TH-55LZ2000Z 55 inch, OLED, 4K HDR Smart TV

The LZ2000 delivered vibrant, sharp and super vivid video. Its stellar screen output comes down to panel design and video processing improvements. These come from Panasonic’s latest Master OLED Pro panel and their HCX Auto AI video processor.

The panel is the newest OLED EX from LG, which Panasonic engineers have tweaked to deliver higher peak whites (this was particularly noticeable with HDR movies) and improve colour volume. All told, the LZ2000’s colour fidelity was great. Movies and TV shows popped. Upscaled Sky TV looked crispy, while streamed UHD content was super detailed. This was helped via a built-in light sensor that feeds into the HCX Auto AI video processor to tweak luminance and white balance in real-time.

HDR support is comprehensive. The LZ2000 plays nice with Dolby Vision IQ, HDR10+ Adaptive, and the newly introduced Netflix Adaptive Calibrated mode. HDR support was beautifully showcased by the LZ2000’s low-light performance. The level of detail teased out of shadows in dark scenes by HDR impressed.

If it were just solid video output, that’d be nice, but the LZ2000 also delivered ear-pleasing audio. With ultra-slim screens, most OLED TVs simply don’t have room to house a decent set of speaker drivers and struggle to deliver a convincing soundstage with anything approximating bass. Those with a home theatre setup are unlikely to find this a concern. Still, anyone wanting a standalone TV or making do with a soundbar will find the JZ2000’s audio output an extremely pleasant surprise.

The TX-55LZ2000 is the most dynamic, overtly vibrant HDR OLED screen yet seen from Panasonic. The brand has a history of delivering at the high-end of the TV market, but here it’s found extra performance thanks to improvements in panel design and processing power.

The TV employs the latest OLED EX panel from LG Display, enhanced by proprietary modifications inside the cell itself. Panasonic engineers have been pioneering heat management techniques with their OLED screens since 2019, and here they’ve been able to push that aspect a little harder.

The result isn’t just higher peak whites with HDR movies (for torches, lamp lights, fireworks and so on) but we get a general, consistent lift to the average picture level, which makes daytime TV and studio fare really pop.

Similarly, the accompanying audio in Resident Evil is a feast of Dolby Atmos: in the same scene, guns fire across the soundstage; screams pierce left and right. There’s an enormous sense of movement and drama conveyed by the TV.

Not only is the set’s audio performance convincingly theatrical, with obvious height and width, there’s a surprisingly decent level of bass.

The viewing experience is absolutely sumptuous. The colours are so rich, the lines are so sharp and clear and the picture is so bright, you almost feel like you can step right into it. I've streamed content, I've watched locally stored video files and I've played games - everything looks incredible, especially from sources capable of HDR10+ and DolbyVision.

It's been a glorious, life-changing experience watching television with the clarity of an OLED screen of this quality. It really is a magnificent set that has an ease of operation and a quality that radiates from more than just the screen.