CES 2016: Panasonic OLED Display

[amirm]

As some of you know, LG is the only supplier of OLED TVs. I own one of them and while I am very pleased with it, there are issues regarding uniformity and color in low level luminance. Panasonic sets out to correct those issues with the 65CZ950. The price though is much higher and availability is only in Europe right now. The display looked fantastic at CES although as is always the case with demo material at the show, deficiencies cannot be judged.

High dynamic range combined with OLED display is captivating (if there are not too many bright areas):

Please excuse the blurriness. My camera was struggling to capture an image handheld:

Notice the reflectivity of the screen with the same purple/pink haze my LG has:

These pictures do not do justice to the actual image:

 

[RayDunzl]

I hope my plasma lasts long enough for a little more affordability on the OLED sets.

It's developing pixel wide vertical black lines.

The guy in the background... Is he sticking his tongue out?

 

[NorthStar]

He sure is, ...disgusting in a public venue like CES. ...And Amir caught him on camera.

Those OLED TVs from Panasonic, they seem to be highly light reflective from them pics...but then, how can you fairly present them on a floor with 10,000 watts fluorescent lights everywhere! I know, it's mainly for cosmetic display, svelte lines, decor friendly.

Ray, I'm with you; I don't want to pay more than what it costs to make them. :b
...Not more than plasma TVs. And if no 3D no go for me.

 

[amirm]

You have good eyes Ray!

I bought my LG OLED TV last week and in the first minute I turned it on, I regretted not buying it much earlier! It is the massive advanced in display fidelity. My personal photos pop like I have never seen them do. Even though it is 10 inches smaller than our main 4K TV, we now watch movies on it. It is very transformative.

 

[NorthStar]

Ok Amir, you got me aroused. Could you please provide some specs on your LG OLED model TV?
Is she 4K, can she do 3D, what size class did you pick? ...Flat or curved?

And last, why LG OLED and why not Panasonic OLED?

 

[Joe Whip]

I have seen the Panasonic OLED here in the UK and it is the best OLED I have yet seen. Way too pricey though and since it is curved, I have no interest at all.

 

[amirm]

Ok Amir, you got me aroused. Could you please provide some specs on your LG OLED model TV?
Is she 4K, can she do 3D, what size class did you pick? ...Flat or curved?

And last, why LG OLED and why not Panasonic OLED?

It is the LG flat 4K unit. I forget the model number. It is this year's model.

It can do 3D and comes with one pair of glasses. Since it is 4K the report is that 1080p passive 3D works well with it. I have not yet tested it. But will at some point.

It is 55 inch. It is part of my 2-channel audio system so did not want it to take more space than this. Otherwise I would have gotten the 65.

As Joe says, the Panasonic is way more expensive (2X the price?) and only available in Europe. I could not get them to say at CES that it would be available in US. The US market has repeatedly shown to have little to no buy-in for expensive flat panels regardless of fidelity. Mine was 3X more expensive than a half decent LCD and that was my limit.

By the way, the curve in the new LG displays is very mild. It is no longer objectionable to me.

Other than sudden drop in brightness when images with a lot of whites shows up, it is a joy to watch a display not have dynamic issues like normal LCDs have. Picture remains stable and with the same fidelity almost all the time which is a joy. White text on black as in Oppo's screen saver almost floats in front of the TV! High contrast makes colors pop in ways that you have not seen until you experience OLED.

BTW, since I will be using it as a computer display, burn-in is a serious problem. I have to keep turning it off when the image is static. And for the first time I spent the $300 one extended warranty since it covers burn-in. Will have to see what happens. Shame that unlike Dell's new OLED monitors it doesn't have a slow pixel shift like Plasmas had.

 

[Joe Whip]

I doubt that we will see the Panny in the US in 2016. Panasonic would have said so at CES if there were any plans to. Time will tell.

 

[amirm]

I agree. I actually don't think it will show up in US ever. Their US efforts are now all around appliances and non-AV products.

 

[GaryProtein]

While I vehemently hate the LG company, I have to admit their OLED TV's have a fantastic picture and their screen surfaces are remarkably resistant to reflected light sources interfering with the picture.

As long as the picture remains good and no service is ever needed, everything will be fine. We have a couple of other LG products and their company service is among the worst.

note: we own a 55" LG OLED. We hope it never needs service.

 

[NorthStar]

It is the LG flat 4K unit. I forget the model number. It is this year's model.

It can do 3D and comes with one pair of glasses. Since it is 4K the report is that 1080p passive 3D works well with it. I have not yet tested it. But will at some point.

It is 55 inch. It is part of my 2-channel audio system so did not want it to take more space than this. Otherwise I would have gotten the 65.

As Joe says, the Panasonic is way more expensive (2X the price?) and only available in Europe. I could not get them to say at CES that it would be available in US. The US market has repeatedly shown to have little to no buy-in for expensive flat panels regardless of fidelity. Mine was 3X more expensive than a half decent LCD and that was my limit.

By the way, the curve in the new LG displays is very mild. It is no longer objectionable to me.

Other than sudden drop in brightness when images with a lot of whites shows up, it is a joy to watch a display not have dynamic issues like normal LCDs have. Picture remains stable and with the same fidelity almost all the time which is a joy. White text on black as in Oppo's screen saver almost floats in front of the TV! High contrast makes colors pop in ways that you have not seen until you experience OLED.

BTW, since I will be using it as a computer display, burn-in is a serious problem. I have to keep turning it off when the image is static. And for the first time I spent the $300 one extended warranty since it covers burn-in. Will have to see what happens. Shame that unlike Dell's new OLED monitors it doesn't have a slow pixel shift like Plasmas had.

1. From my extensive readings the 3D performance should be awesome Amir on your passive 3D 4K OLED (1080p resolution per each eye means no more restriction on distance).
2. Flat or slightly curved it don't really matter to me...as long as it is not grossly curved to the point of affecting the geometry @ the sides (on test patterns - measurements).
3. I thought that a man of your caliber (prominent audio/video writer, technical expert, ex-chief executive @ Microsoft, Madrona CEO, ...) can afford the best OLED...Panasonic, among the best /// :b

* Once I had a LG flip phone ... the Chocolate model ... great phone from LG back then.
And LG makes some of the finest OLED TVs out there, and @ all prices...from roughly $3,000 (55") to $25,000 (I believe 75" or so).
I would love to get one...65" LG OLED, 4K (true UHD), and 3D of course. ... (((3D))) is very important to me, with my considerable collection now...PIXAR & all. I just cannot emphasize enough the pleasurable immersion I have from the best 3D transfers on Blu-ray...pure magic @ the movies in the safe zone of home. ..."Safe" here means tweaked/adjusted to your own delight. @ the IMAX 3D theater they don't give you a remote control to adjust the 3D picture and tune the sound system. That's the biggest advantage we have @ home because not all cinema theaters are calibrated picture & sound equally.

** 55" is a great size as a computer's monitor, with all your graphs and measurements.
Then no need to pay trice for a Panasonic one that ain't even avail here in North America anyway.

Congrats!