For a lot of flagship TVs this year, brightness has been a key focus - and no more so than for “traditional” OLEDs, for which this has standardly been one of their biggest weaknesses.
The Panasonic MZ2000 is no different. It’s the cream ofPanasonic’s OLED crop this yearand uses the same brightness-boosting MLA (Micro Lens Array) technology as theLG G3.
This aims to push the brightness out to the viewer more effectively by using billions of lenses in the panel to reflect outwards better light, making pictures brighter and HDR more impactful.
Not just that, it also packs what looks to be a very capable Atmos sound system built in, too. Does the MZ2000 make a late charge in what’s been an incredible year for TVs? Here’s my full review.
Panasonic MZ2000
The Panasonic MZ2000 serves up all the traditional benefits of OLED, with a brighter overall picture and great picture processing for a truly cinematic performance. Add in a strong feature set and superb built-in sound, raising the bar of what a great TV looks like in 2023. It’s a total home cinema package.
Pricing, specs and availability
The MZ2000 is available in a choice of 55, 65 and 77 inches and retails for £2,699, £3,599 and £4,499, respectively. Unfortunately, there are no prices for the US as Panasonic doesn’t sell its TV in North America.
That makes the MZ2000 one of the more expensive OLEDs this year, coming close to theSonyA95L’s £2,999 price tag at this tested 55-inch screen size. By comparison, the MZ2000’s MLA competition, the LG G3, costs “just” £1,900, with Samsung’s flagship QD-OLED, theS95C, costing £1,899.
The design of the MZ2000 looks very much the same as last year, with slim bezels sitting on a circular central pedestal, which swivels. This helps it to sit on narrow furniture that the wide feet of Sony’s A95L can make difficult - something I appreciate as someone with limited space (and a penchant for big-screen tellies). It' ’s perhaps a slightly functional look, but it’s smart enough.
You’ll also notice the MZ2000’s built-in sound system, a 360-degree Soundscape Pro Dolby Atmos setup, tuned by Technics, that comprises a traditional-looking soundbar built in along the bottom, two upfiring speakers sitting on the top of the panel - just out of sight - and a pair of side-firing drivers too.
This generous setup for a TV is capable of 150W of sound, and if other iterations of it are an indication, you may - as is indeed Panasonic’s aim - not need an external sound system at all.
In fact, using a soundbar would not only look a bit silly, but you may also struggle to get it to sit under the screen because it sits rather low on the pedestal. The good news is, I don’t think you’ll need to worry - but more on that in a bit.
Connections comprise four HDMI ports, though, like some of its competition, the MZ2000 only manages to make two of these 4K/120Hz capable (Dolby Vision gaming only at 4K/60Hz) forVRR/ALLMsupport.
The fact that one of these is also theeARC portlimits your options further here, though its capable built-in sound system may help to ease this port stress a little.
There’s also an optical digital out, three USBs, a 3.5mm AV input and a headphones/subwoofer in. There’s ethernet if you don’t want to use the built-in WiFi and, of course, tuners for terrestrial TV or satellite.
Panasonic continues to shun the trend for smaller, slimmer remotes, with the inclusion of an absolutely massive one in the box. I could lose some of the things on there, but it’s comprehensive, to say the least, and includes shortcuts for Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, YouTube, Freeview Play and Rakuten TV at the top.
It is pretty plastic-y, though, and doesn’t look as premium as you might expect from a TV at this level.
Unlike its big competitor, the LG G3, the MZ2000 feels like it was made to sit on its stand. Its built-in sound system makes it relatively chunky at the back - that makes no odds when you’re able to’t see it, of course, but it’s better for a TV to be on the slimmer side when wall mounting. That doesn’t mean it isn’t possible, but if you’ve been planning that for your next TV, it’s something to consider.
The MZ2000 may look very similar to its predecessor, but inside, it’s a very different story.
Of course, there is that MLA panel I mentioned above, nicknamed the Master OLED Ultimate, which has one of the biggest impacts on the MZ2000’s performance, offering a claimed 50 per cent brightness increase on the five-starLZ2000.
However, it’s worth mentioning here that the 77-inch version uses a different panel, which doesn’t use MLA technology - so performance could be very different. If you like what you read in this review, stick with the 55- or 65-inch variants to ensure you’ll get the same.
No matter which size you go for, the Panasonic’s HCX Pro AI processor is running the show, promising Panasonic’s best colour accuracy and top-notch AI-enhanced picture processing. There’s also optimised heat management too, allowing the the system to push for those brighter pictures without causing it to overheat.
The MZ2000 has the full complement of support forHDR, with HDR10 and HLG, as well as HDR10+ Adaptive as well as Dolby Vision IQ- which understand the amount of ambient light in the room and tweak the HDR performance to suit.
The ambient light sensor in charge of this also works with the Netflix Calibrated Mode that’s on board here, as well as an improvedFilmmaker Mode- the most accurate mode you can get out of the box. But more on that shortly.
Panasonic’s smart TV system is handled by its own relatively simple, minimally invasive My Home Screen 8.0.
Press the “Home” button on the remote and a scrollable bar of circular thumbnails will overlay over whatever you are watching. It has all the streaming apps you could want, with a pop-up rail of recommendations appearing above it when you settle on an app for more than a moment.
Depending on your preferences, You can add or remove services and move them around. Expect Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+ and AppleTV+, among others, plus all the UK’s TV catch-up services, thanks to Freeview Play.
There’s also the option to load up My Scenery, which allows you to display your choice of “restful images or video” - sometimes accompanied by corresponding Dolby Atmos soundtracks. Enjoy a relaxing image of a rainforest with a soundtrack to match if you need downtime before bed.
Gamers can make the most of a new Game Control Board on the MZ2000, which should make gaming all the more insightful alongside the specific Game Mode in picture settings.
It’ll display details like resolution, HDR and frame rate, which you can view at any time, as well as choose specific sound modes for the game type you’re playing and enhance darker areas of a game for improved visibility it (I won’t tell if you don’t).
Finally, voice assistance is available via Alexa (you’ll need to press the mic button on the remote to activate once set up), or you can also use Google Assistant to get requests to the TV if you have a compatible device in the household.
Picture performance
Out of the box, you’ve got no less than 13 picture modes to choose from - in SDR mode at least, and almost the same in HDR10/HDR10+.
The most accurate of these is Filmmaker Mode - for both SDR and HDR content - which turns off all additional processing and preserves things like colour, aspect ratio and frame rates from the original source, ensuring you see what the director wanted you to.
While other modes might be immediately more engaging, it’s the mode I’d recommend trying out first. It won’t get you the brightest picture, though - nor will it be where those big peak brightness numbers will be measured from.
That’s reserved for the Dynamic Mode, but - like most modes of this ilk - it verges on cartoonish in its colour handling and is not something I’d recommend at all.
If you feel like you need a brightness boost on Filmmaker Mode, you could try the more palatable Professional 1. This boosts the luminance while keeping extra processing off, but you may see a knock-on effect on the black level, so bear that in mind.
A quick mention, too, for Auto AI mode, which uses AI to detect what you’re watching and adjust the TV’s settings appropriately. However, I found it a little unreliable and that it had a tendency to verge towards cooler tones than I would prefer.
Dolby Vision content is thankfully much more straight forward, with just three options to choose from. The one to stick with here - unless you have a dedicated darkened cinema room - is the default, Dolby Vision IQ. Simple.
Whichever mode you choose (and you’re able to set different modes for different sources), I’d recommend turning off all processing and additional features to begin with, and then adding it back in slowly if you think the picture needs it. Panasonic’s native picture handling really doesn’t need that much help at all.
That said, there are a few things to watch out for. For example, unless you’re watching in a really dark room, keeping the Auto Brightness on under Ambient Sensor Settings allows the picture to dim up or down based on your environment subtly. This is particularly helpful in bright rooms, where the extra brightness of the MZ2000 really comes into its own, and will also be needed for advanced HDR modes, like Dolby IQ, to work.
Another thing to look out for is Intelligent Frame Creation - that’s the name for Panasonic’s motion processing. I found the MZ2000 handles motion pretty well without any additional help, but if you think it needs it, a ‘minimum’ setting can help to smooth out any niggles without being too heavy-handed. Anything more than that causes unnatural smoothing and distracting picture artefacts, which is much worse than a bit of motion blur in my books.
So now you’re set-up, how does the TV look? In short, it’s as about as cinematic as it gets.
Panasonic is known for its picture processing prowess, and that’s on show here from the moment you start watching. There’s a really natural handling of all pictures, but with plenty of punch to colour when you need it, too.
From a brightness perspective, there’s probably not a lot in it when compared with its 2023 flagship competition, but the step up from last year - and indeed from this year’s capable range of sub-flagship models - is clear.
Even in my relatively bright living room, the brightness on offer here is enough to keep distracting reflections at bay and is not just adding punch to highlights but also raising the APL (average picture level) to be brighter overall.
Starting with the good stuff and a 4K HDR10+ streaming ofJohn Wick: Chapter 4from Prime Video looks outstanding. In the scene where the Harbinger visits the New York Continental to give its owner an hour’s notice before its destruction, the variable lighting of the moody setting is excellently handled.
Blacks are as inky deep as only an OLED can muster, but a good level of shadow detail is retained, too, giving depth and texture to everything from suit jackets to leather briefcases.
As daylight pours through some high windows into the darkened room, it precisely highlights areas on otherwise shadowed faces.
Leather chairs pick up a rich reflection where they dimple, lamps glow warmly on side tables, and the sand timer that counts down the hour until the hotel’s fate glistens just so - the brightness of these subtle highlights might not be something you’d think to pick out in general watching, but it’s this attention to detail that makes all the difference to the wider viewing experience.
In John Wick’s desert chase scene, just moments earlier, the MZ2000 also shows what it can do with brighter scenes. The gloriously bold, burnt orange sand sits dramatically against the bright blue sky, with superb detail retrieval giving a tangible depth to the sweeping scenery so that it almost looks 3D.
Colours are brilliantly handled across the board, too. As this scene shows, there’s a richness available when it’s needed, but there’s subtlety in spades, too, and skin tones look spot on.
Switching to a Dolby Vision Netflix stream ofSex Education, there’sa slight lift in overall picture brightness, with yet more left to push behind the white writing that overlays when you pause it. It’s piercingly bright.
Colours look just as great here, with plenty of pop behind the 80s-inspired clothing. Yet, switch to the low-lit scenes ofSeven Kings Must Die, something many TVs can struggle with, and the MZ2000 takes them in its stride, retaining detail, avoiding black crush and looking as good as I’ve seen it.
Drop down to a full HD stream ofDrive,and the MZ2000’s upscaling ability is laid out for all to see. It’s superb and free from noise and any other processing quirks. Unless you’re being very picky indeed, it’s almost impossible to decipher that this isn’t 4K.
HD TV broadcasts might not be quite so undetectable, with some faint detail softness in faces and outlines, but it’s only really standard definition broadcasts where things get questionably fuzzier. Colour handling stays really solid across the board, though, making anything you throw at the MZ2000 very watchable indeed.
Sound performance
It’s not very often that I’ll say this, but with the MZ2000, you’re able to make do without a long-term soundbar. The sound system that is built in here is really that good.
You’ll be prompted to set it up properly when you set up the TV, with a relatively short but loud calibration process called Space Tune - showing it means business. Once finished, there are further options to re-run the process or tweak the results in the menu should you require them, but I didn’t need to.
There’s also the option for different sound modes, but I found the default Standard worked for most things. There are also Speech, Music and Stadium options, the latter trying to emulate the experience of being in the crowd at sports events, plus a custom user setting - or you’re able to leave it in the hands of Auto AI to select for you.
It’s a loud, forward presentation, which has volume to spare. Voices sound natural and focused, there’s weight in the low end for giving fight scenes authority, and surround effects are pushed pretty wide, too. It’s a considerably bigger sound than you’d expect from a TV.
Watching something with an Atmos soundtrack on Netflix delivers a noticeably more airy and open presentation, and while height effects are dangled in a 3D space somewhere above the TV rather than above you, the soundspace is much bigger and more detailed than pretty much any TV I’ve heard this year.
If you really find yourself wanting more, there is the option for adding a subwoofer, though I think what’s on offer here will be more than enough for the majority of people.
The Panasonic MZ2000 is a beautifully bright OLED TV that serves up all the traditional benefits of OLED, with a brighter overall picture and more impactful HDR.
It’s great to have all HDR formats supported, too, and while you could spend plenty of time in the menus tweaking settings if you wish, selecting Filmmaker Mode out of the box will give you a solid starting ground within minutes of getting it out of the box.
The pictures that the Panasonic MZ2000 is capable of are nothing less than superb, producing a finely detailed, cinematic picture that looks great with everything you throw at it. The picture processing here is just effortlessly good.
Add in a surprisingly capable built-in sound system, and the MZ2000 delivers an outstanding performance that raises the bar, once again, of what a great TV looks like in 2023. It’s a total home cinema package.
