Panasonic HZ2000 4k OLED shines with Dolby Vision IQ and intelligent Filmmaker Mode

Described as its most cinematic TV yet, Panasonic has unleashed a sequel to its 2019 GZ2000 OLED blockbuster at CES 2020. Dubbed the HZ2000, it stars Dolby Vision IQ and Filmmaker Mode.

Improving the viewing experience with HDR was a recurring theme from TV makers at this years CES, acknowledging that when viewed in rooms with ambient light, some HDR content simply looks too dark.

Dolby Vision IQ essentially replaces Dolby Vision Bright as a viewing option, and works in conjunction with the ambient light sensor built into TVs. In a bright room, the picture is dynamically adjusted so that highlights regain their punch and shadow detail isn’t lost.

Panasonic’s HZ2000 implementation of Filmmaker Mode similarly comes with Intelligent Sensing, again using the TV sensor to raise picture brightness and contrast in brighter rooms. The company has declared this a world’s first. "We are solving real world problems here," we were told.

Filmmaker Mode turns off image interpolation, noise reduction and image sharpening, to better reflect the creative intent of Hollywood, say the UHD Alliance. Panasonic’s implementation requires viewers to manually select the mode for appropriate content using a button on the remote control, and then deselect it when they want to restore processing and image brightness.

Inside CI was treated to demonstrations of the two modes at CES. Dolby Vision IQ was particularly effective.

Available in 65 and 55-inch sizes, the HZ2000 looks much like its predecessor.

It features a customised Master HDR OLED Professional Edition panel, using the latest OLED panel technology, and has the same fully integrated Dolby Atmos sound system, albeit with some new tuning work from Technics.

The set’s overall picture performance has been tuned by Hollywood colourist Stefan Sonnenfeld. Image quality is outstanding, with vibrant HDR peaks, rich colour and excellent near black detail.

The HZ2000 supports Dolby Vision, HDR10 and HDR10+, HLG and HDR Photo. The HZ2000 will also work with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa when the set goes on sale in June, allowing users to operate some key TV functions just using their voice.