Panasonic Z95A review: a stunning, bright OLED TV with best-in-class Dolby Atmos sound

DA Gadgets October 13, 2024 Televisions

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Panasonic
Z95A:
Two-minute
review

The

Panasonic
Z95A
is
the
company’s
flagship

OLED
TV,
sitting
above
the
company’s
mid-range
Z90A
and
entry-level
Z85A
in
the
company’s
2024
OLED
lineup.
There
are
two
big
changes
for
Panasonic
TVs
this
year.
The
first
is
that
the
company
has
switched
from
its
own
My
Home
Screen
smart
TV
interface
to

Amazon
Fire
TV.
The
second
is
that
Panasonic
has
re-entered
the
US
TV
market,
though
the
selection
of
models
and
screen
sizes
is
more
limited
in
the
US
than
in
the
UK
and
Europe.

The
Panasonic
Z95A
arrives
stateside
exclusively
in
a
65-inch
screen
size,
though
a
55-inch
model
is
also
available
in
the
UK.
Pricing
is
set
at
$3,100
/
£3,899,
putting
the
Z95A
very
much
in
the
premium
TV
camp,
but
if
you
have
the
cash,
its
performance
and
features
rank
it
among
the

best
OLED
TVs.

The
Z95A’s
‘Master
OLED
Ultimate’
display
panel
uses
the
same
micro
lens
array
(MLA)
tech
found
in
the
flagship

LG
G4
OLED
TV
and
features
a
new
HCX
Pro
AI
Processor
MK
II
to
enhance

HDR
tone
mapping,
color
accuracy,
detail,
and
motion
handling.
Images
on
the
Z95A
are
bright,
with
strong
contrast
and
rich
color
–
it
looks
every
part
the
premium
TV.

Sound
is
also
a
standout
Z95A
feature.
It
has
a
5.1.2-channel
160W
speaker
system
with
front
and
side-firing
speakers,
along
with
up-firing
ones
to
deliver
Dolby
Atmos
height
effects.
The
Z95A’s
sound
is
powerful
and
immersive
enough
that
you
could
easily
get
away
without
using
one
of
the

best
soundbars,
and
there’s
also
a
clever
and
effective
Sound
Focus
mode
to
ensure
people
sitting
off-center
still
get
great
sound.
It’s
probably
the

best
TV
for
sound
if
money
is
no
object.
Packing
in
so
many
speakers
adds
to
the
TV’s
bulk,
but
its
design
is
otherwise
appealing
and
it
sits
on
a
sturdy
circular
stand
that
can
swivel
in
either
direction.

The
Z95A’s
Fire
TV
interface
isn’t
the
best
smart
TV
platform,
because
it’s
edged
out
by
more
sophisticated
systems
like

LG’s
webOS
and
more
streamlined
ones
like

Roku,
but
it
gets
the
job
done
for
streaming
and
features
a
new
Ambient
Experience
that
displays
a
wide
range
of
pre-installed
images
when
the
TV
is
in
sleep
mode
and
also
lets
you
upload
your
own
images
as
well
as
create
new
ones
using
AI.
There
are
plentiful
settings
to
dial
in
the
TV’s
picture
and
sound
–
perhaps
too
many
depending
on
your
level
of
patience
for
tweaking.

Gaming
is
well
represented
on
the
Z95A,
which
has
two
HDMI
2.1
ports
with

4K
144Hz,
VRR
(including

Nvidia
G-Sync
and

AMD
Freesync
Premium),
and
Dolby
Vision
Gaming
(up
to
144Hz).
A
Game
Control
Board
menu
overlay
lets
you
make
quick
gaming-related
settings,
and
it
can
be
assigned
to
the
remote
control’s
My
App
button
for
easy
pop-up
access.

The
Panasonic
Z95A
earns
its
high
price
compared
to
even
the

best
TVs,
and
if
you
want
a
single
unit
that
delivers
elite
sound
as
well
as
pictures,
it’s
hard
to
beat.
But
the
magnificent

Samsung
S95D
is
available
for
a

lot
less,
so
you
need
to
want
its
particular
mix
of
sound
and
visuals.

Panasonic
Z95A
review:
Price
and
release
date

(Image
credit:
Future)

Release
date:
4
September
2024

65-inch:
$3,100
/
£3,899

55-inch:
NA
/
£2,999

Panasonic’s
Z95A
is
the
company’s
flagship
OLED
TV
for
2024.
It
is
available
in
55-
and
65-inch
screen
sizes
in
the
UK
and
65
inches
in
the
US.
Panasonic
TVs
are
not
sold
in
Australia.

The
Z95A
series
sits
above
the
company’s
Z85A
series,
which
is
available
in
55-
and
65-inch
screen
sizes
in
both
the
US
and
the
UK,
with
the
65-inch
model
priced
at
$1,799
/
£2,499.

As
a
flagship
OLED
TV
sold
in
both
the
US
and
the
UK,
the
Z95A’s
key
competitors
are
the

Samsung
S95D
($3,399
/
£3,399)
and
LG
G4
($3,399
/
£3,299)
–
however,
both
those
TVs
are
available
for
much
less
than
their
asking
price
now.
You
can
find
them
both
for
around
$2,600
/
£2,600,
so
they
offer
a
big
saving
compared
to
the
Z95A.

Panasonic
Z95A
review:
Specs

Swipe
to
scroll
horizontally

Screen
type:

OLED

Refresh
rate:

144Hz

HDR
support:

Dolby
Vision,
HDR10+,
HDR10,
HLG

Audio
support:

Dolby
Atmos

Smart
TV:

Fire
TV

HDMI
ports:

4
(2x
HDMI
2.1)

Built-in
tuner:

ATSC
3.0
(US)

Panasonic
Z95A
review:
Benchmark
results

Panasonic
Z95A
review:
Features

The
Z95A
has
two
HDMI
2.1
ports
with
4K
144Hz
support.

(Image
credit:
Future)

MLA
OLED
panel
and
HCX
Pro
AI
Processor
MK
II

Dolby
Vision
IQ
and
HDR10+
adaptive
HDR

Two
HDMI
2.1
inputs
with
4K
144Hz
support

The
Panasonic
Z95A
features
a
‘Master
OLED
Ultimate’
display
panel
equipped
with
the
same
brightness
boosting

micro
lens
array
(MLA)
tech
used
in
LG’s
G4
OLED
TV,
along
with
a
heat-management
configuration
developed
in-house
by
Panasonic
engineers.
It
also
has
Panasonic’s
new
HCX
Pro
AI
Processor
MK
II,
which
uses
dynamic
3D
LUTs
(Look-Up
Tables)
to
display
accurate
colors
in
bright
and
dark
images
and
a
4K
Fine
Remaster
and
Smooth
Motion
Drive
Pro
feature
to
enhance
detail
and
motion
clarity.

The
Z95A
has
comprehensive
HDR
support,
with
Dolby
Vision
IQ,
HDR10+
Adaptive,
and
HLG
all
accounted
for.
In
the
US,
this
is
the
only
OLED
TV
range
to
offer
both
advanced
HDR
formats
(in
the
UK,
Philips
does
as
well).
A
Filmmaker
Mode
with
intelligent
sensing
optimizes
that
picture
mode
for
a
range
of
room
lighting
conditions
using
the
TV’s
built-in
sensors,
and
there’s
also
a
Netflix
Adaptive
Calibrated
Mode
that’s
meant
to
accurate
display
programs
streamed
from
Netflix.

Sound
quality
is
given
special
attention
on
the
Z95A,
which
features
‘360
Soundscape
Pro
tuned
by
Technics.’
This
basically
is
a
built-in
5.1.2-channel
160W
speaker
system
with
a
dedicated
center
speaker
and
up-firing
drivers
for
Dolby
Atmos
height
effects.
There
are
extensive
settings
for
tuning
the
Z95A’s
sound,
and
it
has
a
beam-forming
feature
that
lets
you
direct
the
TV’s
sound
output
with
Pinpoint,
Area,
Spot,
and
Ambient
modes.

For
its
new
TVs,
the
Z95A
included,
Panasonic
has
swapped
its
unloved
My
Home
Screen
smart
TV
platform
for
Amazon’s
Fire
TV.
This
uses
a
Voice
Remote
with
Alexa
for
control,
and
it
now
features
the
Fire
TV
Ambient
Experience,
which
lets
you
add
various
information
widgets
to
the
TV’s
ambient
mode
screensaver,
and
even
create
your
own
custom
images
using
generative
AI.

Gaming
is
also
a
highlight
of
the
Z95A,
which
supports
4K
144Hz,
VRR
(including
Nvidia
G-Sync
and
AMD
Freesync
Premium),
and
Dolby
Vision
Gaming
(up
to
144Hz)
and
also
has
a
Game
Control
Board
pop-up
menu
for
making
quick
gaming-related
settings.
The
Z95A
only
has
two
HDMI
2.1
inputs,
however,
which
is
less
than
the
four
HDMI
2.1
ports
we
look
for
on
the

best
gaming
TVs.

Features
Score:
4.5/5

Panasonic
Z95A
review:
Picture
quality

The
Z95A’s
picture
is
bright
enough
for
viewing
in
well-lit
rooms
and
it
has
an
anti-reflection
screen.

(Image
credit:
Future)

High
brightness
for
an
OLED
TV

Excellent
overall
picture
quality

Anti-reflection
screen

With
an
OLED
MLA
panel
similar
to
the
one
used
in
the
LG
G4
OLED
TV,
I
expected
the
Panasonic
Z95A
to
have
similarly
high
brightness
and
my
measurements
proved
that.
Brightness
on
a
10%
HDR
white
window
pattern
in
Filmmaker
Mode
was
1,495
nits
and
a
full-screen
pattern
measured
221.8
nits.
Those
numbers
match
what
we
measured
on
the
G4,
though
they
fall
a
bit
short
of
the

Samsung
S95D’s
1,688
nits
and
318
nits
in
the
same
picture
mode.

In
other
measurements,
the
Z95A’s
UHDA-P3
color
gamut
coverage
in
Filmmaker
Mode
was
97.0
and
its
BT.2022
coverage
was
72.5%.
Again,
those
results
match
what
we
measured
on
the
LG
G4,
though
the
Samsung
S95D
with
its
QD-OLED
display
panel
managed
full
P3
coverage
and
an
impressive
87.9%
BT.2020
coverage.
Grayscale
and
color
accuracy
(see
“How
I
tested”
section
for
details)
in
the
same
mode
were
3.3
and
1.7,
respectively
–
again
matching
the
G4’s
performance.

The
Z95A
did
a
good
job
upconverting
standard-definition
broadcast
TV
channels,
and
high-definition
ones
looked
super-clean
and
finely
detailed.
The
TV’s
anti-reflection
screen
also
effectively
reduced
glare
from
overhead
lights
in
my
room
when
I
had
them
switched
on.
With
sports
such
as
football,
the
Z95A
displayed
punchy
colors
and
crisp-looking
highlights,
though
I
preferred
the
TV’s
Normal
picture
preset
here
rather
than
Filmmaker
Mode,
which
looked
comparatively
muted
with
non-HDR
content
including
broadcast
TV.

One
note
about
Filmmaker
Mode
on
the
Z95A:
The
intelligent
sensing
feature
it
uses
automatically
turns
on
the
TV’s
ambient
light
sensor
for
adjusting
picture
brightness
based
on
room
lighting.
For
this
reason,
I
preferred
to
use
the
True
Cinema
preset
when
available,
which
has
similar
settings
to
Filmmaker
Mode
minus
the
intelligent
sensing.

Another
picture
mode
worth
discussing
is
Netflix
Adaptive
Calibrated
Mode,
which
needs
to
be
enabled
in
the
TV’s
picture
setup
menu.
When
streaming

Ripley
from
Netflix,
I
strongly
preferred
the
TV’s
Netflix
Adaptive
Calibrated
Mode
to
its
Dolby
Vision
Dark
mode,
which
compressed
highlight
and
shadow
detail
to
a
degree.
Otherwise,
I
used
Dolby
Vision
Dark
for
viewing
most
programs
with
Dolby
Vision
HDR,
making
tweaks
to
the
Black
Level
and
Black
Expansion
adjustments
in
the
Brightness
menu
to
optimize
pictures.

The
Z95A’s
bold,
detailed
color
reproduction
is
beautiful
for
movies
such
as

I
Saw
the
TV
Glow,
which
regularly
uses
a
neon-like
color
palette
in
dark,
nighttime
scenes.
Watching
one
such
scene
where
smoke
billows
out
from
an
ice
cream
truck,
the
bright
green
of
the
truck
and
the
lurid
purple
smoke
looked
vivid
and
intense.

Motion
handling
is
also
impressive
on
Panasonic’s
top
OLED
TV.
When
I
watched
a
scene
from

No
Time
to
Die
where
James
Bond
traverses
a
rocky
hilltop
cemetery,
there
was
only
a
faint
level
of
judder
visible
as
the
camera
tracked
his
motion,
and
details
in
the
landscape
remained
intact.
And
the
same
thing
held
for
sports,
with
a
Bills
vs
Ravens
football
game
looking
completely
solid
and
blur-free.

As
you’d
expect
from
a
flagship
OLED
TV,
blacks
looked
deep
and
there
was
a
high
level
of
shadow
detail
visible
in
dark
images
from
shows
like

The
Penguin
on
Max.
As
mentioned
above,
I
found
myself
regularly
making
adjustments
to
the
TV’s
advanced
brightness
settings
to
dial
this
in
just
right,
but
even
without
making
black-level
tweaks,
shadows
generally
were
well-defined.

Picture
quality
score:
5/5

Panasonic
Z95A
review:
Sound
quality

The
Z95A’s
Sound
Focus
interface.

(Image
credit:
Future)

5.1.2-channel
160W
speaker
system

Effective
Dolby
Atmos
presentation

Sound
Focus
mode

Panasonic
calls
the
Z95A’s
built-in
speaker
system
‘360
Soundscape
Pro
tuned
by
Technics.’
This
is
a
5.1.2-channel
160W
array
that
uses
dedicated
left,
center,
right
and
side-firing
speakers,
along
with
a
pair
of
up-firing
drivers
for
Dolby
Atmos
height
effects
and
a
built-in
subwoofer
plus
two
passive
bass
radiators.
A
subwoofer
output
jack
is
also
provided
on
the
TV
if
you
want
make
a
hard-wired
connection
to
an
external
sub.

Packing
that
many
speakers
into
the
TV’s
frame
adds
to
its
depth
and
height,
with
a
thick
grille
running
beneath
the
full
width
of
the
screen
where
the
front
speaker
array
is
located.
And
while
it
increases
the
TV’s
bulk,
the
benefit
to
the
Z95A’s
audio
hardware
is
that
it
can
play
loud
and
clear
enough
that
you
can
easily
do
without
a
soundbar.

Dialogue
is
consistently
clear,
and
Atmos
soundtracks
have
a
true
sense
of
spaciousness,
with
sound
effects
such
as
rain
falling
in
a
scene
from

I
Saw
the
TV
Glow
literally
sounding
like
they
were
falling
from
the
ceiling.
Bass
depth
and
impact
is
very
good
for
a
TV,
and
it
noticeably
improved
after
running
Space
Tune,
a
feature
that
uses
the
mic
built
into
the
remote
control
to
analyze
your
room’s
acoustics
and
adjust
the
sound
accordingly.

Along
with
Space
Tune,
another
key
audio
feature
is
Sound
Focus,
which
lets
you
adjust
the
direction
of
the
sound
for
off-center
seating.
There
are
four
settings,
Pinpoint,
Area,
Spot
and
Ambient,
which
each
one
providing
a
different
range
of
soundfield
width.
To
test
it
out,
I
selected
Pinpoint
and
adjusted
it
to
align
with
a
seating
position
at
the
far
end
of
my
sofa,
and
the
TV’s
sound
clearly
shifted
30
degrees
over
from
the
center.
Impressive!

Sound
quality
score:
5/5

Panasonic
Z95A
review:
Design

The
Z95A’s
circular
swiveling
stand.

(Image
credit:
Future)

Sturdy,
swiveling
stand

Wide
array
of
input
and
control
ports

Flimsy
remote
control

OLED
TVs
typically
have
a
thin
form
factor,
but
at
2.7
inches
(69mm),
the
Z95A’s
frame
is
necessarily
deep
owing
to
its
built-in
5.1.2-channel
speaker
array,
and
there
is
a
wide
grille
running
along
the
bottom
of
the
screen
where
the
TV’s
front-firing
speakers
are
located.
It’s
balanced
on
a
sturdy,
swiveling
stand,
which
is
a
great
feature
if
you
want
to
position
the
TV’s
screen
to
accommodate
different
seating
situations.

The
Z95A
has
an
impressive
array
of
input
and
control
ports.
There
are
four
HDMI
ports
(including
two
HDMI
2.1),
optical
digital
and
3.5mm
headphone/subwoofer
audio
outputs,
two
powered
USB,
and
an
antenna
input
for
the
TV’s

ATSC
3.0
digital
TV
tuner
(US-only).
On
the
control
side,
it
has
an
Ethernet
port
and
IR
blaster
output.

Panasonic’s
remote
control
is
disappointing
given
the
Z95A’s
otherwise
premium
build
quality
(and
price!).
It’s
the
same
type
you’d
get
with
any
cheap
Amazon
Fire
TV
set,
with
a
thin
plastic
case,
limited
button
array,
and
no
backlighting.
Its
main
feature
is
a
blue
button
at
the
top
to
summon
Alexa
for
voice
commands,
which,
to
be
fair,
is
a
key
feature
of
the
Fire
TV
smart
TV
platform.

Design
score:
4/5

Panasonic
Z95A
review:
Smart
TV
and
menus

Panasonic
has
switched
to
the
Amazon
Fire
TV
smart
interface
for
its
2024
TVs.

(Image
credit:
Future)

Amazon
Fire
TV
is
great
for
streaming
service
support

Fire
TV
Ambient
Experience
with
AI
image
generation

Extensive
picture
and
sound
adjustments

Amazon’s
Fire
TV
smart
TV
interface
hasn’t
changed
much
since
we
reviewed
the

Amazon
Fire
TV
Omni
QLED.
The
home
screen
is
divided
up
into
a
top
panel
with
ads,
mostly
for
shows
on
Amazon’s
Prime
Video
and
Freevee
free
TV
platforms
and
other
streaming
services,
while
a
grid
of
recommended
movies
and
TV
shows
takes
up
the
bottom
half.
In
between
is
a
horizontal
bar
with
a
row
of
apps
that
you
can
customize,
along
with
Inputs,
My
Stuff,
Search,
and
Live
tabs.

When
on
the
Live
screen,
you’ll
find
a
wealth
of
options,
including
news
channels
and
other
live
TV
programs
that
are
free
to
stream.
You
can
also
select
a
grid
format
that
displays
a
cable
TV-style
time-based
guide
that
can
be
populated
with
programs
available
on
local
broadcast
TV
channels
when
using
an
antenna.

The
Fire
TV
Ambient
Experience
is
a
recent
addition,
and
it’s
one
of
the
platform’s
most
appealing
features.
When
the
TV
hasn’t
been
in
use
for
a
certain
period
of
time
(you
can
specify
how
long
in
the
setup
menu)
it
will
display
a
curated
range
of
images
and
artworks,
or
your
personal
photos
(via
the
Fire
TV
Photos
app
after
uploading
using
the
Amazon
Photos
app
on
your
phone).
You
can
add
weather,
news,
sticky
notes,
and
other
widgets
to
the
Ambient
screen,
and
even
create
your
own
images
using
AI.
Be
careful
with
this,
however:
I
prompted
Amazon’s
AI
with
“clowns
juggling
pineapples
on
a
soccer
field,”
and
the
terrifying
image
it
generated
cannot
be
unseen.

One
area
where
Fire
TV
on
the
Panasonic
goes
well
beyond
Amazon’s
own
TVs
is
the
picture
and
sound
settings,
which
can
be
accessed
by
pressing
a
gear
icon
button
on
the
remote
control.
There
are
extensive
picture
presets,
including
numerous
ones
to
adjust
HDR
tone
mapping
and
black
detail
in
dark
images.
The
same
goes
for
sound
settings,
which
include
a
range
of
Sound
Field
Creation
options,
Space
Tune
room
EQ,
and
the
Sound
Focus
mode
described
above
in
the
Sound
Quality
section.
If
anything,
there
may
be
too
many
options
provided
for
tweaking
the
TV’s
picture
and
sound.

Smart
TV
&
menus
score:
4/5

Panasonic
Z95A
review:
Gaming

The
Z95A’s
Game
Control
Board
pop-up
menu.

(Image
credit:
Future)

Two
HDMI
2.1
ports

Game
Control
Board
menu

12.6ms
input
lag

The
Panasonic
Z95A
provides
two
HDMI
2.1
ports
that
support
4K
144Hz,
VRR
(including
Nvidia
G-Sync
and
AMD
Freesync
Premium),
and
Dolby
Vision
gaming
(up
to
144Hz).
While
we
generally
look
for
four
HDMI
2.1
ports
on
high-end
TVs
to
accommodate
multiple
gaming
consoles
plus
a
soundbar
connection,
the
Z9A’s
excellent
built-in
sound
makes
its
limited
HDMI
2.1
port
count
less
of
an
issue.

A
nice
gaming
feature
on
the
Z95A
is
its
Game
Control
Board
pop-up
menu.
This
can
be
activated
via
the
setup
menu
when
in
Game
mode
(it
can
also
be
assigned
to
the
remote
control’s
My
App
button),
allowing
you
to
make
gaming-related
picture
adjustments
such
as
Dark
Visibility.

The
Z95A’s
input
lag
as
measured
with
a
Leo
Bodnar
4K
Input
Lag
meter
was
12.6ms.
That’s
a
perfectly
good
result,
although
the
best
TVs
for
gaming
typically
yield
a
result
under
10ms.

Gaming
score:
4/5

Panasonic
Z95A
review:
Value

Panasonic’s
remote
control
is
notably
flimsy
for
a
premium-priced
TV.

(Image
credit:
Future)

Priced
higher
than
premium
OLED
competition
in
practice

Good
mid-range
OLEDs
available
for
much
less

Great
performance
and
features
enhance
the
value

At
$3,100
/
£3,899
for
the
65-inch
model,
the
Panasonic
Z95A
sits
at
the
premium
end
of
the
TV
price
spectrum,
beyond
even
the
LG
G4
and
Samsung
S95D
due
to
their
price
cuts.

You
can
now
buy
a
mid-range
65-inch
OLED
TV
such
as
the
LG
C4
for
around
$1,699,
and
it
will
also
have
great
picture
quality
plus
a
better
overall
set
of
gaming
features.
Paying
more
for
a
flagship
OLED
TV
such
as
the
Z95A
will
get
you
better
picture
brightness,
however,
and
that’s
going
to
make
a
difference
when
viewing
in
rooms
with
a
high
level
of
ambient
lighting,
and
it
also
gives
4K
movies
with
HDR
a
more
dynamic
look.

Ultimately,
the
Z95A
ranks
the
same
for
value
as
its
flagship
OLED
competitors.
Like
them,
it
has
powerful
built-in
audio
for
a
TV
–
but
here
it’s
further
cut
above
the
rest
–
and
when
you
combine
that
with
its
top-notch
picture
quality
and
features,
it’s
a
sound
investment
if
you
can
afford
it.

Value
score:
4/5

Should
I
buy
the
Panasonic
Z95A?

The
Z95A’s
Live
TV
grid
guide.

(Image
credit:
Future)

Swipe
to
scroll
horizontally

Panasonic
Z95A

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Features

Master
OLED
Ultimate
display
panel
with
comprehensive
HDR
support.

4.5/5

Picture
quality

High
brightness
and
excellent
overall
picture
quality.

5/5

Sound
quality

Powerful
sound
with
impressive
spaciousness
but
limited
bass.

5/5

Design

Somewhat
bulky
but
with
sturdy
swiveling
stand.
Remote
control
is
flimsy.

4/5

Smart
TV
and
menus

Fire
TV
smart
interface
is
serviceable
and
has
appealing
Ambient
Experience.
Extensive
picture
and
sound
settings.

4/5

Gaming

Great
overall
gaming
support
but
only
two
HDMI
2.1
ports.

4/5

Value

Pricey,
but
an
overall
good
value
given
the
performance
and
features.

4/5

Buy
it
if…

Don’t
buy
it
if…

Panasonic
Z95A
review:
Also
consider…

Swipe
to
scroll
horizontally

Header
Cell
–
Column
0

Panasonic
Z95A

LG
G4

Samsung
S95D

LG
C4

Price
(65-inch)

$3,100
/
£3,899

$3,399
/
£3,299

$3,399
/
£3,399

$2,699.99
/
£2,699

Screen
type

OLED

Refresh
rate

144Hz

HDR
support

Dolby
Vision/HDR10+/HDR10/HLG

HDR10+/HDR10/HLG

Dolby
Vision/HDR10+/HDR10/HLG

Smart
TV

Fire
TV

webOS
24

Tizen

webOS
24

HDMI
ports

4
(2x
HDMI
2.1)

4
x
HDMI
2.1

How
I
tested
the
Panasonic
Z95A

(Image
credit:
Future)

Tested
over
the
course
of
two
weeks

Measurements
were
made
using
Calman
color
calibration
software

A
full
calibration
was
made
before
proceeding
with
subjective
tests

When
I
test
TVs,
I
first
first
spend
a
few
days
or
even
weeks
using
it
for
casual
viewing
to
assess
the
out-of-box
picture
presets
and
get
familiar
with
its
smart
TV
menu
and
picture
adjustments.
I
next
select
the
most
accurate
preset
(usually
Filmmaker
Mode,
Movie
or
Cinema)
and
measure
grayscale
and
color
accuracy
using
Portrait
Displays’

Calman
color
calibration
software.
The
resulting
measurements
provide
Delta-E
values
(the
margin
of
error
between
the
test
pattern
source
and
what’s
shown
on-screen)
for
each
category,
and
allow
for
an
assessment
of
the
TV’s
overall
accuracy.

Along
with
those
tests,
I
make
measurements
of
peak
light
output
(recorded
in
nits)
for
both
standard
high
definition
and
4K
high
dynamic
range
using
10%
and
100%
white
window
patterns.
Coverage
of
DCI-P3
and
BT.2020
color
space
is
also
measured,
with
the
results
providing
a
sense
of
how
faithfully
the
TV
can
render
the
extended
color
range
in
ultra
high-definition
sources.

I
used
the
Calman
ISF
workflow,
along
with
the
TV’s
advanced
picture
menu
settings,
to
calibrate
the
image
for
best
accuracy
after
I’d
assessed
its
out-of-the-box
performance.
I
also
watched
a
range
of
reference
scenes
on
4K
Blu-ray
discs
to
assess
the
TV’s
performance,
and
4K
HDR
shows
streamed
from
Max,
Netflix,
and
other
services.