Though we all knew it was coming, it’s still sad to see plasma absent from Panasonic’s 2014 lineup.
Instead, we’ve got a smattering of LCDs, including some 4K, and a new smart TV angle called “Life+ Screen.”
All the info we’ve got, after the jump.
Panasonic has two 4K LED LCDs for 2014, the AX800 series (picture at top). The 65-inch TC-65AX800U and 58-inch class TC-58AX800U both have HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.2a, and is HDCP 2.2 compliant. They will play H.265 (HEVC) content.
Both models have extended color gamut potential, and “Local Dimming Pro,” though it’s not apparent if this is edge-lighting or full-array backlighting. Probably the former.
They’re also THX certified, and feature Panasonic’s 4K Fine Remaster Engine upconversion.
No word yet on pricing, but they’ll be available this spring.
HD
On the HD front, there are five lines with TVs ranging in size from 32- to 60-inches. The top four have Life+ Screen (more on this in a moment). We don’t have a ton of info for each model, but here’s what we’ve got.
At the top of the HD lines, there’s the 55-inch TC-55AS680U. It has a native 240Hz refresh.
The TC-60AS650U, TC-55AS650U, and TC-50AS650U are the next step down (above), and have “1500 Backlight Scanning” for improved motion resolution.
The 60-inch TC-60AS640U has “240 Backlight Blinking.” It’s bundled with a home theater system.
The AS530 Voice Guidance to the AS640’s Voice Assistant, but also has “240 Backlight Blinking.” There are four models: TC-60AS530U, TC-55AS530U, TC-50AS530U, and TC-39AS530U.
The only 2014 series that doesn’t have Life+ is the A400 series, which has three models: TC-50A400U, TC-39A400U, and TC-32A400U, which all have “120 Backlight Blinking,” which is presumably a 60 Hz panel with a flashing backlight.
Interestingly, many models are available now at Panasonic.com.
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Life+ Screen
Panasonic has renamed and reworked their smart TV interface, and is now calling it Life+Screen. While most of the features are similar to what was found in last year’s smart TVs, Panasonic is pushing personalization and “dramatic enhancements regarding learning the content preferences of individual users, breaking different content out of its silos, and making navigation far easier and more intuitive.” The only silo I care about is the one Hugh Howey writes about
Some of the functionality includes the my Home Screen function that “offers a more intuitive and personalized gateway allowing users to personalize their screen with their favorite apps and content and access it all quickly and easily.” The my Stream that “enables seamless, automatic content recommendation.” An info bar that displays “useful information” even when the TV is off. There’s also a voice interaction, and some cloud functionality.
Geoff Morrison (@TechWriterGeoff)
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