For a few years, Panasonic’s 2000-series televisions have stood as the company’s top-of-the-line models, focusing on combining the best picture quality with a cutting-edge audio system that includes dedicated upward-firing drivers for serious Dolby Atmos audio. But unexpectedly, it’s been a bit of a rollercoaster ride with us. The 2019 model was so good that it exceeded expectations in every way, but the 2020 model’s successor, despite Panasonic’s claims that it had the same audio system, sounded noticeably worse. Panasonic made the decision to withhold a sample of the 2000-series in 2021, possibly as a result of the sound system’s minor change. While the nagging bass issue means the Panasonic TX-65LZ2000B sound system isn’t as good as it could be, this is still a fantastic TV in general.
Price
The Panasonic TX-65LZ2000B was priced at INR 2,99,999 (approximately $3600 / AU$5225). Discounts have been limited, but it will be available for INR 2,59,999 (approximately $3000 / AU$4450) in January 2023.
Design
Panasonic’s TV design mantra has long been function over form, and it shows here. Modern OLED TVs all have similar screen sections, with thin, flush, pitch-black frames surrounding pitch-black displays. Most people then choose invisible speaker systems and, in the case of the Sony A95K, a completely hidden stand, or, in the case of the LG G2, no stand at all. The LZ2000, on the other hand, has a utilitarian-looking base with a narrow footprint and potentially useful swivel function, as well as a speaker bar just below the screen.
Features
Physical connections include aerial along with satellite inputs, three USBs, a digital audio (optical) output, another audio output that lets you connect a pair of headphones or a subwoofer (don’t strap the latter to your head), and even an old-school composite input (via adapter) for those who still have an old source such as a VCR.
There are four HDMIs on top of that, two of which are 40 Gbps HDMI 2.1 sockets capable of handling 4K/120Hz and VRR gaming signals. ALLM is also supported, as is Dolby Vision gaming, though only up to 60Hz.
As with every other TV we’ve tested with two HDMI 2.1 ports, one of them is also used for eARC, so if you need that to output sound from the TV to a soundbar or AV amplifier, you’ll only have one high-end input left for a console or gaming PC. Those who intend to use a dedicated sound system, on the other hand, are unlikely to consider the LZ2000, with its bulky and expensive sound system, as their next TV – the LZ1500 exists for those people.
Picture
If you value balance and authenticity in a television, the Panasonic LZ2000 is for you. Everything we watch has an effortless correctness to it, from test favourites Blade Runner 2049 and No Time to Die to TV shows The Book of Boba Fett and Slow Horses, as well as the brilliantly silly Foo Fighters horror film Studio 666. Skin tones are especially natural and convincing, whether it’s Daniel Craig’s bronzed body in the latest Bond, Gary Oldman’s pallid complexion in Slow Horses, or even Grogu’s pale green and vibrant orange in The Book of Boba Fett.
The LZ2000 is not only subtle and controlled, but it is also bright and punchy. It’s not quite as bright as Sony’s A95K QD-OLED, but it’s close, and while the A95K actively tries to enhance each scene in a way that’s often beneficial but occasionally less than ideal, the Panasonic offers a consistency that’s less dramatic but more appealing. It also provides more shadow detail without sacrificing black depth or giving the impression that it is bringing elements to the fore that should not be seen.
Motion handling is excellent, especially when Intelligent Frame Creation is set to Minimum, which gently smoothes out judder without adding unrealism to human movement or shimmer to fast-moving objects.
Sound
The size of the sound produced by the LZ2000 immediately impresses. No other TV we’ve tested produces a soundstage as large and spacious as this one, with effects extending far to the left, right, and above the set. This means that in Unbroken, the fighter planes strafe right across the far end of the room and you’re effectively transported to the various stations within the B-24 Liberator, whereas in Blade Runner 2049, Joi’s disembodied voice in K’s apartment is placed way above the screen, completely spatially separated from K’s own voice, just as in Blade Runner 2049.
The LZ2000 is also very loud, much louder than the Sony A95K, and this, combined with good dynamics and the aforementioned spaciousness, allows it to deliver the kind of cinematic experience that the vast majority of TVs can only dream of. In general, the overall tonal balance is very pleasing.
Unfortunately, the Panasonic’s woofers can be provoked into some minor but distracting distortion by the type of very deep bass that appears at the beginning of Blade Runner 2049’s second chapter and appears once or twice in The Batman. The LZ2000 is far from the only TV to struggle in this area, and it struggles less than many, but it’s more disappointing in this case because it’s a TV specifically designed to provide soundbar-rivaling sound quality.
It’s also true that the Sony A95K sounds more direct and clear than the LZ2000, and that the Philips OLED937 offers even more clarity, detail, and dynamics, but neither of those competitors is as open and atmospheric as this Panasonic.
Verdict
While the nagging bass issue means the Panasonic TX-65LZ2000B sound system isn’t as good as it could be, this is still a fantastic TV in general. Its commitment to image authenticity and consistency, combined with that spacious and atmospheric sound, results in one of the most cinematic all-in-one solutions money can buy.
There’s an argument to be made for purchasing the Panasonic TX-65LZ2000B and spending the difference on a good soundbar instead, and there’s no denying that doing so would result in even better sound. We can’t say for certain that the LZ1500B will match the LZ2000B’s superior picture quality because we haven’t tested it. Furthermore, for some buyers, neatness is almost as important as performance. The TX-LZ2000B is ideal for those people.
