Panasonic has a history of courting more exacting viewers with its OLED TVs, and that’s truer than ever for 2022. The company has unveiled an LZ2000 line that focuses on areas some of its rivals might overlook. Gamers get special attention through reduced lag at 60Hz, HDMI 2.1 support, automatic detection of NVIDIA GPUs and a Game Control Board overlay to help you adjust common settings like the viewing mode and HDR tone mapping. These aren’t the only gaming-friendly TVs debuting in 2022, but they may be particularly useful if you rarely play beyond 60Hz or frequently connect to a PC.
There are some broader audiovisual upgrades. The 4K-capable LZ2000 is now available in a 77-inch size in addition to the earlier 55- and 65-inch variants, and sensors now measure the ambient light temperature to produce more natural tones. Improved processing also improves “mid-level” brightness for well-lit living rooms, and is better at detecting content types like sports. Revamped Dolby Atmos speakers provide clearer audio, a wider sound stage and directional sound that can aim at specific points or areas. You might watch a movie at night without waking your kids, for example.
Prices will be available closer to the LZ2000’s release date sometime in summer 2022. The TV isn’t going to make larger rivals nervous, but that doesn’t appear to be the goal —Panasonic seems happy to serve those frustrated with mainstream options.
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