosphor to generate white light that offers a wider spectrum than white LEDs . As a result, its TVs offer a color gamut that's between 90% and 98% of the DCI specification.
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Panasonic touted its wide color phosphor technology.
The CX850 sits at the top of the new models, and it offers a lot of what makes the flagship AX900 great—including full array local dimming (FALD)—at a considerably lower price point. It comes in two sizes, 55 inches, and 65 inches. The 65-inch version renders 98% of the DCI color space, and THX certification is pending. The CX850 will support HDR video, which is definitely coming to a streaming service near you this year.While there is no official pricing for the AX850 series at this time, Panasonic said it'll be in the same ballpark as the AX850U.
The CX800 is an edgelit series offering three screen sizes—65 inches, 60 inches, and 55 inches. Notably, the specs for theCX800 series mention support for 3D. According to Panasonic , the 60-incher features passive 3D, whereas the other two models offer active 3D. All the sizes use run Firefox OS and offer edgelit local dimming. As with the CX850 and CX650 series, the 65-inch model offers 98% DCI gamut color while the other sizes offer 90% DCI gamut.
The CX650 series also offers thee screen sizes—65 inches, 60 inches, and 55 inches. It too offers a 65-incher that achieves 98% DCI while the other two sizes render 90% DCI. The specs do not mention 3D, nor any sort of local dimming.
Finally there's a CX600 that only comes in a 50-inch size. It has the shortest feature list, and I'm guessing it'll sport the lowest price.
On the show floor I saw a couple of interesting prototypes from Panasonic . There was a 55-inch 8K display that had pixels that simply cannot be seen by the naked eye, you lose the ability to focus that closely before you see any sort of grid. Unfortunately no photos were allowed in that demo. I also saw a 65-inch curved OLED, but the rep could not tell me where the panel itself came from. I do know that it suffered from no discoloration when viewed off-axis, and had all the positive attributes you associate with OLED, including perfectly dark blacks.
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Panasonic's enigmatic OLED.
In addition to the TVs, Panasonic showed gear from its relaunched Technics brand. Two new systems offer two-channel audio enthusiasts an option that—to my ears—looked and sounded great.
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The two new Technics systems.
Technics says the R1 Series is reference class. The 110 lb amp outputs 300 watts/channel into 4 ohm, which is the impedance of the SB-R1 speaker system. When you pair the amp and speakers with the new SU-R1 media player, the combined system costs about $53,000.
Technics new premium class components are more affordable than the reference class. It offers a system price of around $5300—for that you get a SU-C700 integrated amp with 70 watts/channel output into 4 ohms, a ST-C700 network audio player, a SL-C700 CD player, and a pair of SB-C700 speakers. I listened to the systems yesterday and both sounded very good although I was not fond of the demo tracks. I'll post about experience in the 2-channel audio section soon.
Unlike many of its competitors, Panasonic's solution for expanding the color gamut of LED-lit LCD does not involve quantum dots. Instead, the company uses blue LEDs coated with phosphor to generate white light that offers a wider spectrum than white LEDs . As a result, its TVs offer a color gamut that's between 90% and 98% of the DCI specification.
The CX850 sits at the top of the new models, and it offers a lot of what makes the flagship AX900 great—including full array local dimming (FALD)—at a considerably lower price point. It comes in two sizes, 55 inches, and 65 inches. The 65-inch version renders 98% of the DCI color space, and THX certification is pending. The CX850 will support HDR video, which is definitely coming to a streaming service near you this year.While there is no official pricing for the AX850 series at this time, Panasonic said it'll be in the same ballpark as the AX850U.
The CX800 is an edgelit series offering three screen sizes—65 inches, 60 inches, and 55 inches. Notably, the specs for theCX800 series mention support for 3D. According to Panasonic , the 60-incher features passive 3D, whereas the other two models offer active 3D. All the sizes use run Firefox OS and offer edgelit local dimming. As with the CX850 and CX650 series, the 65-inch model offers 98% DCI gamut color while the other sizes offer 90% DCI gamut.
The CX650 series also offers thee screen sizes—65 inches, 60 inches, and 55 inches. It too offers a 65-incher that achieves 98% DCI while the other two sizes render 90% DCI. The specs do not mention 3D, nor any sort of local dimming.
Finally there's a CX600 that only comes in a 50-inch size. It has the shortest feature list, and I'm guessing it'll sport the lowest price.
On the show floor I saw a couple of interesting prototypes from Panasonic . There was a 55-inch 8K display that had pixels that simply cannot be seen by the naked eye, you lose the ability to focus that closely before you see any sort of grid. Unfortunately no photos were allowed in that demo. I also saw a 65-inch curved OLED, but the rep could not tell me where the panel itself came from. I do know that it suffered from no discoloration when viewed off-axis, and had all the positive attributes you associate with OLED, including perfectly dark blacks.
In addition to the TVs, Panasonic showed gear from its relaunched Technics brand. Two new systems offer two-channel audio enthusiasts an option that—to my ears—looked and sounded great.
Technics says the R1 Series is reference class. The 110 lb amp outputs 300 watts/channel into 4 ohm, which is the impedance of the SB-R1 speaker system. When you pair the amp and speakers with the new SU-R1 media player, the combined system costs about $53,000.
Technics new premium class components are more affordable than the reference class. It offers a system price of around $5300—for that you get a SU-C700 integrated amp with 70 watts/channel output into 4 ohms, a ST-C700 network audio player, a SL-C700 CD player, and a pair of SB-C700 speakers. I listened to the systems yesterday and both sounded very good although I was not fond of the demo tracks. I'll post about experience in the 2-channel audio section soon.
